Streamline Timber Trade to protect Local timber market

 

B y SAMUEL NABWIISO

 Biodiversity Conservationists are appealing to the Government of Uganda to put up strong mechanisms that can help in the fight against the Importation of Illegal Timbers into the Country.

 They urgues that the Importation of Illegal Timbers from the Neighboring countries such as Democratic Republic of Congo and Southern Sudan is distorting the market for locally produced timber and its wood product's

 David Duli the country Director World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) told Environment News Uganda that many forest farmers are not benefitting from their investment because of the market which is flooded with Illegal imported Timbers.

 "Certified Timbers on the market carries premium price which is an asset to the farmers but when the market is flooded with Illegal imported Timbers it lowers the local market price thus discouraging the local people to venture into tree farming “He told ENU.

 According to Duli, Uganda imports  approximately 9000 cubic metrics of high value mahogany and other saw Timbers from DRC and once such Timbers enters Uganda is considered legal this makes  it difficult to regulate the trading of timber into the country.

David Duli of WWF stressing point during the media briefing recently on his Right  Cissy Kagaba of ACCU

 The problem of Illegal entry of Timbers from DRC and Southern Sudan is attributed to weak legal policies in the country that cannot stream lime timber trade , According to the recent study on the gap analysis of the Hindrances to effective Trade in Forest product's in Uganda conducted by WWF and Anti Corruption Coalition Uganda (ACCU) it was found that the National Forrest and Tree Planting Act of 2003 it mainly focus on Planting, growing and protection of trees  only despite  having  provisions on regulation of harvesting and movement of Forest product's.

 "To our concern the provisions  there in concerning the trade of Forest product's have not been operationalzed as CSO we are appealing to government to ensure that the provisions is implemented failure to do so Will promote Corruption in the timber industry" Cissy Kagaba the Executive Director of ACCU told the media during the release of the report.

 Why is Illegal logging of trees are bad?,Uganda,s forest  cover is currently estimated at 12.4% of it's total land area down from the 24% in 1990, because of deforestation and forest degradation. The Deforestation has been partly attributed to Illegal logging. Unsustainable harvesting and Illegal and uncertified wood product's on the market

 According to other studies conducted by the ministry of water and Environment (2016) indicated that the combined effect of high Deforestation of about 92,000 hectares and high consumption estimated at 360,000 cubic metres per year of wood which is equivalent to 1,440,000 cubic meters of round saw logs  at current sawing efficiency of 25% is resulting in an accelerated imbalance between national demand and supply  of Forest wood based product's

 Another study conducted in2014 indicated that over 80% of the timber traded in the market was Illegal causing an estimated annual financial loss of about Sh 23bn through until paid taxes.

 

 

 

Scientists Developed Drought Resistant Rice

BY SAMUEL NABWIISO

Rice is a staple for more than 3.5 billion people, including most of the world’s poor. But it can be a problematic crop to farm. It requires massive amounts of water and the paddies in which it grows emit methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

To tackle such issues, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has been working with the Shanghai Agrobiological Gene Center to develop strains of rice that are drought resistant and don’t need to be planted in paddies. The research, say, experts, could help bolster food security at a time when COVID-19 is threatening to propel more people into hunger.

The study, which runs from 2017 to 2021, is funded by the Government of China and falls under the China-Africa South-South Cooperation arrangement.

“China has lots of experience growing rice and this collaboration with China is a first,” says UNEP ecosystems expert Levis Kavagi, who has been closely involved with the project.

Researchers have developed and tested over 50 varieties of rice in Ghana, Kenya and Uganda. They evaluated how the grains grow at different elevations and, importantly, how they taste.

One strain, dubbed WDR 73 by scientists, proved particularly promising. During trials in Uganda, researchers found that it helped boost yields by about 30 per cent compared to locally grown varieties.

WDR 73 also doesn’t need to be planted in a flooded paddy. That’s important for several reasons.

Transporting seedlings into flooded fields is a laborious process. Paddies are breeding grounds for malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Water shortages, sparked by climate change, are expected to make filling paddies a challenge in many countries. And paddies themselves vent massive amounts of methane –  up to 20 per cent of human-related emissions of the greenhouse gas, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.  

Growing rice on relatively dry land also reduces the ever-growing quest to open up wetlands, havens for birds and other animals, to farming.

