As is the case for the majority of farmers around the world, growing a diverse mix of crops reduces the risk of loss of income if a certain crop fails, for example due to drought or disease. Providing farmers with training and equipment to grow a range of crops helps protect their income should one crop fail.
In Uganda’s Namayingo District, subsistence farmers are primarily growing one crop – cassava, a drought-tolerant starchy root vegetable. While cassava brings several health benefits, relying so heavily on one crop means people are exposed to nutrient deficiencies. Teaching farmers about how to grow multiple crops on their land, and giving them the tools and seeds to do so, enables them to provide a healthier diet for their families.
There has also been a rapid decline in tree and vegetation cover in this area in recent decades. Trees are cut for charcoal, boat construction and expansion of conventional agricultural systems. This, in combination with monocropping of cassava, has led to soil erosion and depletion of soil fertility. Implementing sustainable agroforestry techniques not only preserves soil health but actively improves it, reintroducing nutrients to the soil to ensure healthy crops can be grown in it for decades to come.
Follow the latest milestones and updates from this project.
Since the inception of the project in 2024, 2,844,515 trees have been planted in the Forest Garden Approach. There are still 516 farmers registered in this project, impacting the lives of 7,637 beneficiaries.
Farmers at Busoga 2 are in the second year of their 4-year Forest Garden programme, but the trees they’re growing are already several metres tall, with some even producing seeds! While there is still work to be done to complete the transformation of these plots into fully developed Forest Gardens, the farmers made incredible strides forward, growing a greater diversity of crops and producing higher yields of food. In this project area, passionfruit has been a highly requested crop by the farmers. The plants can be grown above other crops, making efficient use of the space available, producing higher yields of food, boosting household income.
Ecologi and the businesses we work with have supported Trees for the Future’s Forest Gardens programme since August 2021, and earlier this year, some of the team travelled to Uganda to see some of the impact.
The Forest Gardens were halfway through the 4-year programme. Despite having 2 years to go before the farmers in this project graduated, the land was already well on its way to being transformed. What was once mostly bare soil, with few crops growing and very little wildlife, was already a mosaic of permagarden beds, intercropping, alley cropping, fruit trees and more, with the all-important green wall growing around the perimeter of each Forest Garden.
Farmers begin to harvest diverse crops from the Forest Gardens, bringing a much-needed source of income to families, as well as nutritious food.
400 farmers complete their Forest Garden Planning and Design training!
Tools were distributed to farmers to enable them to better manage their land. Nurseries were established to begin growing trees to be planted within and around the edge of the Forest Gardens.
Project begins, engaging with 400 local farmers to plant a total of 1.6 million trees. Local groups were formed for farmers to support their neighbours.
Since the inception of the project in 2024, 2,844,515 trees have been planted in the Forest Garden Approach. There are still 516 farmers registered in this project, impacting the lives of 7,637 beneficiaries.
Forests are one of our planet's main components when it comes to fighting climate change. They are able to sequester carbon, acting as a carbon sink, so keeping them intact and healthy is paramount if we’re to make progress towards reaching net-zero globally. This project prevents deforestation of healthy forests by creating a sustainable and local source of fuel material, as well as increasing tree coverage on degraded land. Farmers who join the program will be taught to nurture their trees as living entities, since coppicing and pruning them will help the trees thrive and provide wood for fuel and fodder without having to cut them down.
These Sustainable Development Goals show the wider outcomes this project supports beyond its headline impact.
The project aligns with this SDG because the benefits of the Forest Garden will enable additional source of revenue through restoration of the land.
The project will provide access to nutritious food changing we grow, share and consume our food.
Farmers are given a choice of crops to plant based on what grows well in the region, so they can grow food they want to eat and sell ensuring healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
Through this project, farmers receive education regarding more sustainable and profitable land management.
Farmers, no matter whether they are male or female, are all treated equally through this proejct. Female farmers are empowered to take control of their household finances and provide an income for their families.
Working with 400 farmers to plant 1,600,000 trees over the next 4 years will employment opportunities, aligning with this SDG
This project is equipping farmers with the skills and equipment they require to increase their household income and provide for their families.
Farmers trained by this programme are bringing their produce to markets, selling to members of their communities, providing a more varied and reliable source of food for their communities.
The trees within the Forest Gardens capture carbon from the atmosphere, as well as keeping moisture trapped in the local environment, reducing the temperature and dryness.
Planting forest gardens in Busoga promotes sustainable management of forests and halt biodiversity loss.
These partners help deliver the project and verify its impact.
Trees for the Future is a nonprofit organisation focused on land restoration in developing communities around the world.
