Environmental Lens Report – UCCCU Uganda
Introduction
From 13 to 15 April, 2011, Diakonia along with SCC and other partners, organized an Environment Lens workshop at Nairobi, Kenya. The main objective of the workshop was to introduce the Environment Lens Tool to Diakonia and SCC partners working in East and Central Africa. The tool places environment at the centre of project development and asks two probing questions to project promoters. These are as follows:
1. The programs impact on the environment
Is the effect the program has on the environment understood, and are the negative effect reduced and the positive effects strengthened?
2. External environmental factors influencing the program
Is the risk of environmental degradation, natural hazards/disasters, changes in the climate on the program addressed? Is the interdependence between the environment and the rights-holders addressed?
During the workshop, the consultant made a presentation on the link between environment and climate change and development projects. Thereafter, the consultant was requested by Diakonia to visit the Uganda Crane Creameries Cooperative Union (UCCCU) to test the Environment Lens using the new dairy being constructed by the Union. Accordingly, the consultant traveled to Kampala, Uganda on Monday 13 June 2011; and on 14 June, in the company of Mr. Elijah Kajubi of SCC-Uganda, to Mbarara, South-Western Uganda, about 300 km from Kampala, where the UCCCU is constructing the dairy. On 15 and 16 June, the consultant met with the staff of UCCCU as well as with members of two farmers’ dairy cooperatives. Further, the consultant visited the UCCCU dairy that is currently under construction. The consultant held a final meeting with UCCCU staff on 16 June and left for Kampala on 17 and to Kenya on 18 June.
The main role of the consultant was to work with the staff of UCCCU to examine if the Union had put into account the Environment Lens Tool while constructing the dairy. In carrying out this role the consultant had to educate participants about the Environment Lens Tool and to ask some probing questions.
The people who participated in the analysis of the UCCCU dairy project are listed in Annex I.
This is the report of the consultant’s intervention.
The analysis took two days (15 and 16 of June) and included visits to two farmers’ cooperatives.
Description of the Uganda Crane Creameries Cooperative Union
The Uganda Crane Creameries Cooperative Union (UCCCU) is a national cooperative union and acts as the commercial arm of the Uganda National Dairy Farmers Association (UNDFA). At the moment, the union is active in south-western Uganda. The union hopes to spread its activities to the other parts of the country in the near future. The vision of UCCCU is to be a leading farmer owned provider of high quality dairy products and services in the east African region. The union’s mission is to develop a vibrant dairy sector that will enhance improved livelihoods of the dairy farmers through increased incomes, modern farming, technological development and easy access to high quality dairy products on wider markets.
UCCCU was established in 2006 as an apex union of 8 district cooperative unions. These district unions in turn have a total membership of 108 primary dairy farmers’ cooperative societies.
The objectives of UCCCU are as follows:
· To mobilize farmers into cooperatives for collective marketing of dairy products;
· To train farmers to run dairy farms commercially;
· To carry out research and market development
· To mobilize and train farmers on value addition in the milk supply chain;
· To build the capacity of farmers in milk handling, collection, processing and marketing;
· To diversify the market of the dairy products to the regional and international markets;
· To encourage a saving culture among members for increased household incomes;
· To help farmers access credit for productive purposes for security their societies and animals.
UCCCU is a partner of the Swedish Cooperative Centre (SCC) which supports the strengthening of the farmers’ co-operatives.
Description of the UCCCU project:
Uganda Crane Creameries Cooperative Union (UCCCU) is constructing a dairy processing plant at Mbarara. Construction of the processing plant began in April 2009 and is expected to be ready in early 2012. Construction is being paid for by the farmers. The plant will initially process 50,000 litres of milk per day. Processing will include pasteurizing , packaging and converting some of the milk into yogurt. Further, the plant will have a facility to ultra heat the milk (producing the UHT version). The market includes schools, hotels and households. It is hoped that production will start in January 2012.
From experience in other dairies, it is estimated that the UCCCU plant will need 50,000 litres of water per day. It will also use a large amount of electricity. In addition, it will attract many trucks for transporting the milk to the plant and the finished product to the market. Therefore, the plant will need good access roads and adequate parking space.
The building that will house the plant is large and will have facilities like offices, meetings rooms, changing rooms, bathrooms and a laboratory.
UCCCU milk processing plant under construction at Mbarara, Uganda
Scope of the analysis:
The analysis was limited to the proposed UCCCU milk processing plant that is currently under construction. To get a good picture of the status of the cooperatives that UCCCU intends to serve through this plant, the consultant visited two primary cooperatives: Kakindo and Esigana Kashari. UCCCU and SCC hope that this analysis will assist them to ensure that environmental problems are dealt with upfront. By so doing, the partners hope to save costs and thus go towards achieving sustainability. Further, UCCCU hopes to improve the design of the dairy processing plant to be in line with the SCC environmental and climate change policy and the environmental laws of Uganda. In so doing, UCCCU will be able to process milk in a clean environment and thus guarantee the market. In addition the union wishes to ensure the sustainability of the entire dairy industry in Uganda, by enabling farmers to adapt to climate change.
The project’s impact on the environment
Current linkages
During the analysis, the following question was delved into: is the effect the project is likely to have on the environment understood, and are the negative effects reduced and the positive effects strengthened?
