Mount Elgon Tree Growing Enterprise Contributing to Land restoration for Climate Resilience in the Mount Elgon Region

Mount Elgon Tree Growing Enterprise Contributing to Land restoration for Climate Resilience in the Mount Elgon Region

To-date 25 million seedlings have been planted. This effort has brought METGE to achieving the ambitious target of planting 25 million trees by 2025. The target is to plant 50 million trees by 2030

The Mbale Coalition against Poverty (Mbale CAP), tree planting project, which started in 2009 grew, evolved and was subsequently rebranded in 2017 as the Mt. Elgon Tree Growing Enterprise (METGE). Since the inception of the tree planting program, the Welsh government through size of Wales has been the main development partner funding it. However, other new funding partners of recent include International Tree Foundation (ITF) and Tree Nation have started funding restoration initiatives. 

METGE with its main office in Mbale City in eastern Uganda seeks to: help local communities in the region adapt to climate change, to mitigate the effect of climate change, and to improve livelihoods; growing trees in community-based nurseries and distributing them freely to individuals and others, with the aim of increasing the variety, and coverage of trees in the general Mbale and Mt Elgon regions; encourage people in the mountain Elgon region to adopt modern agroforestry techniques in order to improve soil retention and quality, family nutrition and protection from storm damage; and provide technical and advisory services to farmers in the Mt Elgon region to promote activities complementary to tree growing such as bee keeping, the construction and distribution of fuel-efficient stoves and coffee production..

Implementation

METGE was born out of a necessity to address the severe deforestation, soil erosion, and climate vulnerabilities faced in the greater Mbale districts and Bukedea. In response, METGE’s strategy is working through implementing partners; i.e. Bungokho Rural Development Centre (BRDC) and Mount Elgon Agro forestry Communities Cooperative Enterprise (MEACCE). And to-date 24 community nurseries have been established producing 3.2 million seedlings annually. These nurseries produce a wide variety of indigenous and fruit-bearing trees, which are then distributed freely to individuals, schools, and community groups. METGE also supports other initiatives such as: construction and installation of energy saving technologies; i.e. lorena stoves, beekeeping, sustainable land management practices, kitchen gardening, and strengthening of capacities in village savings and loans Associations (VSLAs). 

Key Achievements

To-date 25 million seedlings have been planted. This effort has brought METGE to achieving the ambitious target of planting 25 million trees by 2025. The target is to plant 50 million trees by 2030. Trees planted through this program serve multiple purposes: they prevent soil erosion, enhance water retention, and provide shade and fruits, contributing to both environmental health and food security. Tree cover is gradually being restored and soil quality is improving through sustainable land management (SLM) practices.

One of the most remarkable aspects of the METGE is its emphasis on community involvement. Local farmers are the backbone of this initiative, receiving training in SLM, nursery management, and tree planting techniques. This knowledge transfer empowers them to become stewards of their land and advocates for environmental conservation.

In promoting beekeeping, METGE has trained 30 groups to manage apiaries whose capacity is over 1,000 beehives. This has led to a significant increase in honey production, from 100 kg in FY 2021-2022 to 3.4 tonnes in FY 2022-2023 and 7.8 tonnes in FY 2023-24.  The recent harvest of bee products enabled farmers to earn about UGX 100 million. Promoting apiculture as a sustainable livelihood further supports pollination and biodiversity.

For energy efficient technologies, METGE has supported over 4,000 households to build cost-effective and eco-friendly Lorena stoves. These stoves have an efficiency of over 60% compared to the three stone stove. This initiative has saved an approximately of 4,049,496 kg of fuel wood. These stoves reduce wood consumption and indoor air pollution, improving health and reducing deforestation compared to the three stone stove

Women, in particular, have played a pivotal role in the tree planting programme. Traditionally marginalized, they are now at the forefront of tree planting and nursery management. Out of 35 Tree nursery operators (TNBOs), 17 are women. Their active participation not only promotes gender equality, but also ensures the sustainability of the project, as women often play a central role in managing household resources.

Conclusion

METGE is on course to achieving its target of 25 million seedlings raised, distributed and planted by 2025.  The 50 million trees to be planted by 2030 plus the need to integrate sustainable livelihood initiatives of the beneficiaries is a powerful testament to the potential of community-driven environmental stewardship. It allows for alignment of the goals of ecological restoration and socio-economic transformation through land restoration for climate resilience. And this will demonstrate that through a shared vision and collective action, land shall be restored, and communities will benefit from resilient livelihoods and adaptation in the greater districts of Mbale and Bukedea.