WALA Community Tree Planting Approach

WALA Women Group Community Tree planting Approach (Uganda)

Description

A sustainable tree planting group approach involving thirty seven women to serve the most vulnerable community for sustainable development.

WALA community tree planting group is an association of 37 women initiated in 2005 and supported by Small Production Grants Scheme since 2006. The group was linked to Saw log production scheme Grant (SPGS) by National Forestry Authority (NFA) who have supported 37 women with tree seedlings, forest tools which include lining out ropes and cross head, pruning saws, thinning ropes, paint and paint brushes and tape measure to support tree planting. WALA, SPGS with partners first developed guidelines (constitution) spelling out the how to establish, manage tree plantations including marketing products for value addition which highlights that : (1) Prospective beneficiaries must be organised community groups or organizations of minimum of 37 members with a leadership committee (2) Should be located within the same Local Council 1 or village (3) Each member should own up a 0.20 ha and max 4 ha dedicated to tree planting, (4) Group must submit a letter expressing interest to access support for tree seedlings to the SPGS project manager with a copied to Food Agricultural Organization Representative in Uganda (5) A list of members with each member seedlings requirements per year must be endorsed by Local council 1 Chairman where proof of ownership of land may be attached with a legal entity with copies of legal documents attached and (6) The community should have willingness and ability to maintain the guidelines: https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/37755510/spgs-tree-planting-guidelines-for-Uganda-all-chapters-low. The executive committee organise community plantation planning meetings, trainings and exchange visits to empower them to mobilize resources for environmental conservation . Up to now the group has received 170,000 seedlings, 10 acres of land, 30 hoes and spades, 100 Lining up ropes (2) cross head (2) pruning saws (15) Paint (5 litre) Paint brushes (10) and Tape Measure (1) received by the group kept by the group treasurer. Benefits linked to this approach include presence of the leadership committee supported by the constitution to guide the group activities on site trainings, farmer-to-farmer learning, demonstration plots, access to information and decision support on commercial forest plantation establishment; sale of products as well as environmental services has enabled the group to extend its networks and partnerships beyond SPGS

Location

Location: Northern Region,Uganda, Uganda

Geo-reference of selected sites
  • 32.36583, 2.76556

Initiation date: 2005

Year of termination: n.a.

Type of Approach

Approach aims and enabling environment

Main aims / objectives of the approach
Environmental conservation through tree planting, improve sawlog production, sustainable land utilization, and income.
Conditions enabling the implementation of the Technology/ ies applied under the Approach
  • Social/ cultural/ religious norms and values: Involvement of chiefs and local leaders.
  • Availability/ access to financial resources and services: presence of women savings group.
  • Institutional setting: Support by SPGS, Uganda Tree growers Association and NFA through seedlings provision, training's.
  • Collaboration/ coordination of actors: Presence of memorandum of understanding and presence of other growers.
  • Legal framework (land tenure, land and water use rights): Land lease and existence of local level bylaws.
  • Policies: Formulated using a bottom-top approach.
  • Land governance (decision-making, implementation and enforcement): Presence of bylaws.
  • Knowledge about SLM, access to technical support: Have had training's in SLM.
  • Markets (to purchase inputs, sell products) and prices: Increased demand for tree products (timber).
  • Workload, availability of manpower: Trained by SPGS and other collaborators.
Conditions hindering the implementation of the Technology/ ies applied under the Approach
  • Institutional setting: Poor enforcement of bylaws on free grazing.
  • Collaboration/ coordination of actors: Short term period of collaboration.
  • Legal framework (land tenure, land and water use rights): Poor enforcement with low fines.
  • Land governance (decision-making, implementation and enforcement): Poor.
  • Knowledge about SLM, access to technical support: Low adoption outside SPGS supported groups.
  • Markets (to purchase inputs, sell products) and prices: Sell of raw products at low prices.
  • Workload, availability of manpower: The groups members are old and those to inherit the group activities are not active.