The analysis came up with the following effects that the project is likely to have on the environment:
· The plant will process 50,000 of milk per day; and use 50,000 litres of water per day. This is a lot of water that will be imported into the area;
· There will be a lot of waste water being released into the environment;
· The building housing the plant has a large roof and this will provide a large surface for rain-water harvesting, thus releasing a lot of water into the environment around the plant;
· If appropriate care is not taken, waste water will be released into the nearby swamp, posing a danger to the biodiversity in the swamp and to water users downstream;
· There will be increased traffic in the area as trucks will be needed to deliver milk and take away the finished products to markets;
· The plant will attract many employees and these will need adequate facilities;
· The market provided by UCCCU will encourage farmers to expand their dairy herds, thus needing more pasture and water and in this way placing more pressure on natural resources found in the environment.
Are negative effects understood?
In discussions with UCCCU officials, the consultant was informed that the union has commissioned an environment impact assessment (EIA)of the project to establish what negative effects that the project may have. The staff have not had access to the EIA report. However, they agreed with the consultant that the project may have the following negative effects:
· The release of waste water into the near by swamp;
· The flooding of the area around the plant during the rain season owing to the large roof area of the building;
· Traffic congestion in the area around the plant as many trucks deliver milk or collect the finished products;
Reducing the negative impacts
The staff of the union agreed that they would reduce the negative impacts of the project in the following way:
· Constructing adequate waste water ponds and a wetland. This will prevent the waste water from ending up in the nearby swamp and the river;
· The waste water system should be constructed in such a way that it is not susceptible to flooding from storm water;
· Proper septic tanks would be constructed to take in waste from the bathrooms, these tanks should then be linked to the local authority sewerage system;
· The eucalyptus trees in place downstream from the plant will be maintained so that they can consume excess water from the plant;
· Proper access roads as well as adequate parking should be provided for the many trucks that will frequent the area;
Strengthening positive impacts
In discussions with the consultant, the union staff proposed that the positive impacts of the project could be strengthened in the following manner:
· The rain water harvested from the roof of the building housing the plant would be stored and used in the plant, thus reducing dependence on outside sources of water;
· Since union members will try to rear more cows in order to benefit from the presence of the plant, UCCCU would continue to educate their members to harvest hay to be used during the prolonged dry season and during floods;
· Using the example of water harvesting at their plant, UCCCU would educate their members to harvest rain water to be used during the dry season;
· The increased traffic as a result of the UCCCU would encourage the union to lobby the local government authorities to repair the roads that serve livestock farmers and ensure that they operate throughout the year.
External environmental factors that can influence the project
Current linkages
In discussions with UCCCU staff and cooperatives serviced by UCCCU, it was agreed that there are external factors that can influence the project.
External factors
The main external factor s being noticed in western Uganda are:
· Prolonged dry seasons
· . Sudden floods
Effects of external factors
The main effects that the external factors are likely to have on the project are as follows:
· During the prolonged dry season, swamps dry up and pastures become scarce. This means that livestock keepers do not have enough water and pastures for their livestock. Without enough water and pastures, there will be reduced milk production. In addition, livestock keepers may decide to more further and further away from the catchment area of the project, and in the process being unable to deliver milk to the dairy.
· When floods occur, the livestock has to be kept in high places – the hills- where there may not be enough fodder. This will result in reduced milk production. In addition, floods dame roads and livestock keepers will not be able to transport their milk to the dairy.
Interventions against external factors
The UCCCU would in its own interest encourage livestock keepers to take up activities that would maintain a high level of milk production. Such interventions would include the following:
To counter the effect of climate change induced prolonged dry seasons, UCCCU is encouraging members to construct surface water dams and rain –water harvesting tanks to store water during the rainy season.
To counter the lack of fodder, members are being shown how to make hay and store it for the dry season. They are also making silage and dairy meal. Farmers are planting fodder trees such as calliandria;
To counter the high food and water consumption of current livestock, UCCCU is urging members to switch from Fresian to the Jersey breed of cattle, as the Jerseys eat less and need less water. They can therefore survive climate change.
To deal with flash floods in the low lands, especially in areas where the wetlands have been interfered with (e.g. in Kabale), ffforts are being made by the local authorities to rehabilitate the swamps and wetlands.
Result of the analysis
The Environment Lens analysis was carried out together with UCCCU staff. This is because the staff are responsible for implementing the project successfully. The other advantage of the staff participating is that they are now in a good position to see the opportunities for improving the environment that the project offers. This is different from an environment impact assessment, which is usually carried out by experts who then produce a report for the government and for the project managers.
Opportunities for improving current practices
The Environment Lens analysis offers some opportunities for improving current practices. Firstly, the current practice of constructing dairies like the one UCCCU is undertaking simply involves taking the minimum care of the environment – as may be pointed out by the EIA report. For example, there was no plan to use the roof to catch rain water that can then be used by the dairy. The design was to drain the rain water into the nearby swamp. The other issue that the Environment Lens brought out is that of the eucalyptus trees downstream of the dairy. The current practice would be to cut them down and let the waste water flow past. The Environment Lens analysis brought out the fact that these trees could be used to reduce the waste water.
What was not included in the EIA
Although the UCCCU staff did not have the EIA report with them, they informed the consultant that rain-water harvesting and the expected heavy traffic at the project site once completed were not included.
The way forward for UCCCU
Following the Environment Lens analysis, and since the UCCCU plant is still under construction, the staff undertook to re-visit the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) study that was carried out prior to the commencement of the project to ensure that the study recommendations are being adhered to. Further, the staff promised to ensure that the lessons from the Environment Lens analysis will be used. These include implementing the rain-water harvesting idea and lobbying the local authorities to improve the condition of the access road.
The way forward for UCCCU partners
In meetings with the primary cooperatives, the members started to understand the link between climate change and their livelihoods. Further, the farmers realized the harmful impact that draining their wetlands could have.