Agroforestry for Sustainable Livelihoods and Community Transformation (STAY Trees)
Full Solution
LATEK AGROFORESTRY
LATEK STAY ALLIANCE UGANDA
The Stay Trees Project (2024) focused on promoting reforestation and sustainable agroforestry across Luwero, Mbale, Busia, and Kapchorwa districts. Each location established one nursery, enabling the production of 96,423 seedlings, with 73,867 trees planted by 425 farmers, achieving an average 80% survival rate. Through Good Agroforestry Practices (GAP) training, 414 farmers gained skills in tree planting, management, and crop integration for sustainable incomed for the adopting farmers, ultimately ensuring long-term forest cover and environmental restoration. To support tree survival and farmer engagement, top-performing farmers were awarded cash crops like soya beans and groundnuts, providing short-term incomes while maintaining focus on tree preservation. The nurseries ensured quality seedlings, enhancing tree resilience in the field. The project successfully contributed to afforestation, increased forest cover, and environmental sustainability, while fostering improved farmer livelihoods and community participation.
Last update: 09 Jan 2025
41 Views
Photo and video gallery
Context
Challenges addressed
The Stay Trees project adresses several interrelated environmental, social, and economic challenges in Luwero, Mbale, Busia, and Kapchorwa districts. Prolonged droughts, severe flooding, and widespread land degradation posed significant threats to local ecosystems, reducing soil stability and water retention capacity while accelerating biodiversity loss. These environmental issues were compounded by limited community engagement in sustainable land management practices, which left many farmers without the skills or resources to implement agroforestry solutions. Economically, absence of alternative income streams made local farmers vulnerable to climate shocks, resulting in low resilience and increased risk of land abandonment.
Addressing these challenges was critical to achieving both ecological restoration and improved livelihoods.
Location
Kapchorwa, Uganda
Luwero, Uganda
Mbale, Uganda
Busia, Uganda
East and South Africa
Process
Summary of the process
The success of the Stay Trees project lays in how its components worked together to create lasting impact. It started with community-based nursery beds, which produced strong, resilient seedlings while empowering local teams to manage their growth. These nurseries ensured farmers received healthy trees ready for planting.
Next, the project focused on tree planting at the SE level, where farmers were trained in Good Agroforestry Practices (GAP). This hands-on support equipped them with skills to care for their trees, protect the soil, and restore ecosystems affected by droughts and floods. The trees were received and planted where the trained skills and knowledge were applied, this not only improved the land but also brought hope for a greener future.
To sustain this momentum, the project rewarded top-performing farmers with cash crops like soya beans and groundnuts. These crops provided short-term incomes, reduced financial strain, and encouraged farmers to continue caring for their trees.
Together, the nursery beds, tree planting, and cash crops created a cycle of environmental restoration, improved livelihoods, and stronger communities—connecting people’s well-being with a healthier planet.
Building Blocks
Community-Based Nursery Beds
The purpose of community-based permanent nursery beds is to ensure the production of high-quality, resilient seedlings for reforestation efforts while building local capacity. Each of the four project districts (Luwero, Mbale, Busia, and Kapchorwa) established one centralized nursery bed per location, equipped with essential tools, irrigation facilities, and trained nursery operators. Seeds were delivered early (December 2023–January 2024) to allow for the full growth and hardening process, ensuring seedlings met survival standards. The nurseries produced 96,423 seedlings of multi-purpose tree species, including Grevillea and Agrocarpus, which were selected for their adaptability to local climatic conditions, drought resistance, and soil stabilization properties. Nurseries also served as training hubs, where farmers learned good agroforestry techniques, seed propagation, pest control, and seedling management techniques.
Enabling factors
- Technical Knowledge: Trained operators with skills in seed management, seedling management, farmer training, community mobilisation and engagement, root pruning, and hardening-off processes.
- Access to Inputs: Reliable supply of quality seeds, potting materials, and pest control inputs.
- Water Availability: Sustainable irrigation systems to overcome drought periods and maintain seedling health.
- Community Engagement: Active participation from farmers and local leaders to monitor and support nursery operations.
Lesson learned
- Early seed delivery, proper management, good nursery management and seedling hardening significantly improved tree survival rates in harsh field conditions.
- Poor irrigation infrastructure in some locations exposed seedlings to water stress during dry spells. Investment in simple irrigation techniques is recommended to mitigate this.
Root damage and poor seedling management during transplanting led to seedling mortality in some cases. Ensuring proper root ball integrity during handling is critical.
Advice: Establish contingency production targets (10–15% above the actual requirement) to buffer losses from pests or weather-related issues. Additionally, develop on-site water harvesting systems to support irrigation during drought periods.