“Usually the most suitable land for growing rice also tends to be next to, or in, wetlands or flood plains,” says Kavagi. “Expanding agricultural land involves draining the wetlands. This leads to loss of biodiversity, and reduced water purification and climate regulation services provided by wetlands.”

The ultimate goal of the project is to get a national certification of WDR 73, allowing it to be broadly disseminated to farmers. The project is part of a larger effort by China, African countries and UNEP to develop better rice varieties, improve livelihoods and bolster food security.

"The project shows that with new rice varieties it is possible to achieve the multiple objectives of food security, biodiversity and nature conservation – and fight against climate change,” says Kavagi.

Technical details of rice trials in Ghana, Kenya and Uganda

In Kenya, trials were conducted over three growing seasons in Mwea (central Kenya), Busia (western), and Mtwapa (coastal area). Rice variety WDR 73 performed well compared with the local Basmati varieties. The growth duration varied from 125 days in Mtwapa, to 150 days in Mwea and Busia, where the altitude is over 1,000m. Average grain yield was 5.1 to 9.0 tonnes per hectare. Plant height was 100-110 cm, which shows that this variety is tolerant to rice blast disease and displays good drought-resistant qualities compared to Basmati varieties.

In Uganda, WDR73 cultivation experiments were conducted in Lukaya, Luweero and Arua. In well-managed farms, grain yield increased from 4.35 to more than 6.0 tons per hectare. In Arua, in 2019 the rain-fed crop was direct sowed from 25-30 August and harvested from 30 November to 5 December. The growth duration was 90-95 days and yielded 4.35 tonnes per hectare. Direct seeded WDR 73 grain yield in Luweero in 2019 varied from 6 tonnes per hectare in rain-fed conditions to 8 tonnes per hectare in irrigated paddy fields.

In Bolgatanga, a drought-prone area in northern Ghana, WDR 73 growth duration was 105 days and plant height 110-120 cm, while the grain yield was 6.0 tonnes per hectare.

 

 

Rwanda government, scientists introduce disease-resistant cassava varieties to farmers

 BY SAMUEL NABWIISO

Rwandan farmers lack improved cassava varieties resistant to the main cassava diseases; Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD) and Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD). The diseases have affected cassava productivity, threatening the income and food security in the country.

 “There are two main diseases that attack cassava in Rwanda and the region, CMD and CBSD. The latter poses a serious threat because once cassava is infected with CBSD, root tubers spoil, leaving almost nothing to be consumed by farmers,” said Dr Charles Bucagu, Deputy Director General of Agriculture, Research and Technology Transfer at the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resource Development Board (RAB).

The Government of Rwanda has been working with partners to find clean, safe, and productive cassava seeds.  

 

In partnership with RAB, IITA has been implementing a four-year project since 2017, which introduced new cassava varieties and seed quality management techniques to fight CBSD and CMD.

The CBSD Project implemented various approaches to curb the diseases. The project introduced up to 17 elite clones, with high dual tolerance to CBSD and CMD, each clone with about 200 tissue culture plantlets. Moreover, over 40,841 true cassava seeds were introduced.

“The project introduced both elite clones and biological seed that have directly and positively impacted the genetic diversity for CBSD/CMD dual resistance now and future breeding efforts in Rwanda. Several CBSD/CMD resistant and high-yielding varieties that carry good consumer preference and other end-use traits have been identified for Rwanda,” said Dr Silver Tumwegamire, CBSD Control Project Leader.  

The project also considered local varieties. Thirty selected accessions were sent to Kenyan Plant Health Inspectorate Services for virus cleaning, 19 were returned for integration into the seed system. Ten have already been used together with the new introduced elite clones to generate new breeding populations. Up to 11,261 biological seeds have equally been produced.

IITA has introduced and built the capacity for Semi-Autotrophic Hydroponics at Rubona station in efforts to strengthen quality seed delivery. Two screen houses and five basic seed centers were established.

“Through the project, Rwanda has made gains in terms of resistant elite clones and biological seed, all of which will enable us to identify high yielding cassava seed and resistant varieties. It has also enabled us to make efforts to streamline the cassava seed value chain in Rwanda. Thanks to this project, we now have cassava seed standards to ensure seed quality control for cassava in Rwanda,” said Dr Athanase Nduwumuremyi, Head of the Cassava research and technology transfer program at RAB. 

