Greening Uganda - A Climate Change Champaign

As stake holders in Uganda, and as global citizens, it is our solemn duty to secure our heritage by conserving our environment. We need to secure our forests and restore those that have been degraded. Afforestation should be incorporated in our farming system through agroforestry.

As an organization of young people, we are committed to championing a national wide agenda of tree planting across the country as well as setting the bench mark for other African youths to be inspired and follow suit to restore Africa’s heritage as we fight against the impacts of climate change. The target is to plant 1,000,000 trees (one million trees) in Uganda starting with the most affected areas in a period of three months – March to June 2024 with possible extension.

In the same period, we shall conduct public awareness and behavioral change campaigns on climate justice, water and waste management, environmental protection, wetland conservation, pollution, sustainable agriculture etc.

It is important to note that many districts in Uganda have suffered the impact of deforestation, interferences on the natural ecosystems. Many ecosystems, including forests, wetlands, streams, rivers and riverbanks as well as farmland are under increasing threat of degradation or modification in the face of population increase and climate change. Supply of regulatory services of those ecosystems such as flood control through water infiltration, landslide regulation and soil erosion control or water purification is decreasing given unsustainable cropping practices that characterize the farming systems in most of Uganda.

As a result, the supply of fresh clean water, especially to the downstream communities is threatened by soil erosion and siltation. Declining land productivity implies reduction in food supply alongside fast increasing human population. The resultant food gap has prompted expansion of agricultural frontiers to fragile parts of the ecosystem e.g. riverbanks, swamps and steep slopes. Inevitably, interference with slope stability has in recent years led to increased magnitude of various hazards e.g. soil erosion, landslides, siltation and flooding.

This campaign therefore, will go along-way in improving and protecting our environment. It seeks also to strengthen the capacity of sub-regional and local management structures and extension services and promote integrated management approaches. We are looking forward to promoting the organizations of communities in the fight against dangers of climate change and to establish cooperation with partners and stakeholders in planning, development and management of climate justice and mitigation.