Kasana Luweero Diocese launches climate change adaptation, mitigation project

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The Catholic church has been commended for being a powerful community mobiliser capable of influencing values, behaviours, and development pathways.

The Catholic church is not only a spiritual authority, but also a powerful mobiliser of communities capable of influencing values, behaviours, and development pathways, a senior government official said in Luweero on Thursday.

Edward Ddamulira Sengonzi, who is the accounting officer /undersecretary, Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, made the remarks while closing a one-day conference on economic empowerment of small holder farmers in low-emission agricultural production and sustainable renewable energy.

Edward Ddamulira Sengonzi exchanges gifts with Kasana Luweero Catholic Bishop Lawrence Mukasa. (Photo by Frederick Kiwanuka)

The conference, whose theme was "productive use of renewable energy for profitable and low-emission farming in Uganda", was organised by Karitas Kasanaensis, a social development arm of Kasana Luweero Catholic diocese.

The function synchronised with the launch of a climate change adaptation and mitigation project, which is to be spearheaded by Karitas Kasana Luweero Catholic diocese.

Sengonzi said the Catholic Church holds a unique position in guiding society towards responsible stewardship of creation that is grounded in faith and moral responsibility.

Sengonzi, who is also the Vision Group board chairman, said the Catholic church has played a transformative role by promoting sustainable land use, supporting planting, encouraging adoption of clean energy technologies and even participating in emerging opportunities, such as carbon markets.

He said the conference, which brought together farmers, development partners, government officials and the clergy, was timely because climate change had become a serious economic and macro fiscal risk.

"Climate change is not only an environmental concern, but a serious economic and macro fiscal risk," he said.

Quoting the country climate and development report, Sengonzi said Uganda annually spends over USD 140 million on climate change-related issues. 

He said the increased frequency of climate change shocks like droughts, floods, and landslides was eroding people's livelihoods and reversing development gains.

"It is therefore fitting that today's dialogue focuses on the intersection of renewable energy, agriculture and climate resilience," Sengonzi said.

He said productive use of renewable energy, through solar irrigation, agro processing and clean cooking, offers a pathway to increase agricultural productivity, reduce emissions and enhance household incomes.

"This is not only a technical solution, but also an economic and moral imperative," he said.

Sengonzi said his ministry had, in response to the climate change crisis, established a climate finance unit (CFU) to mobilise climate change finance, ensure efficient allocation of the mobilised finances and utilisation, as well as strengthen coordination between the government and partners. 

At the sector level, Sengonzi said the government had established the clean cooking unit within the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development to promote access to clean and efficient energy technologies.

He said the measure was particularly critical for rural households where reliance on traditional biomass contributes to deforestation, health risks, and low productivity. 

In other measures, Sengonzi said the government had capitalised the Uganda development bank with significant resources to finance green investments.  He said this was in addition to mobilising over USD 504m from external sources to support mitigation and adaptation efforts across key sectors.

Kasana Luweero Catholic bishop Lawrence Mukasa said there was a need to promote mindset change so that the communities can embrace sustainable practices and technologies.

Mukasa said that issues like: affordability, equitable participation and access to information, which were raised during the conference, should be addressed so as to achieve meaningful progress.

The national pastoral coordinator of the Uganda episcopal conference, Fr. John Baptist Kaganda, said that caring for the environment was among the basic values of the catholic Christian faith.

"The environment is God-given, and we must use it responsibly. Environmental destruction is hence morally wrong," he said, quoting messages issued by the successive popes.

Kaganda said the Catholic Church considers climate change as one of the basic challenges facing humanity.

A farmer’s representative, Robert Mayengo, said farm production had more than tripled after switching to solar energy.

"I used to earn only 4m per acre of cabbage, but now I am earning between shillings 10 and 16m per acre," Mayengo said.

Mayengo said that apart from increased production, the use of renewable energy sources, like solar, has many other advantages, like environmental protection and preservation of soil nutrients.

He, however, said that solar installation costs were too high for most farmers.