Cassava is the second most grown crop and the fourth most consumed staple crop in Rwanda, 2018 official data indicate. It is among the priority crops promoted by the government to ensure food security and increased farmer income.

 

 

Uganda gets 5million Euros for Advancing Greening

 BY SAMUEL NABWIISO

The European Union (EU) represented by the European Commission in Uganda and the Government of Uganda through the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) have signed a contract today to cooperate on advancing the Greening Uganda’s Urbanization and Industrialization agenda. This project is part of the European Union’s Inclusive Green Economy Uptake Programme (GreenUP) financed under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) and will be implemented for a 36 months period with a total cost estimated of just under EUR 5mln. The MoU was signed by European Union in Uganda and Ms. Dagmar Zwebe, Country Representative of the GGGI Uganda office.

The overall objective of the GreenUp action is to contribute to the Ugandan transition toward an inclusive, green and competitive low carbon economy with the creation of decent green jobs. Within the framework of this intervention this Project has been designed to support the Government of Uganda (GOU) with their National Development Plan III (NDPIII) commitments for 2020/21-2024/25, and the long term commitments as expressed in the Uganda Green Growth Development Strategy (UGGDS) and Uganda’s Vision 2040. It will directly contribute to greener growth paths to becoming a middle-income country, through the acceleration of investments in green growth pathways

The Projects impact objective is therefore “Uganda achieves strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth”. The Uganda Vision 2040 specifically highlights industrialization and urbanization as key focal are as it envisions that 60% of Ugandans will live in urban areas by 2040 and therefore, actions of designing, servicing and attracting investments into greening secondary cities will help Uganda to benefit from the economic and social dividends that come with urbanization.

Through a multi- stakeholder process guided by the National Planning Authority (NPA) as the project coordinator the industrial zones of Gulu, Entebbe, Pakwach and Soroti have been identified to receive support from the Project in the development of their Masterplans in a green manner and the identification of potential investment projects. The Project is committed to attract investment commitments for at least 6 projects for these industrial areas to accelerate and green the industrialization process in Uganda. This process will be guided by specific guidelines setting out what a green industrial could look like.

With a similar process the cities of Arua, Gulu, Jinja and Mbarara have been identified by the stakeholders, led by the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development in close coordination with the NPA, to receive similar support as the industrial zones in the development of their Masterplans and the acceleration of financing in potential (public and private) projects. For the Arua-Pakwach corridor, and for Gulu there will be a joined focus combining both elements to ensure inclusive green growth is accomplished. Overall, the aim is to set the country on a low carbon development pathway, generating green jobs, to reduce the environmental burden and the use of natural resources and to contribute substantially to increasing green investment flows into Uganda.

Increased waste collection and sorting in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area (GKMA) is another element of the Project. Guided by the GKMA Waste Management Strategy 2021-2030, two waste sorting and diversion centers will be designed, and investment commitment will be sought for at least one of these sites to support the GKMA commitment of 30% recycling by 2030. Furthermore, business development support will be provided to multiple small and medium enterprises in the waste sector to strengthen their operations and be able to widen their scope and increase their waste recycling or treatment.

All stakeholders involved within this Project including -but not limited to- the Government of Uganda, the EU and GGGI and are strongly committed to support Uganda’s transition toward an inclusive, green and competitive low carbon economy, and especially the sectors as elaborated upon in the UGGDS. This includes making Uganda’s business environment more conducive to inclusive and green investments and improving the environment for investing in Uganda’s economic green transformation and the urbanization and industrialization agenda.

Develop strong Natural Resources managment strategy, Development partners asks Uganda

BY SAMUEL NABWIISO

Development partners are urging Uganda to come up with a comprehensive integrated forests resources management approach and access to clean energy targeting refugees and the hosting districts across the country.

The partner's from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Bank notes that due to the influx of refugees in Uganda from her Neighboring Countries such as South Sudan Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Burundi into  Uganda is fueling the depletion of Country's natural resources such as forests especially in the refugees hosting districts particularly in West Nile, western and south western parts of the country.

some of the Forest that have been cut down due to the influx of Refugees in some parts of the settlement areas

Speaking during the Launch of two reports that were conducted to assess the natural Resources degradation in refugees impacted areas  in Northern Uganda and the assessment report on forests resources Degradation and interventions Options in Refugees, Hosting areas of Western and Southwestern Uganda, the FAO  Country Representative in Uganda' Antonio Querido,noted that Uganda is losing forests cover at a higher rates especially in the refugees hosting region's thus the need to act so that the depleted natural resources are restored.

