There are a number of forces which compel people to migrate to the drier areas of a country. Ideally, proper planning should precede settlement of such lands in order to avoid adverse consequences of environmental deterioration occurring as a result of land mismanagement. Uganda has a sizeable proportion of rather dry areas which have attracted settlements during the past few decades. This chapter reviews trends and impacts of contemporary migrations, and offers guidelines towards integrated planning for proper utilization of Uganda's dry lands.

Dry areas of Uganda

For a country whose mainstay is agriculture, rainfall is a dominant climatic factor contributing indirectly towards agricultural practices and, to some extent, the intensity of settlements. An understanding of the mean annual rainfall of Uganda is of some importance for assessing water resource potential and for agriculture in general.

The total amount of rainfall received in Uganda is the product of several factors. The effect of relief is exhibited by the orographic rains received in the hills and mountains of Kigezi and Ankole in the south-west of Uganda and on the Ruwenzori mountain in Toro, western Uganda. The influence of Mount Elgon in eastern Uganda is equally evident. Further, turbulence in the vicinity of isolated hills produces local increments of rain especially on their windward sides. This, however, does not seem to be the case with regard to the highlands of Karamoja in north-eastern Uganda. Likewise, proximity to Lake Victoria enhances annual totals around its shores, although this is not the case with the other lakes like Kyoga, Albert, Edward and George.