Echoes from the Earth: Climate Change News Perceptions Among Rukoki Farmers in western Uganda

Abstract

The media has been instrumental in disseminating knowledge regarding climate change and its ramifications for agriculture and global food systems. It has enhanced awareness and comprehension of climate change, as well as global policy strategies aimed at addressing the difficulties it has caused. However, despite the media's role, there is a need for studies that examine how recipients of media messages on climate change interpret and make sense of the news content they receive. This study investigated rural farmers' perceptions and understandings of climate change news in western Uganda's Rukoki sub-county, Kasese district. The study used qualitative, semi-structured interviews with twelve (12) farmers, and it used a thematic analysis to analyze the data gathered. The findings revealed that farmers perceive climate change news as a source of negative emotions such as fear, worry, intimidation, etc., politically charged due to politicians' voices over their own, complex due to the media's use of language, and devoid of solutions for adapting to the changing weather events that significantly impact their farming activities and livelihoods. I suggest implementing "inclusive and participatory media coverage of climate change," which necessitates involving voices of the marginalized stakeholders like farmers in climate change reporting. This approach broadens the scope of climate change reporting beyond traditional sources such as politicians, experts, and policymakers by incorporating the perspectives of those directly affected by climate change. This approach will not only bridge the knowledge gap in global climate change discourse but also pave the way for inclusive perspectives to shape rich climate change policy discourses.