Video Podcast

Enabling Increased Cocoa Cultivation in Northern Uganda

'Adag-anii means that we don't want rumours, we want to work.'

Okullo Paul Peter is Managing Director of Adag-Anii Ltd, based in the the Lango sub-region of Uganda. In this chat he has a great story about how his company go its name - 'adag-anii.'

He talks to us about helping farmers adapt to growing cocoa as a cash generating, environmentally responsible alternative to maize. In partnership with the Climate Smart Jobs program, the idea is to help farmers access the market by helping them at all points in the process: preparation, cultivation, harvesting, processing and selling. And the aim is pretty simple when you boil it down - to ease the poverty that many people experience on a daily basis in these regions, partly as a result of climate change.

Producer: Martin Fowler
Sound and Video Recordist: William Ssekiranda
Video Editor: Brice Anchor

The Uganda Climate Innovation Fund

Joining us in this episode are two of the key people who have been implementing the Uganda Climate Innovation Fund, Brian Ndyaguma and Tobby Ojok. The Climate Smart Jobs project developed the Uganda Climate Innovation Fund to support entrepreneurs coming up with sustainable, economically viable ways of helping local people become more resilient to the challenges of climate change in Northern Uganda, including prolonged drought, unpredictable rains, and declining soil productivity. Brian Ndyaguma is the Team Lead and Tobby Ojok an Agribusiness Specialist. Together they offer valuable insights into how the fund was established, and the problems which it has been designed to address.

Producer: Martin Fowler
Sound and Video Recordist: William Ssekiranda
Video Editor: Brice Anchor

WIIGOT - A Problem Solving Tool for Smallholder Farmers

Farmers in northern Uganda face many obstacles to success in the face of climate change. Shifting climatic patterns make planning extremely difficult, and access to markets and services is often inconsistent and beset with problems. The Climate Smart Jobs Project - the organisation behind this podcast - exists to design innovative ways of tackling these difficulties. Mathew Rupanga is the Team Leader of the Climate Smart Jobs Project, and he joins us in this episode to talk through the many ways the project is providing smallholder farmers with accessible, sustainable, and long-lasting solutions.

Producer: Martin Fowler
Sound and Video Recordist: William Ssekiranda
Video Editor: Brice Anchor

Enabling Increased Cocoa Cultivation in Northern Uganda

Okullo Paul Peter is Managing Director of Adag-Anii Ltd, based in the the Lango sub-region of Uganda. In this chat, he has a great story about how his company got its name - 'adag-anii.'

He talks to us about helping farmers adapt to growing cocoa as a cash-generating, environmentally responsible alternative to maize. In partnership with the Climate Smart Jobs program, the idea is to help farmers access the market by helping them at all points in the process: preparation, cultivation, harvesting, processing and selling. And the aim is pretty simple when you boil it down - to ease the poverty that many people experience on a daily basis in these regions, partly as a result of climate change.

Producer: Martin Fowler
Sound and Video Recordist: William Ssekiranda
Video Editor: Brice Anchor

Battery Manufacture in Kampala

Batteries are a key technology for adapting to climate change because they provide power on demand. Whether from solar, wind, or wave, energy stored in batteries can be accessed at the flick of a switch. Brendan Cronin is CEO of Soleil Power in Kampala, East Africa’s first diversified lithium battery production company. He joins us in the studio to explain a bit about how batteries work, how they're developing in the EV sector, and what the future might look like for battery development in Uganda.

Producer: Martin Fowler
Sound and Video Recordist: William Ssekiranda
Video Editor: Brice Anchor

Pfumvudza - Simple, Scaleable, Climate-Smart Agriculture

Mulching. Doesn't sound so...exciting. But trust me, this is a totally compelling conversation.
It's about 'Pfumvudza,' a conservation-based approach to agriculture that makes small parcels of land more productive through minimum tillage, mulching, crop rotation, and timely planting. Because it is focused on small plots of land, it can be especially effective in helping smallholder famrers and others with limited access to land - members of refguee communities, for instance

Producer: Martin Fowler
Sound and Video Recordist: William Ssekiranda
Video Editor: Brice Anchor

Agroecology and Climate Change

Agroecology, explains Josephine Akia Luyimbazi of PELUM, is a systematic approach to agriculture that is based on working in harmony with nature and natural processes. In this wide ranging conversation she details the work PELUM undertakes with farming communities across Uganda, seed banks, the outcomes that famers experience from adopting agroecological farming practices, and her view of the vital importance of seed sovereignty in the face of agri-business practices in the country.

Producer: Martin Fowler
Sound and Video Recordist: William Ssekiranda
Video Editor: Brice Anchor

CTU Extra - Full Interview With Iganachi Razaki Omia

Iganachi Razaki Omia is the founder and CEO of Omia Agribusiness Development Group, which provides farmers in northern Uganda with a huge range of sevices from agricultural inputs and extension support services to effective linkages to markets. In this full, unedited interview with Josephine Karungi he talks about how the business started, his personal motivations, and how women and refugees face particular challenges when it comes to farming and making an income in an unstable climate.

Producer: Martin Fowler
Sound and Video Recordist: William Ssekiranda
Video Editor: Brice Anchor

COP30 and Uganda - Freshwater Resources and Climate Change

The future of the world's freshwater resources in an unpredictably changing climate is a vital issue. Vanessa Thompson, Communication and Development Advisor for Join For Water, Africa, joins us to outline what we might expect from COP30. She also describes the work Join For Water is currently doing in Uganda, and why it matters.

