Plant a tree and make millions

“Plant more trees. Plant a tree today,” are some of common messages normally reiterated by leaders at all levels countrywide each year. Similar messages are raised higher on fryers and banners in public offices and places as well as on billboards in major towns. However, despite the repetitiveness of the statements, few people adopt the communication and others fail to espouse the idea since they consider tree planting as a tiresome practice and unprofitable.

Even with several government programmes such as the Saw log Production Grant Scheme (SPGS) and Farm Income Enhancement and Forest Conservation (FIEFOC) Project, which support tree growing in the country, again few people take advantage of them. SPGS supports big companies who grow trees for sawn timber, while FIEFOC targets communities who are interested in growing trees for firewood and building poles. But to Mr Fredrick Kikabi, Malangala Mixed farm director, planting tress has diverse importance and infinite wealth.

“Tree planting is a lucrative enterprise to bank on,” Mr Kikabi says.“It is a business enterprise that needs less input and attention, but in long-run you earn in millions of shillings,” he adds. According to him, seedlings are cheaper and with the country’s tropical environment, a farmer doesn’t need to sweat much. Citing eucalyptus seedlings that cost only Shs50 each, the farmer says with only Shs5000, a person can buy 100 seedlings.“Just like any other enterprise, tree planting doesn’t bring proceeds in days, but in long-run, within 15 years or less, a farmer can earn millions of shillings from Shs5,000 he/she invested,” Kikabi, also managing director of Footsteps Furniture Company says.

After setting up a farm that contain animals, food and cash crops on the 100 acres bare hill located along Mityana-Kampala highway in Malangala village, Kikabi says they thought of plant trees to trap the endless benefits they generate. And since 2003, the farm in collaboration with Footsteps Furniture has planted about 300 eucalyptus trees and over 20,000 pine trees. The farmer says they are targeting to plant about 70 acres of tree and spare only 30 of the 100 acres piece of land for other economic activities.“By doing so, we are using one stone to kill several birds. This is a rain-shadow-area and we expect an increase in rain when those trees grow. We also anticipate getting timber in 15 to 30 years to come, reduce pressure put on natural forests and replace some of the trees cut,” the director says.
Mr Kikabi’s revelation, however, corresponds with that of Ms Maria Mutagamba, Minister of Water and Environment, who says planting trees, is necessary.

Ms Mutagamba says planting trees would address issues related to climate change that threatens food security in the country. “We need to reduce the number of people facing food insecurity in the light of climate variability in addition to other disasters resulting from severe weather and climate events and general starvation,” she explains. And since food production connected to the environment, Mr Issa Katwesige, an officer in Ministry of Water and Environment says, planting trees is in line with the National Forestry and Tree Planting Act of 2003. The Act provides for conservation, sustainable management and development of forests for the benefit of the people of Uganda.

Mr Katwesiga notes that it is no longer a secret that the country is faced with changing times. “The country’s forest resources are fast dwindling at an alarming rate of over 80,000Ha per years. The national forests cover has reduced from 52 percent of the land area at the turn of the century to less than 24 percent currently,” he says adding, “The main cause of the decline in forest cover is the overdependence of over 95 percent of the population on the woody biomass as the major source of energy, human settlement, construction and agriculture,”
Studies from the National Biomass study of National Forest Authority (NFA) have revealed that at the current rate of tree felling that is not commensurate with tree planting; this will have disastrous implications for the building industry which will have to depend on imported timber at exorbitant prices. Meanwhile, Mr Seth Mugisha, NFA Tree Planting Coordinator, says before a farmer plants trees, she/he should consult the authority on what type of trees to plant. He says not every tree brings good returns and does well on any kind of soils. “At times we have to do tree-soil matching,” he says. Mr Kikabi says even those with limited land can grow trees on boundaries.