Tree Planting for Climate Change Mitigation

Are you interested in project based on environment? This project is specially designed for you. Tree-planting is the process of transplanting tree seedlings, generally for forestry, land reclamation, or landscaping purpose. The project goal is enhancing Income in the Community through use of the Environment conservation with purpose to reduce the dangers that may lead to desertification and global warming through tree planting. The objectives of the project are to increase income generating opportunities for the members and the surrounding community and promote environment friendly technologies and to empower both men and women on how to make agriculture and forestry a business. The project will also address issues of like replacing trees (re-afforestation) in deforested areas, planting trees on bare hills and planting shade trees in schools and churches which will act as windbreakers and shade for school children and congregation.

Background

Introduction:

XXXXXXXXX is located in Karambi Trading Center, Buhuna Parish – Karambi Sub-county and operates in Kasese District as a whole, Western Uganda. It is a community Based Organization with the aim of empowering rural Youth to address the underlying causes of Vulnerability in order to improve living conditions.

It is a non-governmental, non-partisan and religious organization. The organization’s focus areas include environmental conservation, vocational knowledge and skills training, economic empowering, HIV /AIDS awareness, reducing of drug consumption, Human rights promotions etc.

The organization’s goal is to empower vulnerable youth and children with vocational knowledge and skills and other necessary support to improve their livelihoods to contribute to the poverty eradication in the community and Uganda as a whole.

Project Justification

The area where the project is intended to be implemented is mountainous and hilly. The project is viable in these areas because the hills are bare and also where there was little vegetation like where tree have been cut down for charcoal burning and this lumbering thus leaving the soil exposed for soil erosion and landslides. Schools and churches are built in open space which put them to risks of being blown by strong wind because there are no wind breakers like the trees

Out of the population,90% survive from agriculture which is subsistence and the remaining percent survive on civil service, building and construction. People depending on subsistence farming that has led the community to look for other means of getting money from charcoal burning that is resulting into deforestation and environmental degradation.

Poverty in these areas stands at 80% leading to 99% of the population depending on trees as source of fuel inform of firewood and charcoal. Because of this, the rate at which cutting down of trees is very high.

Therefore, the project will address issues of like replacing trees (re-afforestation) in deforested areas, planting trees on bare hills and planting shade trees in schools and churches which will act as windbreakers and shade for school children and congregation.

The project will also increase the source of fuel to households, poles and timber for construction.

The project will help to increase house hold incomes for the group members from 20% to 60% because the project will yield around 50,000,000 trees (over 500 acres of land) will be covered with trees which will benefit the targeted population of about 5000 house hold with in the area. And will reduce poverty from 80% to 20% , this is because these trees will help in conserving the environment, modifying the climate, help in rainfall formation and reduce soil erosion and landslides ,floods, beautify the environment and agriculture will be improved, the population will be able to access trees to make coffee tables , polls for animal shelter construction ,trees for revamping bridges on some rivers in the area by 2035.with this therefore it is justifiable for (KYI) to implement this project.

Methodology and Approach

Employment Personnel
The pilot project will strategically be implemented by the organization as follows;
The project shall begin in December of 2018. During that time, the project shall seek to recruit competent person to work as project coordinator. The person to take up this post should be qualified at least a degree in SWASA, BBA, Community Development or Project planning and Management.
He/she shall be the head of the project secretariat and will supervise all the project activities.
He/she will be responsible to report on the project activities.
The project shall recruit the field extension worker and accountant. The people to take up these posts shall be qualified and have diplomas in accounting (UDBS) and forestry management or environmental science.
An accountant will be responsible for handling organizational books of accounts and finances out the same time. Then the extension worker shall be responsible for advising and training members / farmers about management of forests or woodlots.

Training:

This will be done for the project staff and beneficiaries.
The staff will be sponsored for inductions training to enable them gain skills and knowledge in the relevant methods / techniques.
Farmers will also be trained to gain skills and knowledge in caring for trees and establishment of tree nursery bed. This will involve identification of animators in each village who will specially be trained and instructed to monitor and supervise other farmers in the villages in the absence of the extension worker.

Documentation:

For this purpose, the project will procure a computer set, for both soft and hard copies. Cameras will also be involved for documentation.

Establishment of nursery beds:

In every parish, the project shall establish two tree nursery beds where farmer shall be getting trees for planting.

Transport:

The project will procure and maintain two motorcycles to be used by the extension workers in the field.

Project Approach

About Project

Project Goal: Enhancing Income in the Community through use of the Environment conservation.

Purpose: To reduce the dangers that may lead to desertification and global warming through tree planting.

Project Objectives:

Increase income generating opportunities for the members and the surrounding community.
Creating awareness on income generating opportunities.
Introducing good farming method like agro-forestry, mulching, terracing and others to prepare for commercial agriculture.
Refresher training to farmers on good agricultural practices.
Training the community on how to protect the environment and use it for income generation.
Promote environment friendly technologies.
Creating awareness on control measure of the environmental degradation.
Planting trees on bare hills that will in turn produce pasture and help in the protection of environment.
Controlling soil erosion, landslides through tree planting, mulching and terracing with in the community.
Sensitizing the community on the effects of deforestation to the community.
Empower both men and women on how to make agriculture and forestry a business.
Sensitizing farmers on the good agricultural and forestry methods.
Training farmers on the uses of forests and agriculture
Sensitizing farmers on the policies that govern the use and care of forests.
Training Youth and farmers on how to make tree nursery beds that they use income.
Training farmers of Youth on the positive effects of forests in the area.
Training farmers on proper methods of caring of trees and the use of pruned branches for manure to promote agriculture.
Training farmers on record keeping.

