Economic Assessment of the Impacts of Climate Change in Uganda Briefing Note

The document examines the vulnerability of Arabica coffee in Uganda's Bududa District to climate variability and projected climate change. It compares 'Business as Usual' (BAU) with 'Climate Smart Agriculture' (CSA) scenarios, finding that CSA—which includes tree planting, mulching, and trench construction—offers a higher Internal Rate of Return (IRR) than BAU under both current and future conditions. The study suggests that combining CSA with institutional support could sustain coffee cultivation, though it notes that estimates are preliminary and require further research and piloting.

• Arabica coffee production in the Mount Elgon region is highly vulnerable to climate variability, with yields and quality declining over the last 30 years due to poor management and an increase in droughts, floods, and landslides.
• Climate change projections for Mount Elgon include rising temperatures, a slight decrease in total annual rainfall, and an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme events such as droughts and excess rainfall, which are expected to lower coffee yields.
• Investment in Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA)—defined as planting trees, mulching, and trench construction—is more profitable than 'Business as Usual' (BAU) under current conditions, with the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) increasing from 27% for BAU to 41% for CSA.
• Combining CSA with institutional support measures is estimated to yield an internal rate of return of approximately 36%. The required investment costs for CSA are projected to be US$2.4 million in 2016, increasing to US$4.9 million by 2019, which significantly exceeds the Bududa District Local Government's institutional support budget of around US$214,329.

APA

Climate and Development Knowledge Network (n.d.). Economic Assessment of the Impacts of Climate Change in Uganda Briefing Note. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Uganda_CC-Economics_Mount-Elgon_case-study_Briefing-Note.pdf

Chicago

Climate and Development Knowledge Network. Economic Assessment of the Impacts of Climate Change in Uganda Briefing Note. n.d. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Uganda_CC-Economics_Mount-Elgon_case-study_Briefing-Note.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |title=Economic Assessment of the Impacts of Climate Change in Uganda Briefing Note |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Uganda_CC-Economics_Mount-Elgon_case-study_Briefing-Note.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateanddevelopmentknowledgenetworkndeconomic, author = {{Climate and Development Knowledge Network}}, title = {{Economic Assessment of the Impacts of Climate Change in Uganda Briefing Note}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Uganda_CC-Economics_Mount-Elgon_case-study_Briefing-Note.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }