RICE PADDY SCHEME AND WETLAND DEGRADATION TILDA KIBIMBA, BUGIRI DISTRICT, UGANDA BY ISAASI FRED BEMI10011/811DU SUPERVISED BY: DR. SEKABIRA KASSIM A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF INGINEERING AND APPLIED SCIENCES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE AWARD OF BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT OF KAMPALA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OCTOBER, 2011 DECLARATION I, Isaasi Fred declare that this dissertation on “Paddy schemes and wetland degradation” is my original work and has never been submitted to any university for any award. Where the works of others have been cited, acknowledgements have been made. Signature..~ Date... ~ .7 ISAASI FRED APPROVAL I certify that the work of this candidate has been under my supervision and is now ready for submission, to be evaluated for the award of a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Management f Kampala International University. Supervisor.. ~ Date ~ ( DR. SEKABIRA KASSIM DEDICATION I dedicate this work to my beloved mother Mrs. Luuka Sarah and my father Mr. Luuka Bethuel for their good love and care, may God bless them to live longer, and it is because of their devoted sacrifice, encouragement, and trust in me that I have been able to reach this far, then my lecturers most especially Mr. Orishaba Ammon and Tumushabe Annie, my beloved friends Torn, Joan and Winnie, Sharifa, Magie and Eugine Ayako. Lastly it goes to my beloved late niece Doreen that you will always remain a family member, and I will live to love you and may your soul rest in eternal life. 111 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The researcher is very grateful to be availed this opportunity of thanking and hailing the different people who contributed in one way or the other in the completion of his research project successfully. My first gratitude goes to the Head of the Environment Science Department and lecturer Mrs. Tumushabe Annie for having continued with the promoting of research in the department, advocating for the students to the University Council about the financial and all other kinds of support to the students which is a benefit. More to that, I would like to send my sincere thanks to my research methods facilitator Mr. Tindyebwa Wiliberforce for the guidance he rendered to me during the research lectures in order to make it a success. Again, I would like to send my grateful thanks to my beloved lecturer Mr. Orishaba Ammon for his valid efforts rendered in the marking assistance and guidance during the time of lectures; and more thanks also go to all my lecturers who have done a great job in class work. Further still, I would like to extend my great thanks to my beloved mother Mrs. Luuka Sarah and my beloved brother Luuka Moses for the financial assistance and guidance in the hard life, then my niece Fancy and my best fiends Wabwire Thomas, Naaba Winnie, and Joan Mutoni for the comfort and courage they rendered in the completion of my research proposal. iv ABSTRACT The purpose of the study was to establish the impact of paddy schemes on wetland degradation in Kibimba wetland Bugiri; and in this the major concern was the factors, activities and effects of rice paddy agriculture on wetlands. The study was conducted among surrounding outgrowers, labour workers at the scheme and extension officers of Tilda rice scheme. The literature review covered relevant literature from other previous writers, journals, documentary reviews where factors of rice paddy schemes activities of rice paddy scheme agriculture and effects of rice paddy schemes will be reflected in the Literature review.The study used a descriptive study design in which both qualitative and quantitative methods were adopted. In a cross-sectional survey, a total of 40 farmers will be interviewed using several data collection methods including interviews, informal discussions based on questionnaires and observation .The researcher was focused majorly on the activities involved in rice paddy agriculture and their effects on the wetland ecosystem and this was majorly on observation of these effects and practices.Data was analyzed, coded and presented using pie charts. Factors like continuos cultivation of the wetland leads to depletion of soil nutrients, lack of awareness about wetland conservation, political factors of the rich being given free access to wetland natural resources without follow ups and economic factors were all laeding to wetland degradation. After the study, the researcher found out that rice growing has no impact on the wetland but the problem was with the activities that are involved in rice growing for example during land preparation, the use of chemical to kill weeds was a common practice that changes the wetland ecosystem compostion through contaminating it and making it inhabitable to the different kinds of biodiversity; use of fertilizers that degrade the soil that without using them in