Farmer Champions Environmental Restoration through FMNR
Agnes Akidi, 54, is a local farmer in Bar Lwala Village, Aboke Town Council, leading the way in environmental restoration and sustainable farming. She has become a champion of Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR), a farming practice that promotes the protection, regeneration, and management of naturally sprouting indigenous trees.
Agnes recently participated in a training program for FMNR champions, conducted by World Vision Uganda, where she learned techniques that are already transforming her farming and community. A commercial farmer, she grows cassava, soya beans, maize, and coffee for sale while cultivating groundnuts, simsim, sunflower, bananas, and vegetables for household consumption.
“From the training on FMNR, I learnt new things that we did not do before, like growing our traditional trees,” says Agnes. “I did not know that trees can make the ground more fertile. Now, I am using this knowledge to teach others in my community.” Agnes has identified several people in her village and has begun mentoring them on tree identification, maintenance, and pruning techniques. She has also allocated a one-acre piece of land to establish a woodlot that will serve as a grazing area for her ten cows.
As she walks through the cleared land, Agnes demonstrates how to preserve beneficial tree species while removing invasive ones. “This tree spreads like a weed and is not good for animal fodder,” she explains while uprooting a small tree. Nearby, another farmer ties the stem of a selected tree to guide its straight growth. A nature lover at heart, Agnes has long recognised the value of trees in her compound.
Additionally, she has profited from selling mangoes from her trees while benefiting from their shade and improved soil fertility. Enthusiastic about FMNR’s potential, Agnes hopes her woodlot will become a demonstration site where other farmers can learn and adopt the practice. She envisions a greener, more sustainable future for her community, where farmers embrace FMNR to boost food security, increase household incomes, and enhance resilience to climate change.
FMNR is an adaptive measure that empowers farmers to take control of their environment by regenerating and managing indigenous tree species.
Story and photos by: Tabitha Avola, Communications, Advocacy and External Engagements Officer, Catalyst project.