Informing humanitarians worldwide 24/7 — a service provided by UN OCHA

Uganda

Uganda’s Sustainable land management Investment Framework launched

Kampala - The Country Sustainable land management Investment Framework (CSIF) for Uganda has today been launched at a ceremony in Kampala.

The ten year Strategic Framework will guide the government of Uganda in addressing land management issues in a sustainable manner.

Hon. Zerubabel Nyiira, the state Minister for Agriculture who launched the framework said it comes at an opportune time when urgent action is needed to address the challenges of land degradation across the country.

He pointed out that nearly 40% of Uganda is affected by severe land degradation caused by unsustainable land use practices that have led to fatal and destructive landslides and flooding in some areas like Bududa in the Mt. Elgon region and Kasese in the Rwenzori region.

“This framework is therefore an excellent tool because it has identified hotspots, gaps and priorities for scaling up sustainable land management and outlined clear roles for key sectors and stakeholders to guide and focus interventions which will curtail land degradation and effects in various spots in the country,” Hon. Nyiira said.

Speaking on behalf of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Country Director and other development partners, Mr. Onesimus Muhwezi, the team leader for Energy and Environment in UNDP said that the framework was indeed a great opportunity to guide investments in land management in Uganda, right from policy makers down to the farmers who plan and utilise the land.

“Sustainable land management is a crucial undertaking for this development era where land is still the single most critical factor of production that is indispensable. Land is still key for providing food and income security and with 70% of Ugandans still dependent on agriculture for livelihoods, it is important that land productivity is well sustained particularly in this time of climate change,” he said.

He also said that with concerted and well-coordinated effort, integrated resource management plans like this CSIF would make it possible to save to this resource while we still could. This would enable us to save many women, children and other vulnerable segments of the population who are usually the first to be affected by hunger and other disasters caused by land degradation.

Sustainable Land Management (SLM) strategies and practices are important because they enable farmers to adapt and become resilient to climate change by conserving soil and water, increasing food production hence increasing food security and restoring productive natural resources. These SLM practices are key in preventing land degradation, restoring degraded lands and reducing the conversion of natural forests and grasslands into farmlands.

The purpose of CSIF therefore is to scale up sustainable land management practices across all sectors and to avoid duplication among sectors and stakeholders.

The framework is already being implemented in various areas in the country and a few successes have been achieved including restoration of degraded land including forest reserves in 15 districts in Uganda, many of which are in the cattle corridor. In the Elgon ranges, communities have been mobilised to plant trees and construct trenches to save destruction of communal resources and control soil erosion in the area.

The framework was formulated by five cooperating sectors led by Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban development, Ministry of Water and Environment, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives and Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development.

They were supported by development partners including UNDP, World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organisation, Government of Norway, NEPAD, CAADP and TerraAfrica.