Date of Award

8-31-2026

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Global Governance and Human Security

First Advisor

Professor Stacy D. VanDeveer

Second Advisor

Associate Professor Courtenay Sprague

Third Advisor

Associate Professor Michelle Jurkovich

Abstract

Busoga, Uganda's most sugarcane-intensive sub-region, hosts seven mills and an expanding outgrower economy, yet remains among Uganda's most food-insecure areas, with over half of its households food-insecure. This study examined how governance of climate change and sugarcane expansion shapes capabilities for food access, land tenure, and decision-making among women, youth, and land-poor households in Jinja and Buyende.

The study developed an integrated CA-CEP-RFS framework, combining the Capability Approach, Comparative Environmental Politics, and the Resilient Food Systems framework, with Sen's Entitlement Framework bridging capabilities to production, trade, own-labor, and transfer entitlements. A qualitative case study drew on a documentary review, 27 key informant interviews, and 4 focus groups and was analysed using hybrid NVivo coding.

Five interconnected findings emerged: non-binding land-use guidelines and weak coordination channeled land toward sugarcane; expansion co-produced climate vulnerability through deforestation and wetland loss; capabilities were differentiated by gender and age, with women constrained by patriarchal tenure norms and youth, at roughly 49% NEET, confined to casual cane labor; elite capture by a dominant miller entrenched power asymmetries; and outgrower households experienced collapse across all four entitlement pathways.

The dissertation concludes that food insecurity stems from governance failures and recommends enforceable land-use licensing, gender-responsive reforms, ring-fenced climate budgets, and expanded social protection. A new Buyende mill marks an inflexion point for equitable contracting, contributing to debates on governing climate change for food security in agrarian frontiers.

Comments

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