By Witness Radio team.

Uganda will celebrate the 5th National Tree Planting Day (NTPD) on Friday, 3rd October 2025, marking a significant milestone in its ongoing efforts to combat deforestation and restore its natural environment. This day marks the culmination of the annual Running Out of Trees (ROOTs) campaign, led by the Ministry of Water and Environment, along with its partners.

This year’s event will take place at Busoga College Mwiri in Jinja District, Busoga Sub-Region, bringing together government institutions, private sector players, cultural and religious leaders, schools, and local communities under a shared mission to restore Uganda’s forests.

Since 1990, Uganda’s forest cover has decreased from 24% to just 12.2% in 2023. This decline is due to deforestation, land conversion, and population growth. The impacts, including degraded soils, reduced biodiversity, water shortages, and increased climate extremes like floods and droughts, are being felt across the nation.

The ROOTs campaign was launched to reverse this trend, and this year, the target is to plant 40 million trees, with the expectation that each Ugandan will plant at least one tree. This year’s theme, “Revive, Restore, Sustain: Indigenous Species for Uganda’s Future,” highlights the urgent need to protect and replant native trees, which are essential for biodiversity, soil fertility, and climate resilience.

Launched in 2019 by the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE) through the Forestry Sector Support Department (FSSD), the ROOTs campaign collaborates with private sector partners, development partners, and civil society organizations. It began at the 2014 Climate Change Summit, where Uganda committed to restoring 2.5 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.

Over the years, the campaign has achieved significant milestones. For example, in 2023, partners planted 20,480,357 tree seedlings, and over 12,000,000 seedlings were planted in 2021. However, the goal of 40 million has not yet been met. Organizers, including the Ministry of Water and Environment and Environmental Alert, are optimistic about reaching the target this year.

This year’s event is to be celebrated in the Busoga sub-region. The region was selected because it has experienced significant environmental degradation, which has impacted its ecosystem and productivity. Hosting the 2025 NTPD at Busoga College Mwiri, which was founded in 1911 on a previously forested hill, is symbolic. The event will not only restore Mwiri Hill but will also expand efforts to Wanyange Hill and the Kyabazinga’s Igenge Hill, focusing on planting indigenous trees to restore ecological balance.

“Looking at the Busoga region, we all know that in the 1960s and 1970s, Busoga was actually one of the food baskets for the country, and at this peak today, the region is highly degraded. We have environmental degradation, affecting both the ecosystem and land productivity, which is likely due to the large-scale opening up of the ecosystem for monoculture sugarcane farming. So, the region is under stress from climate change, largely due to environmental degradation.” Senior Forest Officer at the Ministry of Water and Environment, Ms Irene Nanyondo, told the Witness Radio team.

Further, Nanyondo added that these communities are also facing food insecurity and a host of other challenges stemming from degraded ecosystems, which was the reason the campaign was held there. “So, we want to go there, because the root campaign is also about creating massive awareness on issues of environmental conservation. So, we want to go and speak to the people of Busoga about the current status of the region, and how we can restore this region.”

Leading up to the main event, the Mwiri Old Boys Association (MOBA) will organize a week-long Homecoming Program from September 27 to October 3. The theme will be “Road Safety and Environment Awareness.” Activities will include walks from Kampala, Mukono, Jinja, and Mwiri Primary School, with tree planting along the routes. There will be community clean-ups in Iganga and Jinja, as well as radio talk shows to raise awareness about deforestation and the importance of tree planting and soil conservation.

The NTPD will bring together thousands of Ugandans to plant 40,000 indigenous tree seedlings at Busoga College Mwiri, complemented by an additional 10,000 seedlings planted during Homecoming Week. In total, 50,000 trees will be planted and geo-mapped as part of this year’s drive.

Expected outcomes include raising awareness among communities and schools about the importance of planting and caring for trees. The campaign will also promote Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) and sustainable land management practices, leading to improved soil fertility and increased biodiversity. Additionally, a digital Monitoring, Verification, and Reporting (MVR) system will be developed and implemented to track restoration efforts, aiming for at least 80% stakeholder participation in monitoring and reporting progress.

The ROOTs campaign is not just about planting trees; it’s a national movement for environmental stewardship. Witness Radio joins the government and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in calling upon every Ugandan to participate, whether by planting a tree, nurturing one, or spreading the message of ecological conservation. Your participation is crucial for the success of this initiative.

