A CONCEPT PAPER ON HALF+HALF 1000 ACRE PROJECT:
Background of Mityana District
Mityana district is one of the areas in Uganda which used to depend entirely on forest resources and rain-fed agriculture. But due to high population pressure and demand for agricultural land and forest products, forests are severely depleted; rainfall patterns have become unpredictable making it hard for farmers to decide when and what to plant. The most common aspect of climate change in Mityana is prolonged dry seasons. Failure to plant at the right time, bad choice of seeds, and use of poor agronomic practices that has often led to low crop yields, Low crop yields have caused food scarcity, more land and forest degradation and low household income.
Half +Half1000 Acre Community Forest
Half +Half1000 Acre Community Forest Project similar to Analog Forestry(a system which seeks analog ecosystem with architectural structures and ecological functions similar to original climax or sub climax vegetation), is an innovation based on small holder farmers initiatives to conserve and restore small forest patches ranging from ½ acre to 5 acres per household/farmer leaving a piece of land to regenerate naturally into a forest by its own, it is anticipated that through campaigns and sensitization, these small forest patches or piece of land left to regenerate into forests can make 1000 acres of forest conserved in Mityana district. This is not something government or any other agency can achieve even with law enforcement or other measures, and is driven by the fact that it is no longer feasible to conserve large tracts of forest only in the face of the rapidly growinghuman population and competing economic priorities especially in Africa where land is becoming so scarce. This initiative lead to sustainable agriculture and food security, reduced soil erosion, stable rainfall pattern, stable income and alternative use of forest and Climate change adaptation and...