Missed Opportunities

Grants relating to adaptation and mitigation

Unintended Consequences

None

Project Narrative

Currently, the prevailing one-time-use energy and inefficient brick kilns to burn building bricks for both sale and construction in Iganga district are environmentally unfriendly. The process is associated with a lot of emissions that are dangerous to both the environment and human life. The process involves the use of too much firewood that has increased to deforestation resulting into soil erosion, pollution of swamps, rivers and lakes, extreme weather events, unsustainable use of wetlands for both clay and water harvesting, chronic heat waves and biodiversity loss. Still this traditional methods of brick making continue to damage the environment by claiming arable and fertile soils and encouraging frequent cutting of grass. These are associated with risks that include health effects, severe water scarcity, food insecurity and land degradation. The process is further labour intensive in nature. All these have continued to result into more severe storms, increased drought, loss of various tree species and not enough food hence, hunger and malnutrition. Therefore, we propose to have the vertical shaft brick kiln (VSBK) technology in place and operational, have a regulation for vertical shaft brick kiln (VSBK) technology developed and adopted. These outputs will be achieved through development of VSBK technology training manual, training 200 youths and 50 key stakeholders in VSBK technology operations and maintenance, acquire 1Feeder Box Machine, 2 Sets of Rollers, 1 Mixer Machine, 1 Extruder with cutting table for moulds of Bricks, Facing Bricks, Pompe and Maxipan 4 and 6 inches, 1 Loading Conveyer and 1 clay transportation truck-Isuzu dump 6800cc engine, Procure a piece of clay land deposits and certifications fees and engage relevant sub-county and district leadership on formulation of a by-law on VSBK technology adaption. This innovation will contribute to climate change adaptation and resilience by strengthening the capacity of 200 youths both male and female of 18 to 25 years and key 50 relevant stakeholders who will be selected following criteria that will consider skills, attributes, knowledge, cultural fit and qualifications to adapt and use the vertical shaft brick kiln technology. The 50 key stakeholders will include: 10 grass-root brick makers, 5 brick dealers (middle men), 5 brick transporters, 10 village local council leaders, 10 sub-county leaders and environment committees and 2 technical staff responsible for environment, forestry, water, agriculture and fisheries which will each present two persons to benefit from the project activities in terms of training and meetings. The rationale behind two participants from each relevant technical office is to ensure equity in participation from the said office at all times and so, in case of any temporary absence from one person from a target office should not disadvantage its continued and equitable participation. VSBK technology is new in Uganda. Nowhere else has it been adapted at community level to address climate change. It is an innovation in that, VSBK technology is not only used at highly commercial levels, like big factories of clay products, but it has been demonstrated in the Asian countries to thrive at small scale community producer level with huge benefits to climate change action. So, it will contribute to climate change adaptation by saving on the cutting of various tree species, reducing greenhouse gas emissions that are currently generated by the traditional, energy inefficient and one time use brick kilns used by the youths today. Additionally, the VSBK technology structure is a climate resilient infrastructure hence, it is saver, sustainable, cannot be affected by heavy rains and extreme weather conditions. The use of VSBK technology will make land rehabilitated, freed and restored for agro-forestry use. The use of VSBK technology will make land rehabilitated, freed and restored for agro-forestry use. Furthermore, the VSBK technology process does not waste power, reduces the time of bricks firing from an average of eight weeks while using the one-type use, traditional, inefficient energy brick kilns to just 24 hours, decreases particle matter which causes most of the respiratory illnesses in the labour force, it offers safer and healthier working conditions which result in improved labour efficiency. More so, the VSBK technology requires some skills which will increase worker knowledge. The VSBK technology diversifies products by promoting new types of bricks while using locally available clay which limits more pressure on cutting trees, Also, the technology will be an alternative source of incomes as opposed to cutting of tree species for charcoal making. The VSBK technology will reduce drastically on the washing away of top fertile soils hence, increasing the food yields with associated healthy and nutrient benefits to the community. During the training of 200 youths and 50 key stakeholders on VSBK operation and maintenance, additional emphasis on how to safeguard the ecosystem will be achieved by adopting and following the three R's: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Reduce means just using less (water). Reuse means to use again, pass it on to someone who will use, or change it so that it can be used in another way (clay) and. Recycle means to have it recycled in the community (clay). Thus, the VSBK technology will help the youth adapt to climate change by reducing social, economic and environmental vulnerabilities, create chances to use of biodiversity and ecosystem services through restoring, maintaining or improving ecosystem health. The operationalisation of this technology is going to be an integral adaptation strategy since a bylaw will be lobbied, adopted and it will support equitable governance, long term planning and capacities of the target community enhanced.