A section of participants at the World Congress on Agroforestry held in Nairobi in August 2009. PHOTO/ICRAF.

Participants to a forum on payments for environmental services have proposed looking at other ecosystem services beyond carbon markets in order to encourage small scale farmers to engage in sustainable land practices.

Various approaches and tools were presented at the technical session to show how a variety of ecosystem services can be bundled, for example REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) combined with forest carbon markets.

Eco-labeling environmentally friendly products was presented as another viable option.

The session titled, “Rewards for the environmental services of Agroforestry” was held during the just concluded World Congress of Agroforestry in Nairobi, Kenya. Over 1,200 people attending the Congress participated in rigorous scientific discussions on up-scaling agroforestry to meet development challenges.

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Three PRESA partners are currently in Finland, attending a course titled, “Environmental Services in Forest Management.” By the end of the course on 20th August, the three will have acquired new skills in managing environmental services.

Gerald Kairu from Ecotrust Uganda, Ndeshi Munisi from the Horticultural Research Institute -Tengeru, Tanzania and Miika Mäkelä from the PRESA office in Nairobi are at the University of Helsinki Summer School with other students from 50 countries worldwide. The Environmental Services Forest Management Course which the PRESA partners are taking has about 20 participants, majority of whom are from Africa.

There’s not much opportunity to enjoy the rather pleasant Finnish summer, but it hasn’t been all work and no play either! The course organizers have planned several field trips to enliven the educational experience.

Gerald, Ndeshi and Miika will be updating the larger PRESA community on their experiences in Finland, and will be sharing learned lessons through this blog posting. (more…)

A section of the crowd that attended a payments for environmental services auction held at Ntchisi in September 2008. PHOTO/V. Meadu.

A pilot programme in Malawi where farmers receive cash payments for growing trees could provide useful lessons for other environmental service projects elsewhere in Africa.  The study examines different approaches to setting prices and allocating environmental service contracts when the budget for participation is limited.

This project is running in the central Malawi district of Ntchisi. “We selected central Malawi because it balances the population pressure of the south, where there is no spare land for growing trees, with the already forested North, where farmers would not need to be paid since they’re already growing trees,” says Kelsey Jack, a Harvard-based researcher.

Farmers enrolled in this project are paid 12,000 Kwacha (US$ 80) over a period of three years to plant indigenous trees on half an acre of their farms.
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Aerial view of Istanbul. PHOTO/World Water Forum

A trees-for-carbon payments programme by a PRESA partner was highlighted as a successful rewards for environmental services scheme during the 5th World Water Forum in Istanbul, Turkey from 16-22 March 2009.

Ecotrust Uganda presented its programme, ‘Trees for Global Benefits,’ at a session titled, “Water and Food for Ending Poverty and Hunger.” The session discussed how market measures can contribute to rural development and poverty eradication.

Participants to the Forum were interested in Ecotrust’s experience with Trees for Global Benefits. Ecotrust is a PRESA partner at the Albertine Rift site in Uganda where it facilitates the negotiation of carbon payments that encourage farmers to plant trees.

The organization’s Executive Director Pauline Nantongo also participated in sessions that dealt with water and sanitation rights as well as ethics, transparency and empowerment of stakeholders.
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Thanks to payments from smallholder carbon farming and the sale of traditional crafts made from wetland resources, communities in south-western Uganda can access loans and training, resulting in improved living standards and greater confidence to participate in civil affairs.

Demand for land is putting a strain on the Albertine Rift. PHOTO/V. Meadu

Techniques used to mobilize people into caring for their environment have fostered closer co-operation among community members. Meanwhile, the area’s biodiversity is much safer from the encroachment of disruptive economic activities.

PRESA’s interest in western Uganda arose from these existing projects which are forms of rewards for ecosystem services. PRESA is already engaging with grassroots organizations to enhance the benefits directed at smallholders as part of its “Pro – poor” mandate.
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Ulugurus Mts, Morogoro, Tanzania

From 15-20 September, PRESA staff and collaborators were active at the East and Southern Africa Katoomba Meeting, Taking Stock & Charting a Way Forward: Payments for Ecosystem Services in Africa, in Dar es Salaam. The meeting was an excellent opportunity for learning about the latest PES developments in Africa and beyond, catching up with our collaborators, and making new connections with researchers, students and the private sector. We also shared our own research and insightsa at the pre-conference training, during the public meeting and at the private meeting in Morogoro, with the following presentations… (more…)