Building economic opportunities for farmers in 19 refugee-hosting districts in Uganda through sustainable woodlots

Uganda faces some of the highest rates of natural forest degradation globally. The nation’s economy is heavily dependent on its natural resources, and environmental deterioration significantly affects livelihoods, especially among the poorest and most vulnerable populations.

Uganda currently hosts over 1.3 million refugees — the largest population in Africa and the third-largest worldwide — resulting in increased environmental pressures and extensive use of natural resources, particularly forests, which provide essential ecosystem services such as fuelwood, livelihood support, and resilience for both refugee and host communities.

With support from the World Bank through the Investing in Forests and Protected Areas for Climate-Smart Development (IFPA-CD) Project, NIRAS and its partners worked with host communities across western and north-western Uganda to establish small-scale commercial woodlots on private and customary land, helping to improve livelihoods, strengthen climate resilience, and reduce pressure on natural forests.

Over a nine-month implementation period, the project supported more than 5,300 farmers to establish commercial woodlots and distributed over 4.5 million seedlings across 19 refugee-hosting districts, demonstrating how sustainable forestry can create economic opportunities while contributing to long-term landscape restoration and resilience.

Objectives and scope

NIRAS — in partnership with Havilah Company Ltd. (Havilah), the Environmental Conservation Trust of Uganda (ECOTRUST), and Green Life International (GLI) Ltd. — has been contracted by the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE) to provide consultancy services for the development of woodlots on private land.

The project aims to enhance the sustainable supply of timber, poles, fuelwood and other plantation products in refugee‑hosting areas across 19 districts in Western and north-western Uganda through small‑scale commercial forestry — improving incomes, reducing pressure on natural forests, and strengthening climate resilience.

Originally designed to establish 9,754 hectares of small-scale private woodlots and benefit approximately 39,000 households, implementation was ultimately undertaken within a single planting season. This required a highly adaptive delivery approach, resulting in more than 4,000 hectares of woodlots established across 19 districts.

Results & impact

Between October 2025 and June 2026, the project delivered significant results across farmer mobilisation, seedling supply, extension services, and woodlot establishment. Despite a compressed implementation period, the project exceeded its revised planting target and helped establish a strong foundation for sustainable commercial forestry in refugee-hosting areas.

Key achievements

• 4,010 hectares of small-scale commercial woodlots established across 19 districts;
• 5,334 farmers established woodlots, including 863 women, 1,317 youth, and 283 persons with disabilities;
• 6,565 farmers enrolled, representing 4,772 hectares allocated to woodlot establishment;
• 37,208 individuals reached directly or indirectly through project services and interventions;
• Over 4.5 million seedlings distributed through a network of more than 42 nurseries across western and north-western Uganda;
• 3,726 farmers trained on land preparation, planting techniques, and pest management;
• More than 78 Farmer Voice Radio programmes delivered, reaching between 90,000 and 150,000 listeners, alongside extensive community sensitisation activities.

Climate adaptation and woodlot protection

Establishing woodlots across 19 districts required farmers to navigate a range of climate and production challenges, including intermittent rainfall, termites, and weed competition. The project combined climate adaptation measures with practical field support to help farmers improve tree survival and protect their investments.

The project introduced practical measures to strengthen the resilience of newly established woodlots and improve establishment success. This included the use of aquasoil technology to support tree establishment under challenging growing conditions, alongside targeted pest and weed management interventions to protect young trees during the critical establishment phase.

Across the project, 693 hectares were treated with termiticides and herbicides, while farmer leaders received training, PPE, and spray pumps to provide practical support to growers and strengthen local capacity for woodlot management.

These interventions demonstrated the importance of combining quality planting materials with ongoing technical support, climate-smart practices, and proactive management to improve the long-term success of smallholder woodlots.

Together, these interventions helped farmers address some of the most significant risks to tree survival while demonstrating approaches that can be scaled in future forestry and landscape restoration programmes.

Digital monitoring and evidence-based delivery 

A key feature of the project was the use of the Smallholdr digital management information system, which enabled near real-time monitoring of farmer registration, plot mapping, seedling ordering and distribution, and woodlot establishment. The georeferenced platform strengthened accountability, improved decision-making, and supported field teams to track implementation progress across a large and geographically dispersed programme area.

Key lessons from implementation 

The project generated valuable insights for future forestry and landscape restoration programmes:

1. Farmer readines drives better outcomes

The project demonstrated that conditioning seedling distribution on verified land readiness, including land clearing, lining and pitting in accordance with forestry standards, significantly improved planting quality and establishment rates. This helped ensure farmers were prepared to invest in and manage their woodlots effectively.

2. Digital monitoring strengthens delivery and accountability

The use of the Smallholdr georeferenced management system enabled near real-time monitoring of farmer enrolment, plot mapping, seedling distribution, and woodlot establishment. This improved adaptive decision-making, accountability, and the ability to respond quickly to implementation challenges. 

3. Climate-smart and risk management can improve resilience

The project piloted aquasoil technology and supported pest and weed management interventions to help protect young trees and strengthen establishment success under under challenging conditions, particularly in West Nile where intermittent rainfall affected planting windows. Demonstration sites created opportunities for learning and future scaling of climate adaptation approaches.

4. Household-based approaches strengthen inclusive participation

By engaging households rather than individuals alone, the project helped ensure that women, men and youth were involved in decisions on land use, labour and woodlot management, supporting stronger ownership and longer-term commitment to the investment.

5. Partnership and local engagement are essential for scale

Working across 19 districts within a single planting season required rapid mobilisation, close coordination with government stakeholders, implementation partners, nurseries and local communities, and the ability to continually adapt to emerging challenges. The project demonstrated the value of flexible delivery models, data-driven decision making, and strong local partnerships in achieving results at scale.