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UGANDA SUSTAINABLE LAND MANAGEMENT PRIORITIES

Stephen Muwaya Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries

International Workshop on Faith-based Sustainable Land Management at the Ankrah Foundation, Mukono, Uganda,

14 October, 2014

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Main Causes of Land Degradation in Uganda

Capital-deficient unsustainable agriculture

Poor farming practices Overgrazing Deforestation Climate Change and Variability / Drought Land Tenure Policy

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Land Degradation in Uganda

i. 36% of Uganda is affected by severe land degradation & 10% by very severe land degradation

ii. Costs of natural resources degradation in the country estimated at 17% of GDP per year

iii. Land degradation effects expressed via declining yields, rural poverty, food insecurity, high cost of food etc

iv. Highly degraded areas are more prone to the effects of climate change due to loss of resilience

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Land degradation in Uganda The poor are increasingly farming

marginal areas that are prone to degradation

Herdsmen that used to practice transhumance are now required to settle due to pop. dynamics & other concerns

Highly degraded areas have lost / reduced resilience (AGBD & BGBD)

Highly degraded areas are more prone to effects of climate change

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Linking Land Degradation and Attainment of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

Land degradation directly linked to: MDG1 – Eradicate Extreme Poverty and

Hunger – Target 2: halve, between 1990-2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger

MDG 7 – Ensure Environmental Sustainability – Target 9: Integrate the principle of sustainable development into country policies and programs and reverse the loss of environmental resources

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Justification and Rationale for a Country SLM Investment Framework Land degradation is recognized as a major impediment

to development but has not received the desired attention in the development agenda of Uganda.

Initiatives to address land degradation are very few, poorly resourced and are implemented in a piecemeal and uncoordinated manner

Land degradation is an impediment to attainment of MDGs

The urgently needed smallholder productivity revolution in Uganda must be based on a technology change that systematically integrates Sustainable Land Management (SLM)

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GOAL of Uganda’s SLM Investment Framework The goal is to promote key sectors cooperation to

improve natural resource based livelihoods and ecosystem services.

The development objective is to strengthen sector cooperation in order to halt, reverse and prevent land degradation / desertification and to mitigate the effects of climate change and variability.

The purpose of the SIF is to upscale SLM practices across sectors programmatically and to avoid duplication across stakeholders and sectors. Tol tap into synergies across sectors and promote sharing of common baselines, knowledge and monitoring and evaluation.

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OBJECTIVES of Uganda’s SLM Investment Framework

i. to scale up targeted pro-poor on-the-ground investments in SLM;

ii. mainstream SLM in development frameworks and strategies at all levels;

iii. improve governance for land management decision making, and

iv. improve mutual learning across stakeholders.

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SLM Investment Framework is a tool to allow National SLM Committees to coordinate SLM activities as a portfolio.

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SLM Country Platforms The Inter-Ministerial National Steering

Committee composed of Permanent Secretaries of the five sectors

The National Technical Committee (SLM-NTC) composed of technical officers from the five sectors

The National SLM Multi-Stakeholder Platform/ Committee

The CSO – SLM Network composed of CSOs, etc and led by PELUM (Participatory Ecological Land Use Management)

The Faith Based Organizations led by UFNEA

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Geographical Focus in Adressing Land Degradation

Four land degradation hotspots across the country were identified: The Dry Lands / The Cattle Corridor, The Highlands - Southwestern and

Eastern Highlands, Eastern and Northern Uganda Lake Victoria Crescent Region,

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Map of Uganda showing land degradation hotspots

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Sector SLM issues

Lands Sector

Lack / absence of Land Use Plans Lack of support for LGs, investors, and other

land users to implement the land use policy and land use plans

Land tenure insecurity Poor policy harmonization and

implementation

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Sector SLM issues

b. Trade Sector Weak compliance to market requirements for

SLM friendly products Weak SLM-friendly practices within commodity

sectors Limited business development skills Limited access to market information Poor knowledge of SLM value added to value

chain development Poor policy harmonization and implementation

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Sector SLM issues

d. Agricultural Sector

Limited use of fert. & organic manures leading to Nutrient mining of soils

Soil erosion/ limited use of land management practices

Poor infrastructure for water for production Under developed early warning system with

regard to food security Poor policy harmonization and implementation

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Sector SLM issues

c. Water and Environment Sector Impacts of climate change and variability; Inadequate early warning systems (short and

medium term weather and climate forecasts - drought, floods, etc)

