CIDI, Oxfam Partnerships Drive Environmental Restoration Efforts in Teso.

By Skika Reporter

The Advocacy Officer at Community Integrated Development Initiative (CIDI), Viola Nambi, has challenged communities across the Teso sub-region and beyond to adopt sustainable environmental management systems and climate-smart agricultural practices, with a strong emphasis on tree planting and growing.

Nambi made the remarks in Soroti City as Uganda joined the rest of the world to commemorate International Mother Earth Day, an annual event aimed at raising awareness about environmental protection and conservation.

“We do not want to stop at merely conserving the environment. We want to integrate mindset change so that people understand how to conserve it effectively,” Nambi said. “Our focus is shifting from just tree planting to tree growing, ensuring that planted trees are nurtured to maturity.”

She noted that while many people participate in tree planting, few take responsibility for maintaining and growing the trees, which undermines environmental restoration efforts.

Nambi emphasized the need for safer agricultural practices, especially in eastern Uganda, where farming is a major economic activity. She highlighted the importance of maintaining a safe food chain—from soil management to production and consumption—while reducing the use of harmful agricultural inputs that degrade the environment.

Meanwhile, Richard Ocen Apollo, Director of Teso Bees, said his organization is promoting beekeeping at the household level as part of broader environmental conservation efforts.

“With the initiatives we are building today, we hope that in the coming years we will establish demonstration sites within the city to showcase the possibilities of regenerating our environment, especially soil restoration,” Apollo said.

He added that partnerships with organizations such as Oxfam and CIDI will be key in advancing sustainable environmental practices in the region.

Phoebe Agoe, a farmer representative from Ojom Oculoi Farmers Cooperative Society in Oculoi Sub-county, Soroti District, expressed concern over the increasing effects of climate change on agriculture. She noted that declining soil fertility and unpredictable weather patterns have significantly reduced crop yields, contributing to food insecurity.

“Climate change has not only affected crop production but also livestock health and overall soil fertility. The destruction of wetlands, which play a role in rainfall formation, has worsened the situation,” Agoe said.

She urged farmers to embrace tree planting as a way to restore soil fertility and improve rainfall patterns.

“Compared to the past, our soils were naturally fertile. Today, they have degraded, leading to poor yields and food insecurity in parts of the Teso region,” she added.

Ann Grace Akiteng, Program Coordinator at Creative Initiative for Enterprise Development and Finance and Administration Officer at the Uganda National Alliance for Clean Cooking in Kampala, also supported the call for tree planting.

She noted that reluctance among communities to plant and nurture trees has led to the disappearance of indigenous species such as shea nut and mahogany.

“Tree planting benefits both current and future generations. People must adopt a positive mindset to support and promote tree growing,” Akiteng said.

Agoe further encouraged farmers and communities to treat tree growing with the same importance as crop farming, citing species such as shea nut, mahogany, tamarind, and Terminalia as valuable for both environmental and economic benefits.

She also called on the youth to take an active role in environmental conservation through tree planting initiatives.

“Young people have the energy to drive this change. By investing in tree growing, they will benefit themselves and future generations,” she said.