Forest Village
Kikandwa Environmental Association (KEA) is a grassroots organization with the goal to improve environmental and socio-economic conditions of the community
Overview of the project
Kikandwa Environmental Association (KEA), located in the Mityana district, secured food and nutrition for the community while reducing poverty. It was succesful turning the community into a multi-green belt making it a “Forest Village”. This has contributed to the reduction of green house gas (GHGs), increased on the percentage of natural and agricultural biodiversity, and the restoration of ecosystems. These efforts have reduced criminality due to hunger by helping the people who used to steal food from their neighbors to sell food.
This has been possible through community led development mobilization, awareness creation and by training the people to practice agroforestry, ecological and family farming, and to plant fruit and indigenous trees. Community members have planted more than 200,000 indigenous and fruit trees since KEA’s inception in 1999.
KEA has created a forest village using different methods and practices such as Analog Forestry, Saving and Conserving Natural Forest patches, a nature based approach known as Half+Half 1000 Acre Community Forest. In additional to that, community members practice live fencing, gardening and compound tree planting, tree garden saving, farm tree managed regeneration and woodlots establishment.
These community based initiatives and practices have contributed a lot to make a FOREST VILLAGE collectively standing on many different plots in Kikandwa Sub County in Mityana district. Other initiatives which have contributed to the success creation of the Forest Village include Bee-Keeping, Community Road water Rain Water Harvesting and Community Led Development Approach and Strategies.
Our purpose is to secure food and nutrition for the community while reducing poverty, improving soil fertility and restoring the ecosystem
implementation
The project started December 2007 and it is still ongoing
- The percentage of the people with nutritious food has increased from 20% to 70%
- Poverty in the community has dropped by 30%.
- More than 80% of the area in the community is used for agroforestry, ecological and family farming,
- More than 200,000 indigenous and fruit trees have been planted
The percentage of Analog Forestry has increased, Saving and Conserving Natural Forest patches has improved, a nature based approach known as Half+Half 1000 Acre Community Forest practices have been adopted. A good percentage of community members are practicing live fencing, garden and compound tree planting, tree garden saving, and farm tree managed regeneration and woodlots establishment.
Kikandwa Environmental Association (KEA) secured funding from Small Grants Program of the GEF/ UNDP
organisation
Kikandwa Environmental Association (KEA) is a grassroots community-based organization established in 1999. Its overall goal is to improve environmental and socio-economic welfare of the people of Mityana district.
The major activities of the organization include:
- Environment and natural resource management
- Improvement of agricultural production and food security
- Income generating activities to reduce poverty levels
- Capacity-building of communities to improve good governance and accountability of local development programs.
The organization has a training and information resource center that has enabled it to improve community capacity-building activities and provide regular up-to-date through information gathering, generation, analysis and dissemination.