Strengthening resilience to climate change by improving mental health – Evidence from a randomized intervention in southwestern Uganda

People coping with extreme forms of adversity, such as armed conflict and displacement, often live in regions that depend on rainfall for agriculture and drinking water and are thus particularly vulnerable to climate-change related drought and resource scarcity. Individuals and communities can adapt to climate change by adopting new agricultural methods, cooperating with others to manage water supplies, and investing in shared infrastructure. This is facilitated by non-cognitive skills important for effective decision-making, including risk acceptance, patience, and prosociality. However, experiencing adversity increases the likelihood of suffering from stress-related mental health issues that reduce cognitive bandwidth and negatively impact the skills and abilities required for successful adaptation.

We hypothesize that improving mental health will enhance non-cognitive skills, increasing engagement in climate smart farming techniques that increase household and community adaptation to climate change. To test our hypothesis, we use a randomized control trial of a smart greenhouse farming intervention, alone and in combination with a low-cost mental health intervention (SH+), in two refugee settlements in Uganda’s southwestern district Isingiro. Our interdisciplinary project will develop theory on psychological processes and climate adaptation and contribute with empirically-tested knowledge that could guide future research and inform effective policy interventions.