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As Environment Concern Initiatives Limited, we are committed to building local communities’ capacity for climate change adaptation through our Community Tree Planting Projects. To many rural Ugandans, Tree Planting is a desired undertaking for both businesses (timber & poles), Biomass (firewood), Shade (Ornamental) Medicine (Herbal), and Food Security e.g. Mangoes, Avocadoes, Oranges, Jackfruits, pawpaws, etc. In rural Uganda, during bumper fruits harvest, many families do not cook food, they only harvest and eat fruits, as well they sell to improve their livelihoods. The biggest hindrance to community tree planting is the affordability of seedlings. Through our Community Tree Planting Project, we provide free seedlings ready for planting for both firewoods, fruits, medicinal and ornamental for direct planting in home spaces, gardens, and land boundaries. To minimize costs e.g. on transportation of seedlings, we provide communities with seeds and all implements with training on how to manage tree nurseries within their communities.

To view more activity photos of our Community Tree Planting Project, activity photos, kindly visit our Youtube page Click Here To Access Our Page

Project Beneficiaries

The Community tree planting project, beneficiaries include:-

• Individuals & Families
• Organised Associations/CBOs
• Faith Based Communities e.g. Churches, & Mosques
• Schools

Since 2016, our Community Tree Planting program has helped add more than 3,800,000 trees to rural and urban communities and institutions e.g. Schools, Churches, mosques, military and police barracks. We take great joy in working with community organizers to plant trees to make their neighborhoods more welcoming and environmentally healthy. Our Community Tree Planting Project has helped address unique concerns such as scarcity of firewood.

How It Works

ECIL together with Communities identifies suitable planting sites and locations for the trees. Together with communities, we carry out site species analysis to determine the right tree species for given ecological zones to determine the best suitability. In our community tree planting project, fruit takes 40%, Biomass (firewood) 30%, Ornamental (shade & windbreakers) 25%, and Medicinal trees 5%.

Project Sustainability

In the last 6 years of our project implementation, we have not received any funding from donors. We have only received support from a few corporate entities e.g. Kyoga Tours & Travel Ltd, Mbujaah Contractors Ltd, and UKIDI etc. Much of the funds have come from our local sale of tree seedlings, Consultancy and production of Sanitary Products, Aquaculture and contractual services, and the sale of customized items or articles. With the establishment of community Tree Nurseries, we’re able to raise needed seedlings within the communities, which helps us cut costs tremendously.