A team of seven people from Uganda travelled to Indonesia on a study trip to learn and share information about Indonesia’s reforestation model and how it could be replicated in Uganda. The team was lead by staff of our partner organization Uganda Timber Growers Association and also included government representatives from the Ministry of Water and Environment and the National Forestry Authority (NFA), as well as representatives from our Uganda team.
During the two-week visit to the project areas, the visitors engaged in meetings with local staff, government authorities, community representatives and smallholder farmers.
Why was the trip so important?
Currently, our partner UTGA is developing a Business Model to achieve sustainability-based management of the Central Forest Reserves (CFR) in Uganda through reforestation, agroforestry systems, core zone protection in order to prevent the exploitation of ecosystems. The model is developed with the case study of Jubiya central forest reserve in Masaka district.
It is from this background that UTGA sought exposure to similar projects. Fairventures Social Forestry (FSF) successfully implemented a business model for sustainable afforestation on degraded land in Indonesia. This is an approach that could be adopted for the Central Forest Reserves in Uganda. Therefore, the purpose of the visit was to gain on ground experience, get acquainted with the Fairventures Social Forestry model and discuss the requirements for replicating the approach in Uganda.
Findings
Indonesia and Uganda seem to share similar challenges related to funding, extension services, illegal logging, land tenure and corruption among others.
When it comes to mitigating climate change, planting trees and utilizing wood-based products are embraced by both countries as nature-based and cost-effective solutions to combat the adverse effects of climate change. It is both sustainable and profitable.
Workshops with the Indonesian forestry teams, site visits to projects in the Gunung Mas district, and meetings with the Indonesian government official provided an insight into understanding the country’s reforestation and regulatory frameworks and how they may be applied in Uganda.