An international team from IUCN-NL/MoMo4C recently visited ECOTRUST project sites in Uganda to interact with emerging green businesses undertaking community commerce in the Murchison landscape, as well as to meet with private sector entrepreneurs that ECOTRUST is partnering with to scale up these enterprises. The two major emerging businesses from the landscape are beekeeping for honey and other bee products (9 business plans) and tree seedling nursery beds (6 business plans).

The visit came as an immediate follow-up to the MoMo4C International meeting held in Lusaka, Zambia from March 13th to 17th, 2023, to discuss MoMo4C Business Acceleration in the remaining two project years (2023-2024). The team, comprising Caroline Viot (Business Consultant) and Arjen Wisserholf (MoMo4C Project Officer), made a five-day visit from March 20-24 to Uganda and met with HIVES (U) Ltd, a beekeeping and honey selling company from Kenya, and Greenlife International, a company that specializes in the production and sale of tree seedlings across Uganda. They also had an opportunity to visit one of the community groups that is undertaking beekeeping and has received support from MoMo4C in terms of developing a 5-year business plan, beehives, and other beekeeping equipment.

On March 23rd, the team visited the Rwentumba Communal Land Association (CLA) Beekeeping business group in Budongo sub-county, Masindi district. The team was accompanied by the ECOTRUST Business Development Expert, Freddie Kalibwani, and the ECOTRUST Programme Coordinator for the Murchison landscape, Proscovia Kisembo. The Rwentumba group, led by their Chairman, Bright, and Treasurer, Ruth Asiimwe, took the team around the 100 Beehives apiary set up within the Rwentumba gazetted community forest and later presented their vision road journey map to the team.

During the visit, the ECOTRUST Program Coordinator for the Murchison landscape provided the team with details about the group’s beehive enterprise. The Rwentumba CLA group received training in business planning and developed a 5-year Beekeeping Plan based on the ILO Business plan model. In 2021, they submitted a proposal for the 2021 MoMo4C call for green proposals linked to the conservation of Budongo Forest, and they emerged as winners. They were awarded €10,000 (UGX 40 million) for in-kind support as requested in their proposal.

ECOTRUST identified HIVES (U) Ltd to supply 100 modern beehives and other equipment to the group and to provide training in improved keeping. The Rwentumba Beekeeper’s Group received training from experts and has installed 100 modern beehives in the Rwentumba community forest to promote environmental conservation and improve community livelihoods. The group’s chairman expressed gratitude for the support provided through MoMo4C and ECOTRUST.

On March 24th, 2023, the IUCN-NL/MoMo4C team visited a Tree Seedlings Business enterprise located in Nyantonzi parish, Budongo subcounty, which was also supported by the MoMo4C project. The team observed the ongoing work at the site, and Andama Moses, one of the local group members, explained to them that the nursery bed was raising only indigenous tree seedlings such as Maesopsis Eminii, Prunus Africana, Markahamia Lutea, and Mahogany. He further explained that the enterprise had the capacity to produce seedlings every season and had plans for expanding their operations, including procuring a water pump and a water storage facility. He added that the seedlings produced were mainly for the local market, and the surplus would be used for reafforestation and afforestation activities in their community forest.

The team understood the concept of business incubation for community commerce and how MoMo4C’s support had enabled building the capacity of the community groups in business planning and intensifying production for sustainable forest management and improved livelihoods. The team appreciated the commitment and determination of the community groups to achieve their vision. The team also met with potential private sector partners who will support business acceleration over the next two years.

On March 23rd, the MoMo4C international team visited the Rwentumba Communal Land Association (CLA) business group in Budongo subcounty, Masindi district. The team was led by the ECOTRUST Programme Coordinator for the Murchison landscape, Proscovia Kisembo, and the ECOTRUST Business Development Expert, Freddie Kalibwani. The Rwentumba group, led by their Chairman, Bright, and Treasurer Ruth Asiimwe, warmly welcomed the visitors and presented their vision road journey to the team.

During the visit, the ECOTRUST Program Coordinator for the Murchison landscape provided the team with details about the group’s beehive enterprise. The Rwentumba Beekeeper’s Group has installed 100 modern beehives in the Rwentumba community forest to promote environmental conservation and improve community livelihoods. The group’s chairman expressed gratitude for the support provided through ECOTRUST.

The ECOTRUST Business Development expert encouraged the group to take the beehive business seriously, as it could improve their standards of living through the sale of honey and other bee products. The team also visited the Rwentumba beehive business enterprise to assess the work done by the group.

On March 24th, the team visited a nursery bed enterprise located in Nyantonzi parish, Budongo subcounty, which is another beneficiary of the MoMo4C project. The team observed the ongoing work at the site, and Andama Moses, one of the local group members, explained to them that the nursery bed was raising only indigenous tree seedlings such as Maesopsis Eminii, Prunus Africana, Markahamia Lutea, and Mahogany. He further explained that the enterprise had the capacity to produce seedlings every season and had plans for expansion of their operations, including procuring a water pump and a water storage facility. He added that the seedlings produced were mainly for the local market and the surplus would be used for reafforestation and afforestation activities in their community forest.

After a successful visit to the project sites, the team was impressed by the progress made by the MoMo4C Programme beneficiaries and the impact their business enterprises had on the local communities, which included promoting environmental conservation and improving livelihoods. The team expressed their satisfaction with the quality of work and left with a sense of optimism for the remaining two project years (2023-2024).