NatureUganda hosts the peer-to-peer visit for the AfriEvolve Project

NatureUganda (NU), with financial support from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) is implementing a capacity development project – AfriEvolve, for green NGOs in Africa. Six BirdLife partners – NatureUganda, Nature Tanzania, Nature Kenya, NATURAMA, Sos Forets and Ghana Wildlife Society are implementing the project. The project seeks to enable these NGOs to use newly gained capacities for improved civil society cooperation and climate change adaptation of smallholder agriculture farmers.

One important aspect of the project is the peer-to-peer learning exchange visits where members of the green NGOs visit and learn from one another. From 18^th – 25^th March 2023, Nature Uganda hosted  a team from Nature Kenya, Nature Tanzania BirdLife Africa and NABU.

During the visit, a stakeholder meeting was held to share project successes and challenges in either of the implementing countries progress on Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) activities and organizational development. Partners also visited Echuya Central Forest Reserve to interface with the rich biodiversity whose conservation NU has supported for over 20 years. Other activities included;

Kashaha Climate Smart School – a centre of CSA learning, adaptation and awareness for the neighbouring communities

• A visit to the Batwa indigenous community to whom NU has provided support in CSA related livelihood (sheep rearing) so as to have a meaningful life out of the forest.
• A visit to Kashaha Climate Smart School – as a centre of CSA learning, adaptation and awareness for the neighbouring communities.
• Nyamatembe Bee Keepers Association, a CFM group which is involved in honey value addition activities as a livelihood for income generation, conservation and Climate Change adaptation outside the forest setting.
• Agroforestry, Energy Saving and Soil and Water Conservation activities by various CFM groups and other households that have adapted the CSA practice and how the CSA interventions are promoting the forest integrity.
• Interaction with local government and private sector partners as way of sustaining CSA activities within and beyond the project lifetime.

” We believe that Climate Smart Agriculture is an appropriate approach to link conservation and sustainable management landscapes while addressing interlinked challenges of food security and climate change”, concludes Achilles Byaruhanga, ED, NatureUganda.

Event video