Producer: Martin Fowler
Sound and Video Recordist: William Ssekiranda
Video Editor: Brice Anchor

'The polluters must pay'

As COP30 gets up to speed we're joined by Jackson Muhindo Rukara of OXFAM Uganda. Before he leaves for Belem on Friday 14th he gives us a rundown on the priorities for OXFAM and other African countries. With an over-arching emphasis on payments for loss and damage, he identifies the key objectives that can make this happen.

Producer: Martin Fowler
Sound and Video Recordist: William Ssekiranda
Video Editor: Brice Anchor

The Country Climate and Development Report for Uganda.

A conversation about a report from the World Bank might not be your idea of a fun time. But as Cyril Desponts explains, the Uganda Country Climate and Development Report is fascinating, and a significant step on the journey towards a climate resilient future for the country.

Producer: Martin Fowler
Sound and Video Recordist: William Ssekiranda
Video Editor: Brice Anchor

Why Wetlands Matter

Asadhu Ssebyoto is a Senior Wetlands Officer in the Ugandan Ministry of Water and Environment. And to say he's a man with a passion for wetland preservation would be an understatement: to use his own words, it's a subject he eats, drinks and sleeps.

In this episode he talks us through the common types of wetlands found in Uganda, how we should understand their importance, and why long term preservation is only possible when the livelihoods of local communities are taken into account.

Producer: Martin Fowler
Sound and Video Recordist: William Ssekiranda
Video Editor: Brice Anchor

'Everything stopped where it was.' The Closure of USAID

On July 1st 2025 USAID officially shut down. For many countries around the world it represents a massive blow to a range of development programmes covering everything from health, agriculture and education to governance and climate change mitigation. In today's compelling episode, Robert Bagyenda joins us to share his insights into the likely consequences of this change

Producer: Martin Fowler
Sound and Video Recordist: William Ssekiranda
Video Editor: Brice Anchor

'Climate change is not about COP...it's about our families.'

Veteran journalist Samuel Ssettumba explains why informed, dedicated climate change coverage matters in 2025. The Nation Media Group now has a dedicated Climate Change Desk. He gives us an inside perspective on why that's a huge step forward for Uganda:

Producer: Martin Fowler
Sound and Video Recordist: William Ssekiranda
Video Editor: Brice Anchor

Award-winning journalist Amayiko Martin and the story of Nkambwe Forest

Amayiko Martin's three part documentary aired on Radio Simba. It's called 'Sub-counties are in tears - assailants destroyed over 300 hectares of Nkambwe Forest.' He joins us on Climate Talk Uganda to talk about the story of the destruction and restoration of the forest, how communities reacted to his documentary, and how it feels to win such a high profile award for his work.

Producer: Martin Fowler
Sound and Video Recordist: William Ssekiranda
Video Editor: Brice Anchor

Making Climate Resilient Communities A Reality

In this in-depth interview, Pauline Nantongo Kalunda talks to us about her own personal and professional growth. She has moved from being a scientist with a specialist interest in insects to entreprenurial activism and passionate advocacy for smallholding communities. She details the workings of the ECOTRUST model of incentivising environmentally sustainable practices, and offers many other fascinating insights along the way.

Producer: Martin Fowler
Sound and Video Recordist: William Ssekiranda
Video Editor: Brice Anchor

'The mosquitoes have adapted, the people have not.'

Where to start with this amazing episode? Clarity, insight and perspective from Dr. John Bosco Isunju, of Makerere University, on the hazards we face as humans in the face of climate change, and the unique challenges that will shape the future of life in Uganda.

Producer: Martin Fowler
Sound and Video Recordist: William Ssekiranda
Video Editor: Brice Anchor

What's the progress in Protecting Uganda's Environment?

This is a timely and profound exploration of the strategies, passions and frustrations of environmental activism over a long period of time. Founded in 1983, Joint Energy Environment Projects exists to promote efficient use of natural resources and prevent the destruction of forests. Forty years after its founding, how does the CEO, Ruth Kiwanuka, reflect on her experiences; the progress that has been made; and the challenges that remain?

Producer: Martin Fowler
Sound and Video Recordist: William Ssekiranda
Video Editor: Brice Anchor

Communities Displaced by Floods and Other Impacts of Climate Change

In this episode we're turning our attention back to some of the broader questions around health and climate change. Crispus Mwemaho has a background in health services, and he's co-founder with Ivan Rwomukitomaof the Abayuuti Climate Action Network. He talks about the work the Abayuuti Climate Action Network does with people who have been displaced by flooding in Uganda.

Producer: Martin Fowler
Sound and Video Recordist: William Ssekiranda
Video Editor: Brice Anchor

The Impact of Climate Change on Mental Health

Janet Kantalama Kantana joins Josephine to talk about how we can understand mental health challenges in the age of climate change. We explore how our inner wellbeing is affected when day to day life is disrupted by intense or unpredictable weather events. And we talk about measures we can take - individually and collectively - to make sure we are mentally resilient in those circumstances.

Producer: Martin Fowler
Sound and Video Recordist: William Ssekiranda
Video Editor: Brice Anchor

Food Prices, Farming and Climate Change Explained

Tracing the connections between the price of the food you put on your table, global commodity markets, local conditions and climate change is incredibly complex. Today we have probably Uganda's most important expert in the field joing us. Professor Bernard Bashaasha is Professor of Agricultural and Development Economics at Makerere University College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences‬. He has many years of experience analysing agriculture in Uganda and what makes it tick.

Producer: Martin Fowler
Sound and Video Recordist: William Ssekiranda
Video Editor: Brice Anchor