Resources
Tree Planting at community Level
The primary purpose of tree planting at community level is to achieve large-scale ecosystem restoration while enhancing local livelihoods through agroforestry. The project partnered with four communities to mobilize 425 farmers for tree planting, distributing 73,867 seedlings. Farmers were trained in Good Agroforestry Practices (GAP), including tree planting techniques, mulching, pest and disease management, and soil fertility enhancement. Tree species like Grevillea robusta and Agrocarpus were selected for their fast growth, timber production potential, and ability to improve microclimates and soil structure. Tree planting activities focused on degraded lands prone to erosion and drought, effectively addressing flood control, biodiversity restoration, and ecosystem loss.
Enabling factors
- Farmer Training: Comprehensive GAP training to equip farmers with technical skills in tree care, pruning, and pest management.
- Species Suitability: Selecting trees adapted to regional environmental conditions to maximize survival and growth rates including soils, weather, culture and .
- Monitoring Systems: Continuous farmer field visits to monitor growth, survival rates, and emerging challenges.
- Community Ownership: Collaborating with SEs and local leaders ensured trust, commitment, and adoption of sustainable tree management practices.
Lesson learned
- Integration of trees with cash crops enhances farmer engagement and ensures long-term care for planted trees.
- Survival rates were highest in areas with reliable rainfall (Kapchorwa at 92%), highlighting the need for location-specific strategies in drought-prone regions.
Termite infestations in Busia and Mbale posed a challenge, requiring targeted pest control solutions such as biological control agents and mulching to minimize damage.
Advice: Deploy tree care manuals with localized pest and soil management techniques. Integrate weather forecast systems to align planting activities with optimal rainfall periods and mitigate drought-related losses.
Resources
Cash Crop Integration for Sustainable Incomes
The cash crop integration component aimed to incentivize tree management by linking reforestation efforts with short-term income generation. Top-performing farmers, assessed based on tree survival rates and GAP training participation, were awarded cash crop inputs such as soya beans and groundnuts. These crops were selected for their adaptability to local soils, market demand, and ability to complement agroforestry systems. Farmers achieved an average 12% increase in soya bean yields (350 kg/acre) and 10% increase in groundnut yields (240 kg/acre), with incomes averaging UGX 1,050,000 ($285) for soya beans and UGX 900,000 ($244) for groundnuts. The inclusion of cash crops encouraged farmers to maintain their agroforestry systems, reducing tree felling for short-term needs.
Enabling factors
- Crop Suitability: Identifying crops that thrive in local conditions while supporting agroforestry practices.
- Farmer Training: GAP for cash crops, focusing on planting density, pest management, and post-harvest handling to improve yields.
- Market Access: Establishing links with traders and milling companies to secure 15% higher prices and reduce reliance on middlemen.
- Monitoring and Evaluation: Digital monitoring and evaluation, regular farm visits to assess crop performance and address challenges promptly.
Lesson learned
- Crop integration incentivized tree preservation and diversified farmer incomes, enhancing resilience to climate shocks.
- Regional variation in weather and soil conditions impacted yields. Research and consultancy would help identify the most suitable varieties.
- Poor post-harvest handling in some areas reduced profits. Training on crop drying and storage is essential to maximize market value.
- Develop region-specific crop calendars and include low-cost storage solutions to address post-harvest losses. Partnering with buyers early ensures market demand aligns with farmer production.
Resources
Impacts
The Stay Trees project delivered significant environmental, social, and economic impacts in Luwero, Mbale, Busia, and Kapchorwa districts.
Environmentally, the project planted 73,867 trees with an 80% average survival rate (92% in Kapchorwa), restoring degraded lands, improving soil stability, and increasing water retention, which reduced flooding and erosion. The trees created habitats, reversing biodiversity loss and supporting ecosystem recovery.
Socially, 414 farmers were trained in Good Agroforestry Practices (GAP), equipping them with skills for tree care and sustainable land management. Additionally, farmers were trained in crop production for improved food security by growing quick-harvest crops, strengthening resilience to climate challenges.
Economically, The top-performing farmers were awarded cash crops, achieving yield increases of 12% for soya beans and 10% for groundnuts. Farmers earned up to UGX 1,050,000 ($285), with improved market access boosting prices by 15%. This reduced poverty and incentivized long-term tree care, ensuring sustainable environmental restoration and community transformation
Beneficiaries
project supported 425 farmers with 73,867 trees and cash crops. Communities saw skills and capacities for environmental stability, ecosystems were restored, markets gained better prices, and Latek enhanced its reputation and digital expertise.
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG 1 – No poverty
SDG 10 – Reduced inequalities
SDG 13 – Climate action
Story
Nabukenya Sarah, a farmer from Luwero, transformed her life through the project. Facing soil erosion and declining yields, she joined the project, received 60 Grevillea tree seedlings and training in Good Agroforestry Practices (GAP). The trees stabilized her land has improved soil fertility and boosted her ground nut harvest by 12%. Sarah earned UGX 800,000, which she used for school fees for her siblings. Her fields are now greener and crops healthier. Sarah’s story reflects how reforestation and sustainable farming can restore land, improve incomes, and inspire community change.
