EbA Project Officer, Mr. Richard Gafabusa and the Kapchorwa Assistant District Forest Officer, Mr. Chekwel John, briefing community participants on the importance of Agro-forestry in the Demonstration Site
Christopher Lutakome
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING THROUGH AN EBA DEMONSTRATION AND LEARNING CENTER
A variety of crops demonstrated at the Demonstration Site, which included bananas, fruit trees, leguminous cereals like beans, sunflower and a strip of nappier (elephant grass)
Christopher Lutakome
The purpose of this building block is to enhance knowledge and practical skills related to EbA measures, as well as to accelerate the level of adoption of EbA measures. The community provided a two-acre piece of land on which all the EbA measures were demonstrated. Community members provided all the labor at the demonstration site and Kapchorwa District Local Government staff provided technical support. The evidence generated regarding the effectiveness of the EbA measures at the demonstration site helped to catalyze the uptake of EbA measures on farms. Some of the components of this building block include:
- Identification of a central and accessible piece of land that is representative of the issues that are to be addressed through EbA.
- Practical training on EbA measures through on-site demonstration.
- Preparation of an operation plan for the demonstration site, as well as a governance structure (e.g. Sanzara Landowners Association) to manage the day-to-day activities on the demonstration site.
- Preparation of a business plan for the demonstration site, including a plan for how the proceeds from the demonstration site will be used.
- Training of trainers, who will continue to work with individual farmers over time.
- Awareness of climate change and its impacts.
- Positive relationships and trust among all stakeholders.
- Willingness of local government partners to leverage resources from other programs and projects.
- Local contributions (material, labor, land) and ownership of interventions.
- Availability of land for a length of time that is sufficient for the impact of EbA measures to be observed.
Availability of ready markets for the produce from the demonstration site, which enables the realization of economic benefits from the EbA measures.
Lessons learned:
- Having a central demo site reduces the cost of training. Continuously working together at the demo site enhances community cohesion and hence social resilience.
- The location of the demonstration site is key. A site that is accessible during all seasons maximizes farmer training opportunities.
- Demonstration of EbA measures provides an important opportunity for community members to witness benefits first-hand, thereby facilitating attitude change and accelerating adoption. On-farm follow-up and technical support, as well as participatory monitoring and evaluation, are fundamental to sustaining adoption.
Challenges:
- Some people wanted a direct payout of the proceeds from the demo site, rather than the establishment of a community fund for small loans. Some members dropped out of the demonstration activities when it became clear they would not receive payouts.
- Successful demonstration of EbA measures does not guarantee the uptake and continuation of EbA measures on farms. Old habits die hard, and negative peer pressure can undermine efforts.