Free Access | March 2001

Poverty Relevant Environmental Indicators for Uganda

Authors/Editors: Godfrey Bahiigwa ,  Telly Eugene Muramira

Abstract:

Description Over 85% of Uganda’s population resides in rural areas, relying heavily on natural resource based activities primarily agriculture for their livelihoods. Since rural populations depend directly on land, forests, and water for crop cultivation, livestock grazing, and fuel wood, intense resource usage frequently leads to severe land degradation, deforestation, and soil erosion. This creates a self-reinforcing poverty-environment trap. Commissioned by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) through the School of Public Policy at the University of Birmingham, this report reviews key poverty-environment issues, existing indicator frameworks, national household survey data, and institutional policies in Uganda. It identifies critical resource constraints—such as declining soil productivity, restricted arable land access, and biomass depletion and establishes actionable, data driven environmental indicators designed to inform poverty eradication strategies.