The current unpredictable weather has hit dairy farmers in rural Gulu district hard forcing them to walk for miles in search of grass to feed their animals.
This has also greatly affected the quantity of milk farmers who are keeping freshian cows for milk production.
Ms Jane Adokorach, a dairy farmer in the suburb of Gulu town says she is getting a lot of challenges in feeding her dairy cows due to the poor weather.
Adokorach explained that, “The dry season has led to scarcity of grass leading to low milk production because of the poor feeds.”
She said because of the changing climate, farmers are finding it hard to cope.
During dry season, a hybrid dairy cow produces between 15-20 liters compared to rainy season when a farmer can milk upto 30 liters because of the available vegetation.
Another farmer Ms Scovia Akello said, the long dry spell has caused a lot of setbacks to local farmers.
Akello noted that due to the late on set of rains, coupled with low profit margins, at least 78 farmers are finding it hard to provide feeds for their animals.
Dr. Odong Otara, a veterinary doctor admitted that the changing weather has slowly turned into a nightmare for dairy farmers.
Dr. Otara says, “Majority of farmers heavily rely on rain so that the feeds regenerate but because of the changing climate, grass which is the main source of feeds has become scarce.”
According to Dr. Otara, even if there is grass, it may not be that nutritious for animals which lead to low milk yield.
The veterinarian says there is need for farmers to start preparing hay so that they can use it to feed their animals during time of scarcity and also use supplementary feeds so that they get high milk yields.
Mr Robert Bakiika, the Deputy Director Environmental Management for Livelihood Improvement Bwaise Facility (EMLI Bwaise Facility) a non – governmental organization with a focus on environmental issues such as environmental governance and climate change said farmers need to adopt some strategies in order to sustain their livelihoods.
“Farmers can adopt rain water harvesting so that their farming activities are not interrupted,” Bakiika said.
