Part of the highlands of western Uganda. PHOTO/V. Meadu
Carbon offsetting in south western and western parts of Uganda is a relatively new approach to mitigate climate change in the region. It is implemented by the Environmental Conservation Trust of Uganda (ECOTRUST) under the Trees for Global Benefit Program, but has received additional support from ICRAF through the Pro-poor Rewards for Environmental Services in Africa (PRESA) project.
PRESA’s overall goal is to have “hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers and residents living in the highlands of East and West Africa benefiting from fair and effective agreements between stewards and beneficiaries of ecosystem services.”
The carbon offsetting scheme implemented by ECOTRUST is unique in that it targets small scale farmers who, by virtue of their holdings, are poor. In Africa, such initiatives are not common. It should be noted that prior to initiation of the project, scoping studies ensured that the project was designed to fit and address community needs and challenges.
In Uganda, the carbon offset scheme is operational and it involves rural communities planting trees on their land for carbon sequestration but with a management objective based on their land holdings and needs. The benefits accruing from this initiative are both direct and indirect.
Direct benefits of the carbon offset scheme
Social economic assessments that have been done in the recent past show that some community members in the project can access loans from the local banking institution (village banks) using the carbon payment as security for the loan. The loans are obtained from Bitereko Peoples Saving & Credit Co-Operative Society limited.
Signpost at Bushenyi showing the location of the Bitereko Peoples Savings & Credit Co-operative Society.
Accessing such services would previously be extremely difficult for the rural poor. In addition, where households have intercropped crops with the trees, the carbon money is invested in both trees and crops and it is at times also used to solve other urgent domestic demands. Needless to say, once the trees are established, such money becomes additional income to the poor farmers. In certain instances, this money has helped some farmers start up new enterprises such as bee keeping, goat rearing and poultry farming.
Indirect benefits of the carbon offset scheme
The indirect benefits from such projects can be grouped into ecological and socio-benefits. Ecologically, trees play a big part in soil and water conservation which, in turn, contributes to improved agricultural production and improved community livelihoods. The trees planted are important in moderating micro-climates and hence contributing to good living environments for communities. From the socio-economic aspect, improved agricultural outputs may result into food security, improved incomes through sale of some of the produce and the gaining of skills and knowledge in conservation.
The project therefore has strengthened the capacity of farmers to conserve, restore and improve the natural and productive ecosystems on which they depend, while providing global ecosystem services. This has subsequently increased crop yield and hence, incomes. In addition, the rural communities are able to understand agroforestry and land management techniques and incorporate them with the already existing indigenous knowledge to improve crop productivity.
Cooperation with PRESA
The PRESA project has accelerated the achievement of the Trees for Global Benefit programme activities aimed at the poorest rural people who are potentially most vulnerable. Although one of the major aims of this project is the provision of environmental service and protection of nearby protected areas, it is benefiting communities economically over and above the carbon benefits. It is estimated that the communities in this area live on about US$2 per day (US$720 per year). Carbon payments provide an alternative income of US$90 per year. This represents a small, but significant additional income.
It can therefore be concluded that the project has greatly benefited the communities and will continue to benefit them through:
- improvement of sustainable livelihoods(nutrition, health, education, social cohesion),
- increased agricultural productivity and
- income diversification through access to carbon finance, sale of tree products, and other tree based enterprises (for example, bee keeping).
Gerald Kairu works with Ecotrust.
Related links:
Fostering nature-based enterprise in the Albertine Rift of Uganda