On October 3, 2025, let’s come together at Busoga College Mwiri and across the country to secure a greener, healthier, and more resilient Uganda for future generations. Witness Radio will be on the ground to provide live updates, stories, and voices from the celebrations, highlighting the hope and restoration that this campaign represents. Together, we can make a significant difference in our environment.

By Witness Radio team.

Agriculture, a cornerstone of livelihoods and economies throughout the East African Community (EAC), is now at a crossroads. The laws about seeds, once straightforward, have evolved into a complex web that now decides who controls food systems, how fair they are, and whether biodiversity and farmers’ rights are protected.

The draft Bill, as seen by Witness Radio, aims to provide for the coordination of evaluation, release, and registration of plant varieties among Partner States; to establish standard processes for seed certification and the protection of plant varieties within the Community; and to provide for related matters. According to its promoters, the Bill, based on Article 106 of the East African Community Treaty, aims to provide for seed certification, testing, and marketing, thereby facilitating and creating an enabling environment for private sector seed multiplication and distribution.

Advocates view it as a step toward regional integration, improved food security, and increased trade —a potential boon for the region. However, experts, civil society organizations (CSOs), and smallholder farmers believe the Bill contains many problems that could harm the very people who feed the majority of East Africans.

While the Bill may seem like a technical regulation, experts argue that it actually concerns control over food systems, farmers’ rights, and agricultural diversity. At a recent discussion hosted by civil society organizations and farmer groups in East Africa, panelists participated in a two-hour dialogue titled “The EAC Seed and Plant Varieties Bill, 2025: What is at Stake for Smallholder Farmers?” The event, organized by a Kenyan Seed Savers Network and its partners, highlighted concerns that the Bill favors commercial seed systems while neglecting those managed by farmers.

One of the most criticized aspects of the Bill is its reliance on the Distinct, Uniform, and Stable (DUS) criteria for seed release. Experts say these standards benefit uniform commercial seed varieties but often exclude diverse and adaptable indigenous or farmer-managed seeds. For instance, Tanzania’s Quality Declared Seed (QDS) system allows farmers to produce seeds without facing costly testing requirements. Dr. Peter Munyi, an advocate and agricultural legal expert, warns that if the EAC Bill is approved as it stands, such flexible systems could be compromised.

“It’s very dismissive of small-scale farmers and farmer seed systems because it has a very typical approach to the seed law of its variety release system, its certification system. The variety release requires seed to be consistent with DUS requirements, which are very expensive. Only commercial seed breeders or well-funded research institutions can really afford these tests.”

According to Dr. Munyi, this is a deliberate move to disengage smallholder farmers from the agricultural sector, despite their significant contribution to producing most of the World’s food. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)’s 2021 research, smallholder farmers account for more than 80 percent of the World’s food.

“The law is crafted in such a way that it locks smallholder farmers out of the seed system. When you require laboratory testing and multi-location trials, you’re effectively saying only big companies and donors can participate.”

The Seeds and Plant Varieties Bill closely mirrors a 2018 USAID-backed draft, which also faced criticism for advancing commercial interests at the expense of traditional systems.

“Both the 2018 Bill and the current Bill are discriminatory and inequitable in their approach because they don’t treat all farmers and all seed in the same way,” said Mariam Mayet, Executive Director of the African Center for Biodiversity.

She explained that the bias is intentional as the Bill aims to support commercial seed systems and create markets for multinational seed companies.

“It is not designed to strengthen food security or protect the rights of farmers who feed most of the population.” Mayet warned, adding that, “Once this Bill is passed, farmer-managed seed systems will be further criminalized and marginalized. This Bill takes that repression to a regional level.”

The Bill also introduces uncertainty around plant breeders’ rights. According to Dr. Kabanda David of the Center for Food and Adequate Living Rights (CEFROHT), the draft law is vague on the scope of these rights. It does not explicitly guarantee farmers’ long-standing ability to save, reuse, exchange, or sell protected seeds. Without such exceptions, smallholder farmers could be criminalized for traditional practices.

The Seeds and Plant Varieties Bill, 2025, may appear to be a step toward regional integration, but experts warn that it is dangerously skewed toward corporate seed systems. Left unchanged, it could deepen inequality, erode biodiversity, and undermine food sovereignty for millions of East Africans.