Deforestation and poor watershed management

Poor infrastructure for water for production Poor policy harmonization and implementation

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Sector SLM issues

e. Energy Sector Unsustainable biomass energy sources

management (inefficient utilization, over extraction, losses, etc)

Underdeveloped renewable energy sources

Poor policy harmonization and implementation

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Sector SLM Priorities

e. Trade Sector Promotion of trade diversification through SLM Promotion of SLM friendly value chains Promotion of inter-ministerial cooperation on

trade development for agricultural and natural product sectors

Business skills development Information on markets and requirements Mainstreaming SLM into trade promotion and

policy making processes and related implementation plans.

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Sector SLM Priorities

Agriculture Sector Integrated Nutrient Management including inorganic and

organic fertilizers, Biological Nitrogen Fixation, agro-forestry, etc.

Soil and water conservation Conservation Agriculture (entailing minimum tillage, cover

crops/green manures, judicious crop rotations, etc) Water utilization components e.g. watering structures,

irrigation, etc. Development of an early warning system Adaptation to climate change and variability e.g. drought

resistant/ early maturing crop varieties, etc. Validation of decision support tools/ crop models Knowledge management and M&E Policy harmonization & implementation (e.g. Land Use

Policy)

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Sector SLM Priorities

b. Water and Environment Sector Adaptation and mitigation to impacts of

climate change and variability Establishment of early warning systems (short

and medium term weather and climate forecasts - drought, floods etc)

Water harvesting/ water supply to pastoral communities

Watershed management / IWRM, Afforestation, reforestation and agro-forestry

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Sector Roles and responsibilities Sector SLM Priorities

c. Energy Sector Sustainably managed biomass energy

sources (balanced and efficient utilization

Developed renewable energy (e.g. gasification for homes and institutions)

Improve efficiency in charcoal production & use

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Sector SLM Priorities

d. Lands Sector Development of land use plans Participatory land use planning (PLUP) Participatory watershed management

plans Improved land administration Policy harmonization & implementation

(e.g. Land Use Policy)

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U-SLM Themes

i. Supporting on-the-ground activities for scaling up SLM

ii. Strengthening the enabling institutional and policy environment for SLM

iii. Strengthening commercial and advisory services for SLM and alternative livelihood options

iv. Supporting SLM research and dissemination of best-bet technologies and

v. Improving and strengthening SLM knowledge management (KM) and M&E

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Roles and responsibilities of CSOs,FBOs Private Sector, Farmer Organizations

Implementation of the framework will take place through existing structures

The SIF implementation involves an inclusive and integrated approach that takes into account synergies and partnerships between various players in dealing with challenges of SLM in accordance with their comparative advantage.

CSOs, FBOs,private sector, farmer organizations have vital roles to play at different levels – most of the activities will be implemented at the grassroots level

Implementation Approach for on the ground action

• Target farming community groups and schools• Priority to Women and youth with at least 50%

women participation.• Identify and empower community initiatives• Farmer to farmer mutual learning with emphasis

on farmer to farmer visits, field days, community trainers.

• Stakeholder platforms bringing together – farmers, researchers, private sector, CSOs and extension officers.

• Finance on ground action through small grants• Demonstrations of practices • Advocacy through media and drama

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Initiatives to implement the sustainable land management agenda in Uganda

Some SLM Projects under implementation

ATAAS Project (GEF/World Bank) SLM Mainstreaming project (Norway - UNDP) SLM Enabling Environment (GEF UNDP) Kagera TAMP (GEF/FAO) Stimulating Community Initiatives in SLM

(GEF/UNEP) Climate Smart Agriculture Project( Norway/ DFID/EU

COMESA) Sustainable Charcoal Project (GEF/ UNDP) SLM Climate Change Highlands Project GEF – UNDP)

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Thank You for Listening