Participation and roles of stakeholders involved

Stakeholders involved in the Approach and their roles
What stakeholders / implementing bodies were involved in the Approach? Specify stakeholders Describe roles of stakeholders
local land users/ local communities Group members, Community Implementation and use of the approach.
community-based organizations Watemu Lapainat Agroforestry Association (WALA), Saving and Credit Organisation ( SACCO). Savings and Credit training's, loans.
SLM specialists/ agricultural advisers Small Production Grants Scheme (SPGS) ,National Forestry Authority (NFA), Uganda Tree Growers Association (UTA) Research
researchers National Forestry Authority students. Field work and data collection for publication.
teachers/ school children/ students University students, primary and secondary teachers. field work and support training's
NGO Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Uganda Timber Growers Association (UTGA) Support training's.
local government Councillors and Forestry officers. Linkage to NGO's, training's and administrative guidance as well security.
national government (planners, decision-makers) National Forestry Authority (NFA). Planning and Commissioning.
international organization Food Agriculture Organisation (FAO). Funding.
Cultural leaders Chiefs and church leaders. Visits and pray with them.
Lead agency
Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), National Forestry Authority (NFA)
Involvement of local land users/ local communities in the different phases of the Approach
none
passive
external support
interactive
self-mobilization
initiation/ motivation
Groups members were willing to participate in group activities.
planning
Group members planning process- members were not very active at the beginning- Lobbying for land.
implementation
Members participated in planting activities.
monitoring/ evaluation
Members National Forestry Authority (NFA), Small Production Grants Scheme (SPGS) both do joint monitoring with the group members.
Flow chart

Decision-making on the selection of SLM Technology

Decisions were taken by

  • land users alone (self-initiative)
  • mainly land users, supported by SLM specialists
  • all relevant actors, as part of a participatory approach
  • mainly SLM specialists, following consultation with land users
  • SLM specialists alone
  • politicians/ leaders

Decisions were made based on

  • evaluation of well-documented SLM knowledge (evidence-based decision-making)
  • research findings
  • personal experience and opinions (undocumented)

Technical support, capacity building, and knowledge management

The following activities or services have been part of the approach
Capacity building/ training
Training was provided to the following stakeholders
  • land users
  • field staff/ advisers
Form of training
  • on-the-job
  • farmer-to-farmer
  • demonstration areas
  • public meetings
  • courses
Subjects covered

Saw log production, benefits of tree growing and how to Market logs.

Advisory service
Advisory service was provided
  • on land users' fields
  • at permanent centres
It is very useful because it reduces the costs of transport.
The training is hands on and practical.
Institution strengthening
Institutions have been strengthened / established
  • no
  • yes, a little
  • yes, moderately
  • yes, greatly
at the following level
  • local
  • regional
  • national
Describe institution, roles and responsibilities, members, etc.
Type of support
  • financial
  • capacity building/ training
  • equipment
  • Seedlings
Further details
170,000 seedlings, 10 acres of land tools and materials: Lining up ropes (2) cross head (2) prunning saws (15) Paint (5 litre) Paint brushes (10) and Tape Measure (1).
Monitoring and evaluation
The monitoring is on going as the group activities are implemented.
Research
Research treated the following topics
  • sociology
  • economics / marketing
  • ecology
  • technology
  • policy

University students, NFA and SPGS.

Financing and external material support

Annual budget in USD for the SLM component
  • < 2,000
  • 2,000-10,000
  • 10,000-100,000
  • 100,000-1,000,000
  • > 1,000,000
Precise annual budget: n.a.
FAO, SPGS
The following services or incentives have been provided to land users
  • Financial/ material support provided to land users
  • Subsidies for specific inputs
  • Credit
  • Other incentives or instruments
Financial/ material support provided to land users
Funds for thinning, Sawlog given to groups by SPGS.
partly financed
fully financed
Seedlings

Labour by land users was

Credit
Other incentives or instruments

Formulation and implementation of bylaws. Training's. Exchange visits.

Impact analysis and concluding statements

Impacts of the Approach
No
Yes, little
Yes, moderately
Yes, greatly
Did the Approach empower local land users, improve stakeholder participation?

Capacities to work and make decisions in a group.