Experts, CSOs, and farmer groups insist that if the Bill is to proceed, it must provide explicit protections for farmers’ rights, including saving, exchanging, and selling seed, recognize and strengthen farmer-managed seed systems through a parallel legal framework or supportive policies, and guarantee meaningful participation of farmers and local communities in shaping seed regulations.

By Witness Radio Team.

Throughout Africa, youth leaders are sounding the alarm about the escalating rates of migration and displacement. They point to a root cause: the exclusion of young people from land governance and the prevalence of insecure land rights. This is not a future problem, but an urgent issue that demands immediate attention.

Advocates and experts emphasized at the Land and Youth Digital Conference, which the Land Portal Foundation virtually hosted, that safe access to land is not only about ownership but also about empowering young people to invest, invent, and create futures in their local communities, rather than forcing them to migrate.

According to the World Bank, 1.2 billion young people will reach working age in developing countries over the next decade, yet only 420 million jobs are projected to be created. This stark reality underscores the urgent need for reforms in land governance. Without these reforms, millions will remain trapped in poverty, joblessness, and insecurity, fueling waves of forced migration, both within and beyond borders.

Guillaume Sanlegbeu, a rural land rights specialist working on Côte d’Ivoire’s World Bank–supported projects, highlights the potential of secure tenure. He points out that it could play a significant role in reducing migration pressures and encouraging rural investment, thereby addressing the issue at its core.

“Whenever land is insecure, youth are the first to pay the price. Conflict often leads to displacement, but land insecurity itself also creates an exodus. Secure tenure encourages agricultural investment, strengthens rural economies, and limits forced migrations. When youth know they cannot be pushed off their land, they are willing to stay, invest, and grow.” Sanlegheu adds.

However, the reality in Africa is different, with young people making up the majority of the population. According to Witness Radio’s own analysis, a large number of young people are unaware of the importance of land governance and frequently fall victim to exploitative deals that deprive them of their futures and inheritance.

According to the 2024 Uganda National Population and Housing Census report, 51 percent of Ugandans aged 18–30 are not in employment, education, or training (NEET) — effectively “idle.” This widespread idleness has become both a social and economic time bomb. With little to occupy them, many young people are compelled to seek “green pastures” abroad, often ending up in exploitative or low-paying jobs in the Middle East and beyond.

Others, disillusioned and excluded from formal opportunities, turn their backs on agriculture, dismissing it as a “dirty job.” In desperation, some even sell off the only land they own, their lifeline, leaving themselves and their families more vulnerable to poverty, displacement, and dispossession. Today, migration has become the order of the day for Uganda’s youth, a forced escape from a country that has failed to guarantee them secure livelihoods and dignity at home.

Jeff Wokulira Ssebaggala, Team Leader at Witness Radio, stresses the need for youth empowerment. He emphasizes that if young people were equipped with the knowledge and guidance to invest in agriculture wisely, the cycle of displacement and migration could be broken. This underscores the importance of guiding youth in utilizing their energy productively during their youthful stage.

Witness Radio advocates for young people to have a voice, participate in the decision-making process of their future, and play a role in shaping how land is owned, distributed, and utilized.

During the conference, Annick Assahon, president of the non-profit Renaissance Terre, pointed out that beyond legal barriers, young people also face social stigmas viewing agriculture as a low-status occupation. However, with secure land rights and sustainable practices like agroforestry, farming can become a dignified and profitable path. This transformation of agriculture can bring pride and prosperity to the youth, offering a hopeful vision for the future.

The conference, which attracted over 1,000 young participants online, emphasized that land governance must be inclusive and participatory. Secure access to land, panelists argued, is one of the most strategic investments governments can make to foster inclusive growth, prevent displacement, and reduce irregular migration.

“We must ensure that everyone, especially the youth, has access to land. Inclusion means more young people involved in decision-making processes, in land politics, and in shaping programs that impact their futures,” experts declared. This emphasis on youth involvement can make them feel empowered and integral to the process.

The message to policymakers was clear: that land security is not a side issue but a cornerstone of rural transformation, employment creation, and climate resilience. Youth leaders are calling for ambitious policies that secure tenure, improve local land governance, and acknowledge youth as key players in land management as the talks move toward COP30.

The 30th UN climate conference will take place from 10 to 21 November 2025 in Belém, Brazil.

Without action, experts warn, the cost will be devastating, a generation forced to migrate not out of choice, but because insecure land systems robbed them of hope.