Wakiso gives farmers 50,000 seedlings to rebuild tree cover and supply timber

Fifty-two farmers in Wakiso have received 50,000 tree seedlings with a message from the district leadership: do not sell them now; grow them into a future business. The distribution is intended to rebuild tree cover while helping households earn money from commercial tree growing, according to Nile Post Uganda (direct).

Wakiso District Local Government distributed the seedlings through its Forestry Department at the district tree nursery. The programme seeks to restore degraded land and reduce the effects of climate change in a rapidly urbanising district. It encourages farmers, households, institutions and community groups to plant during every rainy season, making restoration a recurring effort rather than a single planting exercise.

Construction creates a market—and a challenge

Residential and commercial development has brought the removal of trees across Wakiso. At the handover, district chairperson Eng. Ian Kyeyune linked that pressure to another feature of urban growth: rising demand for timber and furniture. He said construction in Wakiso and surrounding areas provides a market for tree products, even as the district needs to replace trees lost to building and other uses.

Kyeyune said the demand for timber and furniture makes tree growing both an environmental necessity and a business opportunity for farmers.

His appeal to the recipients was to look beyond an immediate sale of the donated seedlings. By caring for them, he said, farmers could develop a longer-term source of income while helping restore the environment. The programme therefore has two stated aims: increasing tree cover and improving household earnings through trees grown for commercial use. Neither goal stops at distributing the planting material.

Kyeyune described planting by households, farmer groups and institutions as the most sustainable way to replace trees cut for construction, furniture and other purposes. He also called for more farmers to join, with particular emphasis on residents of the Bussi Islands. Environmental degradation there remains a concern, he said, and he urged farmers to take an active role in forest restoration.

From seedlings to a longer-term livelihood

The distribution includes several types of trees with different uses. Mugavu is described as beneficial to banana production, while improved Muvule varieties are used in furniture making. The seedlings also include Kilundu and exotic Eucalyptus varieties from South Africa, among others. The selection sits within the district’s wider effort to encourage planting for both environmental protection and commercial purposes.

District forestry officer Harriet Nankya said rapid urban growth makes additional tree planting increasingly important. She warned that failing to expand tree cover could leave communities exposed to environmental problems. For farmers receiving seedlings, her practical advice was to consult forestry extension officers in their areas for help with planting, maintenance and management.

The next step is getting the seedlings established and cared for, alongside efforts to bring more farmers into the programme. Wakiso says it plans to continue distributing seedlings during rainy seasons. Those further distributions, and the guidance available to growers, are the next elements of its push to connect forest restoration with sustainable livelihoods.