TREE PLANTING AND PROMOTION OF ENERGY EFFICIENT STOVES FOR CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION IN KALIRO DISTRICT
Climate change and climate vulnerability (CCCV) is a global threat that is already impacting many parts of our country, Uganda. Some of the unsavoury impacts of CCCV are droughts and floods. These are happening simultaneously in the same areas. One way of combating climate change is to reduce the rate of emissions of green-house gases (GHGs) or remove the gases from the atmosphere. This is what is known broadly as climate change mitigation. The three common approaches to CCM are to (1) reduce demand for energy by for example using energy efficient stoves, 2) substitute fossil fuels (which emit a lot of GHGs) with renewable energy sources like solar photovoltaic panels, and 3) carbon capture and storage e.g. through planting trees. The planting of trees confers important social economic livelihood opportunities that include easy access to useful products like edible fruits and new opportunities of earning income from the sale of such products.
Our organisation, Sustainable Use of Plant Diversity has risen to this challenge by creating a farmer tree planting project in Kaliro District since last year 2014 with the support of Biovision (http://www.biovision.ch/en/home/). We formed two groups and facilitated one more. The groups that were formed were Gadumire Sub County Environment Group (GSEG) and a pupils group at Gadumire Primary school (GPS). In addition we also facilitated a traditional healer’s group, Kaliro Integrated Association (KIA).
All these groups were provided with materials to construct nursery gardens as well as quality seed of selected tree species. We also trained these farmers in skills of tree propagation and planting out as well as livelihood skills of saving and group formation.
From these activities 40,000 tree seedlings have been propagated by farmers. Some of these seedlings will be planted by farmers, but not all. We are therefore looking for ways to sell the bulk of these seedlings.
Our plan for this year is to:
1.add one more group to the existing three that we are supporting, that is NTC Kaliro
2.facilitate all groups to propagate tree seedlings
3.donate 200 energy efficient cooking stoves. We are negotiating with Awamu Foundation to train three artisans from Kaliro to learn how to fabricate these stoves.
4.identify and create markets for tree seedlings, and later on tree products, and
5.train farmers in a range of skills
We would also like to have all farmers in Kaliro District planting trees, but we fear the motivation is low for some of the farmers. We are contemplating overcoming this challenge by adopting Prof. Wangari Mathaii model. Prof. Mathaii spearheaded a successful tree planting project in Kenya, and here approach was to pay a small token to farmers who cared for a seedling for up to one year. We for the moment do not have sufficient funds to do this, and kindly request for your support and donations.
We wish to expand our activities beyond the groups we are working with and need your support for this expansion. How can you be of help?
We appeal for your assistance in three areas:
1.Training of farmers. You or and your organisation can directly help by training our farmers in a range of skills including saving culture, entrepreneurship, tree planting and so on
2.Purchase of seedlings. The next time you are passing thorough Nawaikoke or Gadumire please stop and pick some seedlings for yourself.
3.Direct donation of materials or cash donation to our organisation