Success Stories
SLINT-Uganda Distributes More Fruit Trees to Farmers
in Butikiro village
0n 8 March 2010, more than 110 seedlings of fruit trees were distributed to seven households in Butikiro village. The seedlings were raised in a community tree nursery set up at Butikiro in September 2009 under the "Gayaza Smallholder Fruit-Tree Growing and Community Forestry Project." Earlier in January this year, another set of 80 seedlings were distributed to four households. Many farmers including Ms. Mukamalita, Ms. Nannyonga and Mr. Ssebbowa engaged their children in the planting of the trees.
The two-year project aims at improving the livelihoods of local people and contributing to the conservation of the environment through promoting fruit-tree growing and community forestry. It aims to support farmers to raise and plant more 20,000 trees over two years. At least 100 households will be supported directly by the project. Two community tree nurseries will be established and managed by the local farmers themselves.
Around the same time, Sustainable Livelihoods International-Uganda (SLINT-Uganda) received a donation of tree seeds from "Trees For the Future" (www.treesftf.org), an agroforestry resource center. The mission of the Centre is working with people to improve livelihoods and restore degraded lands to sustainable productivity through planting beneficial trees. The seeds recieved included: exotic Albizia trees (scientific name: Albizia Chinensis), locally known as "omugavu", and Calliandra.
The seeds will be planted and raised in the community tree nursery and then distributed to farmers. From the seeds donated, it is expected that more than 2,000 tree seedlings will be raised.
The seed donation will contribute to the mission of Trees For The Future and to SLINT-Uganda's mission of empowering people to secure sustainable incomes, food security and improved quality of life while at the same time maintaining the diversity and long-term productivity of the supporting natural resource base.