Revitalizing the role of agroforestry parklands in conserving biodiversity and improving livelihoods in the sub-humid drylands of Uganda

Overview

Subsistence farmers make up over 90% of the households in the project area, and they are actively engaged in crop cultivation (groundnuts, cassava, millet, cowpeas) and rearing of livestock such as cattle, goats and sheep. The area is a sub-humid dryland with scattered swamps and tributaries. This Socio-Ecological Production Landscape (SEPL) has undergone large scale land-conversion into agricultural land, and there has been overexploitation of indigenous trees to provide wood fuel.

To cope with such socio-environmental issues, we set the following objectives:
1. Document the diversity of tree species, utilization and management in the remnant agroforestry parklands of Kapelebyong district, Uganda
2. Enhance community awareness and knowledge on the value, establishment and management of agroforestry parklands
3. Enrich 1,500 hectares of cultivated fields with at least 12,000 trees to increase habitat suitability and improve connectivity, as well as conserving biodiversity and diversifying farm output and household income

In our intervention, we set out to revitalize the practice of trees on farms (parklands) in the sub-humid drylands of Kapelebyong district where 91.9% of the households are subsistence farmers. We worked with 12 registered farmer groups to comprehensively document tree diversity, utilization and management in remnant agroforestry parklands. We conducted five community awareness and sensitization meetings on agroforestry parklands, held two awareness radio talk shows on Teso Broadcasting Services 87.6 FM and planted 14,500 indigenous tree seedlings in 1500 hectares of cultivated fields. We generated knowledge on the diversity of trees in agroforestry parklands of Kapelebyong district, and contributed towards shaping of community attitudes and behaviors towards the conservation of trees on farms (parklands) and tree planting in general. Additionally, our project has contributed to different national and global targets on on-farm biodiversity conservation and enhancement of carbon sinks.

Key achievements

• We generated knowledge on the diversity of trees in agroforestry parklands of Kapelebyng district. This is contained in a manuscript in Annex 3.
• We also contributed to shaping community attitudes and behaviors towards the conservation of trees on farms (parklands) and tree planting in general.
• Through our intervention of planting trees, the project has contributed to national as well as global targets on on-farm biodiversity conservation and enhancement of carbon sinks.

Lessons

• Parklands contain tree species that offer life support products and enhance biodiversity conservation on farms. It is pertinent to enlist local change agents in the community as a means of fueling desired change from within.
• We learnt that, upon completion of the project, there needs to be a framework for handing over activities to the local governments. This will enhance continuity, in addition to ensuring project specific sustainability.
• Where applicable, it is better to work with already-established community structures with clear leadership and mission. These act as change agents from within the community as opposed to those coming from outside.