Help Ensure a Future with Forests!
Deforestation in Mbale is causing unpredictable weather conditions and declining living standards. To address this issue, the Mbale Trees Programme is planting millions of trees annually and providing sustainable livelihood opportunities for the community.
Uganda has one of the highest rates of forest loss in the world. Between 2001 and 2020, the country lost 918,000 hectares of tree cover, a 12% decrease. Based on current trends, it risks losing its entire forest cover by 2040.
To address this problem, Size of Wales works in partnership with the Welsh Government and its local partner, the Mount Elgon Tree Growing Enterprise (METGE) to implement the Mbale Trees Growing Programme. The programme is based in the Mount Elgon region of Eastern Uganda and it supports local farmers to grow trees and promotes sustainable livelihoods.
Mbale is a large hilly area that has become heavily deforested primarily due to the expansion of agriculture; increasing demand for fuelwood and charcoal; and weak legal protections and enforcement of forest protection laws.
The once predictable weather has become irregular and the local soils, destabilised by the reduction of trees and heavy rainfall, causes flooding and landslides. Landslides have resulted in a loss of homes, schools, livestock and sometimes costs lives.
The Mbale Trees Growing Programme supports the local community to plant, nurture and conserve trees. These trees will:
The programme works in collaboration with two local implementing partners to distribute over 2 million nursery-grown tree seedlings annually to local smallholder farmers, agricultural co-operatives, families, churches and schools, free of charge.
Since the programme started 15 years ago, a network of community run tree nurseries have distributed over 25 million trees to rural farmers and schools free of charge. Those trees have sequestered an estimated 1.4 million tonnes of CO2 since the project began. That is the same amount as 25% of Wales’ annual transport emissions. As we contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions, we help tackle the climate crisis which is perhaps the biggest threat to humanity. The trees also provide huge local benefits, stabilising the soil, providing fruits and fodder for animals and timber for construction.
Many of the trees planted are a part of the Welsh Government’s Plant! Scheme which celebrates the birth of every child born or adopted in Wales by planting two trees. One in a new Welsh woodland and the other in Mbale.
As a globally responsible nation, we believe that supporting a programme that funds planting of trees on the equator, where growth rates are more than four times faster than here in Wales, brings benefit to the people of Wales as we attempt to fight the climate crisis. Therefore, more trees can be planted in the tropics over a larger area, and these trees will capture carbon faster than an equivalent number outside the tropics. Thanks to the project, forest cover is also seven times higher within 5 km radius of the nurseries than further away.
Gender equality and the promotion of women’s leadership runs across all activities within the project. The number of women-run tree nurseries has increased and the programme has supported women’s groups in activities such as beekeeping and increased participation of women in decision making in the household and local community.
The programme provides direct employment to 88 people. Roles include nursery bed operators, extension workers and community facilitators. These roles support the delivery of the programme, including increasing the reach of people aware of and receiving free seedlings.
Key to the design of this programme is understanding and addressing the factors that drive deforestation. This includes the production of charcoal which causes deforestation and is exacerbated by a lack of employment opportunities.
Impacts and initiatives to address this include:
The community are trained on relevant topics including how to nurture trees, sustainable farming practices, agroforestry and where to plant trees for the best purpose or outcome. These are often held as peer-led knowledge-sharing sessions.
On top of reducing the impact of climate change this programme also benefits Wales through the partnerships forged between the people of Wales and Uganda, especially young people. Size of Wales has worked with thousands of children in schools to become active, responsible, global citizens. These sessions help young people feel that their voices are being heard, fosters global solidarity and helps reduce climate anxiety.
The Mbale Tree Project demonstrates Wales’ commitment to climate justice and eliminating poverty. Rural Ugandans have done very little to create climate change that is causing them so many problems. By funding this Ugandan led project, Wales is helping communities that are living on the frontline of the climate crisis, adapt to climate change and improve their livelihoods.
Learn more about where trees are being grown in Mbale on the map below and this new website.
An exciting development which has strengthened the links between Wales and Uganda is the coffee brand, Jenipher’s Coffi.
This Fairtrade certified and organic coffee is grown in the hills of Mount Elgon by a coffee farmer co-operative called MEACCE. MEACCE, which is also one of the Mbale Trees Programme’s four implementing partners, helps distribute and grow tree seedlings which eventually provide shade and protection from extreme weather and increases coffee quality and yields.
Partners in Wales and Uganda have been working together to bring the delicious coffee to Wales and it can be bought online or in Fairtrade shops across the country.
Mount Elgon Tree Growing Enterprise (METGE) oversees the project’s implementation in Mbale. They work with two local NGO’s. These partners are MEACCE (Mount Elgon Agroforestry Communities Cooperative Enterprise) and Bungokho Rural Development Centre.
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