a particular season would mean very poor yields, other pests and disease control using chemical for example kills birds and fish in the water; machinized harvesting leads to compaction of the soil particles reducing soil aeration. Therefore, there is wetland degradation taking place at Tilda Uganda Limited but most of the effects can not be easily observed by a lay man physically except a few effects, therby requiring the government to come up and fund environment conservation organizations to there and do scientific studies by for example testing soil samples in laboratories, or else the wetland of Kibimba will soon become a was±e land. v LIST OF ACRONYMS NEMA National Environmental Management Authority NAADS National Agricultural Advisory Services WMD Wetland Management Division NGOS Non Governmental Organizations UWA Uganda Wildlife Authority NFA National Forest Authority NARO National Agricultural Research Organisation EIA Environmental Impact Assessment MDGs Millennium Development Goals GHGs Green House Gases vi TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION APPROVAL DEDICATION ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iv ABSTRACT v LIST OF ACRONYMS vi CHAPTER ONE 1 INTRODUCTION 1 I .Olntroduction 1 1.1 Background 1 1.3 General objective 4 1.4 Specific objectives 4 1 .5 Research questions 4 1.6 Scope of the study 4 1 .6.1 Geographical Scope 4 1 .6.2 Content Scope 5 1.6.3 Time scope 5 1 .7 Significance of the study 5 LITERATURE REVIEW 7 2.1 Definition of terms 7 2.2 The concept of paddy schemes 8 2.3The concept of wetland degradation 9 2.4 Paddy scheme factors that contribute to wetland degradation 9 2.5 Activities,involved in paddy scheme agriculture 13 2.6 Effects of paddy schemes on wetlands 15 METHODOLOGY 22 3.1 Descriptive Research design 22 3.2 Study area 22 3.2.1 Location of the study area 22 vii 3.2.2 Demographic and Population Profile .23 3.2.3 Climate 23 3.2.4 Soils 24 3.2.5 Wetlands 24 3.3 Study population/target population 24 3.4 Sample and sampling procedure 25 3.4.1 Sampling 25 3.5 Research instruments 25 3.5.1 Questionnaires 26 3.5.2 Interview Schedule 26 3.5.3 Observation 26 3.6 Data analysis 26 3.7 Research procedure 27 3.8 Ethical Considerations 27 3.9 Limitations of the study 27 RESEARCH FINDINGS 28 4.0 Introduction 28 4. 1 Distribution of respondents by sex 28 4.2 Distribution of respondents’ age in percentages 28 4.3 Extension and labour workers’ number of years in rice paddy scheme agriculture 29 4.4 Rice paddy scheme factors 30 4.5.0 Activities involved in rice paddy agriculture 32 4.5.1 Activities that impact negatively on the wetlands 35 4.5.2 Periods of the year when activities are done 36 4.6 Effects of rice paddy scheme agriculture on wetlands 37 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 42 5.0 Conclusions 42 5.1 Recommendations 42 REFERENCES 44 APPENDICES 48 Appendix I-Time schedule 48 viii APPENDIX II - Proposed budget .49 APPENDIX III- Instruments 50 APPENDIX TV-Map of Bugiri district showing Kibimba wetland 54 APPENDIX IV- Map of Uganda showing Bugiri district 55 ix LIST OF TABLES Table 1 — Sample of respondents 25 Table 2 - Distribution of respondents by sex 28 Table 3 — Distribution of respondents by age 28 Table 4 Extension and labour workers’ number of years in rice paddy agriculture 29 Table 5 — Rice paddy scheme factors that contribute to wetland degradation 30 Table 6— Activities involved in rice paddy scheme agriculture 32 Table 7— Activities that impact negatively on wetlands 35 Table 8 — Periods of the year when activities are done 36 Table 9 — Effects of rice paddy scheme on wetlands 37 x LIST OF PLATES Plate I — Continuous cultivation of rice leading to wetland soil exhaustion 31 Plate 2 Land clearing and weeding 33 Plate 3 — Canal irrigation which erodes the soil sediments 35 Plate 4 — Rice paddy scheme agriculture nursery bed 37 Plate 5 — Stagnant water where mosquitoes breed 39 Plate 6 — The effect of round up weed chemical on the soil 40 Plate 7 The effect of irrigation canals on wetlands 40 Plate 8 — Manual weeding of rice which reduces the use of chemicals in weed control 41 xi CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Back ground Wetlands are found in all climatic zones ranging from tropics to the tundra (except Antarctica which has no wetlands). Occupying about 5% of the earth’s land area, wetlands are dynamic and natural ecosystems characterized by water logged or standing water conditions during at least part of the year. In most wetlands, water levels fluctuate seasonally instead of being stable, a property that accounts for making wetlands highly productive environments. Productivity among wetlands varies depending on the type of the wetland, climatic condition and vegetation communities. (Schlesinger 1997). For the last 15 years, Uganda has lost about 4,000 square kilometers of wetlands to degradation, posing a risk of water shortage, experts from Water and Environment Ministry have said.