Did the Approach enable evidence-based decision-making?

Decisions made in groups on when to meet, plant, prune and thin.

Did the Approach help land users to implement and maintain SLM Technologies?

Incentives based (in form of trainings and seedlings).

Did the Approach improve coordination and cost-effective implementation of SLM?

Coordinated by the leadership committee. Strengthened working as a group.

Did the Approach mobilize/ improve access to financial resources for SLM implementation?

Transformed them selves into a savings and Credit organisation (SACCO) group.

Did the Approach improve knowledge and capacities of land users to implement SLM?

Access to technologies (seedlings), knowledge on planting, spacing and pruning and thinning.

Did the Approach improve knowledge and capacities of other stakeholders?

Especially farmers involved and partner's.

Did the Approach build/ strengthen institutions, collaboration between stakeholders?

Different partners participated and contributed to implementing the approach. Community bylaws and functioning committee.

Did the Approach mitigate conflicts?

Conflicts between WALA women group leaders and livestock owners (Free grazing on trees). Conflicts resolved using the group committee.

Did the Approach empower socially and economically disadvantaged groups?

Focus was not on well off women farmers but those who had interest in tree planting as a group.

Did the Approach improve gender equality and empower women and girls?

Involved and empowered women who constituted 100% of the group members.

Did the Approach encourage young people/ the next generation of land users to engage in SLM?

Those who belong to the households where members came from.

Did the Approach improve issues of land tenure/ user rights that hindered implementation of SLM Technologies?

Focused more on training and production.

Did the Approach lead to improved food security/ improved nutrition?

Income from the sale of tree products was used for buying food.

Did the Approach improve access to markets?

Good quality tree products. Linkage done by SPGS.

Did the Approach lead to improved access to water and sanitation?

Based near the plantation.

Did the Approach improve the capacity of the land users to adapt to climate changes/ extremes and mitigate climate related disasters?

Carbon sequestration.

Main motivation of land users to implement SLM
  • increased production
  • increased profit(ability), improved cost-benefit-ratio
  • reduced land degradation
  • reduced risk of disasters
  • reduced workload
  • payments/ subsidies
  • rules and regulations (fines)/ enforcement
  • prestige, social pressure/ social cohesion
  • affiliation to movement/ project/ group/ networks
  • environmental consciousness
  • customs and beliefs, morals
  • enhanced SLM knowledge and skills
  • aesthetic improvement
  • conflict mitigation
Sustainability of Approach activities
Can the land users sustain what hat been implemented through the Approach (without external support)?
  • no
  • yes
  • uncertain

The group is involved in selling thinned trees and the income obtained is used to manage the forest activities like fireline, weeding etc. the presence of an organised leadership. With better management skills to manage, the group will keep working very closely with the group . The presence of the group constitution helps manage the group affairs.

Conclusions and lessons learnt

Strengths: land user's view
  • The approach is inclusive and involves all group members.
  • Income received from the thinned trees is used to facilitate group activities (meetings, workshops, stationery).
  • The approach is appreciated by neighbours who are not members of the group.
Strengths: compiler’s or other key resource person’s view
  • The approach is involving and allows full participation and equal decision making of all stakeholders.
Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks: land user's viewhow to overcome
  • If not managed well, it can escalate conflicts through encroachment. Need to put in place bylaws with strict punishments to encroaches. Strengthen bylaws.
  • High costs of chemicals.
Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks: compiler’s or other key resource person’s viewhow to overcome
  • promoted only by women. Involve men, youth and PWD's in implementing the approach.

References

Compiler
  • Kamugisha Rick Nelson
Editors
  • JOY TUKAHIRWA
  • Richard Otto Kawawa
  • Bernard Fungo
Reviewer
  • John Stephen Tenywa
  • Nicole Harari
  • Renate Fleiner
  • Donia Mühlematter
Date of documentation: Junie 6, 2017
Last update: Maart 8, 2019
Resource persons
Full description in the WOCAT database
Linked SLM data
Documentation was faciliated by
Institution Project
Links to relevant information which is available online
This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareaAlike 4.0 International