Youth have joined in the fight to stem the rapid desertification of Uganda. With a 500,000 members, the youth have embarked on planting 21km of trees along highways and have earmarked 10,000 hectares to be under forest cover in the next five years. We have distributed ornamental, timber and fruit trees and we have reached Kamuli, Toro and Karamoja.
The group is liaising with UPDF, religious leaders, corporate bodies such as National Forest Authority and Uganda Wildlife Authority to achieve their goals.
The aim of this campaign was to increase revenue and quality of the forest management. In the financial year of 2004/2005, the first year after they took over from the Forest Department, the NFA increased the revenue from forest products to UGX 5,400,000,000 from previous year’s UGX 1,200,000,000.
So far through the project, trees are being planted in Kamuli, Katakwi, and Rwenzori Mountains, along River Nyamwamba and along roads such as the Northern by pass. Unemployed youth get the seedlings free of charge and create employment.