Internship experience in Mityana, Uganda: Rainwater harvesting and drought resilience

My Erasmus internship was conducted in the Mityana region of Uganda in collaboration with the local agricultural training school RUCID and its members. The main purpose of the internship was to collect primary data for my Master’s thesis on rainwater harvesting and drought resilience. As a student researcher, I conducted fieldwork among residents to better understand water use, perceptions of rainfall, challenges during the dry season, and the adoption of rainwater harvesting practices.

My main responsibilities included designing and distributing questionnaires, conducting interviews with residents, and making field observations of water use and agricultural practices. Working directly with local farmers provided valuable practical experience and offered insights that could not have been gained from literature alone. The fieldwork also contributed directly to the empirical foundation of my Master’s thesis.

I chose to undertake this internship because I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of local water management practices and how rainwater harvesting is used as a strategy to cope with drought and climate variability. Conducting the research in a real-world setting allowed me to connect the theoretical knowledge from my studies with the everyday experiences and practices of local communities.

The internship was both engaging and meaningful. I gained practical experience in field research, including questionnaire design, data collection, interviewing, and interacting with local communities. At the same time, I developed a deeper understanding of how climate variability and changing rainfall patterns can affect smallholder farmers, water availability, and agricultural production. I also learned that local knowledge and practices do not always correspond directly to formal technical concepts. For example, many people collect and use rainwater but do not necessarily consider this a formal “rainwater harvesting system.” This highlighted the importance of understanding local perspectives and adapting research and development approaches to the specific context.

One of the main challenges during the internship was conducting data collection in an unfamiliar cultural and environmental context. Language differences sometimes made communication more difficult, particularly when interviewing local farmers. Although communication with contacts and members of RUCID was generally smooth in English, translation was often necessary to ensure that questions were understood correctly and that the responses accurately reflected the participants’ perspectives. Differences in how questions were interpreted, together with logistical challenges and unfamiliar field conditions, also required flexibility and adaptability throughout the research process.

Overall, the internship provided valuable lessons that will be useful for my future academic research and for any career related to sustainable agriculture, development, or project management. It showed me the importance of combining careful preparation with flexibility in the field, as local circumstances can differ significantly from initial expectations. Building strong relationships with local partners and community members was also essential, as their support facilitated the data collection process and contributed to the quality of the research.

For future students planning to conduct fieldwork abroad, I would recommend preparing research tools thoroughly while remaining open to adapting them once in the field. Establishing good relationships with local organizations and communities is equally important. Finally, when conducting fieldwork in Africa, it is essential to have sufficient backup power, as access to electricity and charging facilities may be limited and reliable power can be crucial for communication, data collection, and other research activities.