Enhancing Climate Change Adaptation through Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation Practices: Evidence from Coffee Farming Households in Southwestern Uganda

Abstract

Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation (PM&E) practices play a major role in enhancing the adoption of climate adaptation measures. A convergent parallel mixed-method design was therefore used to determine the contribution of PM&E practices in enhancing climate change adaptation among coffee farming households in Ntungamo district, southwestern Uganda. A structured questionnaire was administered to a sample of 385 respondents who were selected from a population of 724 farmers using Krejice and Morgan (1970) table. The respondents were selected from district council members, steering committee members as well as coffee farmers from the sub-counties of Ihunga and Kibatsi. These categories of respondents were chosen because of their regular interaction with climate change measures while utilizing M&E practices at the district level. The data were analyzed using correlation, regression and analysis of variance (ANOVA) methods to assess the strength, association, and linkage of PM&E practices and climate change adaptations. This type of analysis was appropriate because the study data were non-parametric. Results showed that participatory planning, needs assessments, monitoring with farmers, farmer-to-farmers exchange visits, and, participatory evaluation were positively and significantly (p=0.00) correlated with planting of the recommended shade trees in their coffee fields as well as soil and water conservation practice as interventions for adapting to climate change. However, regular data collection had a weak negative but significant correlation with farmers’ access to timely climatic information (r=-.155; p=0.00), use of soil and water conservation practices as a means of climate change adaptation (r=-.158; p=0.00) as well as farmers knowing the management of pests and diseases (r=-.178; p=0.00). This implies that most of the assessed PM&E practices enhance the planting of shade trees as well as the use of soil and water conservation practices as interventions for adapting to climate change in the coffee agro systems. The findings of this study therefore provide an informed basis for designing climate change adaptation strategies and formulation of policy recommendations at local Government level. This is vital for the various practitioners, implementers and actors in embracing the bottom–up approaches M&E in the execution of climate change interventions. We therefore recommend increased participation of coffee farmers in local Government planning, monitoring, and evaluation discussions deliberations This bottom-up approach will increase farmers’ ownership and commitment to better adoption, implementation, and sustainability of climate change interventions, ultimately enhancing smallholder livelihoods.