Monitoring and Evaluation Plan

Monitoring:

Monitoring from time to time shall be carried out on every aspects of the project. Local leaders from villages to the district level, forest inspectors, CDOS, Executive committee members, Donor representative as well as other stakeholders shall monitor the project
This shall go hand in hand with the reports made at three months interval (quarterly) on both finance and activities performance.

Evaluation:

Similarly, the project will use M&E system to help the term to described and define the progress and performance indicators, outputs and results on a regular basis, Subsequent mid-term evaluation will be conducted in year 2 and final evaluation at the end of end of year 3.

Past performance and organizational capacity:

Karambi Youth Initiative started in December 2013 and is located in Karambi Trading Center, Buhuna Parish – Karambi Sub-county and operates in Kasese District as a whole, Western Uganda. It is a community Based Organization with the aim of empowering rural Youth to address the underlying causes of Vulnerability in order to improve living conditions.

The physical features of Kasese comprises of Mountainous, low lands hills, rivers and lakes. The land is shared by the people and the government gazette areas (National Park of Rwenzori Mountain National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park). The people of Kasese are basically carryout substance farming.

Tree planting project is in Karambi Sub-county,BukonzoWest Constituency covering Parishes of Buhuna, Karambi,Kisolholho, Bikunya, Kithuthi, Kamasasa and parts of Kitholhu Sub County based project intended to the community and Youth with the capability to form or plant trees on large scale for modifying the climate and mitigating the climate change and global warning in rainfall formation. When there is reliable rainfall, forming is successfully carried out. People are able to produce food crops and cash crops and hence living a better life and farmer will be able to sponsor their children.

Forests will reduce soil erosion and landslides and this will help to beautify the environment. Forests will act as a habitat for wild animal’s birds which will conserve wild life to promote the tourism industry.

The project will be implemented at village levels where village Youth, Communities, Schools and churches will be clubs will identify 2 places for tree nursery beds and 2 demonstration wood lot plots for joint establishment in each village.

The project implementing organization (KYI) will work to see that members are mobilized, trained and supervised to establish the community nursery beds and woodlots. It will also ensure that Youth and tree formers (community) are supplied with necessary inputs for nursery beds and woodlots establishment and management.
The organization will also offer extension services and trainings to the projects.
The implementing organization (KYI) will make sure that tree seedlings and other materials will be supplied to the tree farmer’s i.e. (Youth and Community)
For the persons to take up these posts, should at least poses a minimum qualification of Diploma in project planning and management for project or social work and social administration or development studies for coordinator.
The project will have three people all the secretariat who will comprise the project coordinator, a field extension worker and the accountant.
The extension worker should be a person with a diploma in forestry management or environment science and then the accountant should have a diploma in BBA or Business studies from a recognized institution.
These will be answerable to the organization management under the leadership of the chairperson
The project is intended to mitigate, beautify and the environment for sustainable development.

The project will be implemented in two (2) phases of pilot project for three years and follow on project two years.

The project will consider working with youth and farmers in 20 villages which are hilly and bare in four Sub Counties of Bwera, Ihandiro, Nyakiyumbu and Kitholho. It will also identify schools and churches in those areas to work with.

To be done equally in the Sub Counties making five villages in one parish in each Sub County.

Tree planting (Forest) is a potential resource in the district which is not fully utilized by the farmers in the area. There are some challenges hindering optimization of benefits form forests and they are; lack of awareness, lack of knowledge on economic feasibility of trees, lack of tree seedlings, lack of awareness on management skills on tree planting, deforestation and rampant charcoal burning which has drastically reducing vegetation leading to serve, soil erosion, landslides and floods.

The area was most hit by NALU and ADF from 1989 and 1996 – 2001 respectively. Through all these years, development in these areas was not seen at all. From 2001 up to date, the community in the process of war reparation and some changes in development are not seen.

Because of poverty as a result of wars, the community has resorted to cutting down of trees for charcoal burning, and lumbering for survival almost 90% of the population are involved in this business. The area has experienced shortage of rainfall, landslides, in time of rain and floods and also encroaching the gazetted Land of Rwenzori Mountain National Park.

This means that the future generation will not get what to depend on a source of timber and fuel.

Most schools are bare children have no shade trees where they can sit to prevent them from direct sunshine.

The idea of establishing nursery beds and woodlots or tree planting (Farming) is still lacking, this means that in time to come the whole area will experience global warming, un protective environment and there the quality of life will reduce in the area by poverty and even sometimes the community (area) may experience famine due to drought.

Poverty has become the major problem which has led to low education, poor nutrition, which is brought about by low economic base with in the area. This therefore necessitated Action for Rural Youth Empowerment to implement the project of tree planting (farming) to improve socio-economic development of the area by reducing poverty through harnessing the environment.

Sustainability

The project will be sustained through holding regular meetings by the organization members, farmers (community) planting more trees, establishing more nursery beds, sensitizing the community members to own and embrace the project through active participation in all the project activities including the procurement process, training members in life skills and the staff of the project management committee members will be trained in record keeping.

Conclusion

Karambi Youth Initiative’s intervention to assist the Youth and their caregivers in absolutely a non-partisan other than humanitarian association that deals with people from all walks of life irrespective of their ethnicity, religious and educational background. Most of the activities all require material, spiritual and finance support for their facilitation. Therefore, it’s our request that if offered help, the above activities will be done in order to help the target community. Thanks