"Planning and achieving sustainable forest's and land management in the refugees hosting areas  is crucial to avoid the detrimental environmental Impacts that may occurs due to the biodiversity destruction “He said during the launch of the reports at the protea Hotel in Kampala Recently.

According to Querido, government should implement interventions such as A- forestation, Reforestation and also establish markets oriented multipurpose wood lots that can support sustainable supply's of wood fuel, timbers, building materials and other non wood forest's products.

"As development partners we hope that if such interventions are well implemented by the various Government agencies it can mitigates the detrimental environmental Impacts such as soil erosion, out Blake of diseases, floods that may occurs due the depletion of the biodiversity in the refugees hosting districts and communities across Uganda “He added.

The FAO  Country Representative in Uganda Antonio Querido speaking during the Launch of the Reports

The coverage of the Study, the study was carried out in Western and south Western Uganda alongside Northern Uganda targeting West Nile sub region in Western Uganda, the study was carried out in six settlement areas, namely Kyaka11 in Kyegegwa District, Kyangwali in Kikube District,Rwamwanja in Kamwenge district,alongside other settlements such as Kiryandongo in Kiryandongo district and lastly the Oruchinga settlement in Isingiro District.

From the study it was found that majority of the refugees in the various settlements were depending on biomasses as the primary sources of energy and this has fuelled the highest rate of forest cover and other related biodiversity depletion in the refugees hosting districts and communities in the surveyed areas.

In the study for instance in Kyangwali settlement 75.5,% of the refugees were depending on fire wood while in Kyaka11 settlement charcoal was the major source of energy, and even where the charcoal has been adopted as the major sources of energy, refugees were using traditional Charcoal stove's that are not energy efficient which ends up exposing them to diseases related to the inhalation of smokes.

In the report, the various Governments agencies such as the ministry of Energy, Environment and the office of the Prime Minister were cautioned to promote the usage of improved charcoal stove's especially among the refugees and the hosting communities this can help them to optimize the usage of biomass fuel effectively.

"There's a desire to optimize fuel consumption through the usage of more efficient and modern cooking stoves available on the market.inspite of this several households and refugees are not migrating to improved one's because of the poor flow of information related to the availability of the modern Energy , efficient cooking stoves on the market “Reads part of the Report.

Key findings in the study on the Biodiversity destruction in the refugees settlements and the hosting communities, in the Report, it’s reportedly that in South and South Western Uganda Refugees settlement areas, the study indicates that between 2001 and 2018 total tree covers losses in Kyaka11 and Kyangwali settlements were near 10% as high in both the 5 kilometers and 15 kilometers away buffer zones from the refugees settlement boundaries.

In Kiryandongo settlement areas the areas according to the study recorded a 73% nature forests cover losses between 2001 and 2018 due to the arrival of refugees in the settlement arae.

The magnitude of Refugees in Uganda, according to the information available from the office of the Prime Minister, currently Uganda is hosting about 1.3 million refugees most of them are living in Northern Uganda; Western parts of the Country, such population have exerted pressure on the country’s natural resources.

In the report it's revealed that the total wood demands for cooking in the Northern Refugees settlement camps stood at 345,000 metric tons per year in the 14 Refugees settlement camps Inthe District’s of Arua ,Yumbe,Moyo, Adjuman and Lamwo and in the south and Western Uganda Refugees settlement camps the demands for wood fuel is at 475,000 metric tons of wood fuel.

Commenting on the report, the World Bank country manager in Uganda.TonyThompson challenged the Government of Uganda to implement programs that can address the issues highlighted in the report, urging that this will help Uganda to over comes Environmental related catastrophist such as Climate change, Land degradation's.

This Work is of strategic importance to both the government of Uganda and the development partners especially the World Bank strategic goals. we urges the government of Uganda to include issues related to Refugees in natural resources management in the upcoming National Development plan phase111 Which the government is developing this will play big roles towards the protection of the country’s natural resources in the refugees hosting districts and communities “He said