Project Details

Supporting smallholder farmers to engage in tree growing using agroforestry, boundary planting and woodlot establishment models that benefit both communities and ecosystems.

River Nyamwamba is one of the most important rivers in Kasese District, supporting livelihoods, ecosystems, and hydropower generation for surrounding communities. However, increasing land degradation, deforestation, poor upstream land-use practices, and wetland encroachment within the catchment area continue to threaten the river’s sustainability. These human activities have accelerated soil erosion, siltation, irregular water flows, floods, and declining water quality, exposing households to environmental disasters, livelihood losses, and ecosystem degradation. Communities along the riverbanks in Bulembya and Nyamwamba Divisions, particularly in Nyakasanga Ward, Kanyangeya Ward, Kihara, and Misika, have increasingly experienced flooding, degraded farmlands, and reduced productivity, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable catchment restoration and stronger community participation in environmental conservation.

With support from WWF Uganda Country Office, CODEA implemented the River Nyamwamba Sustainable Catchment Management Project (RINSCAM) to promote ecological restoration and sustainable livelihoods within the River Nyamwamba Sub-catchment. The project strengthened community awareness and participation in sustainable catchment management through stakeholder engagement and sensitization meetings, while also supporting restoration of degraded riverbanks and bare hills through the distribution of tree seedlings to selected farmers in Kihara and Misika. In addition, the project expanded existing apiary enterprises by supporting community groups with additional beehives to improve household incomes through nature-friendly enterprises.

These interventions contributes to reduced soil erosion and siltation, facilitating improved environmental stewardship, strengthened community participation in conservation efforts, and enhanced livelihood opportunities for vulnerable households dependent on the River Nyamwamba ecosystem. Nevertheless, more efforts are still needed to scale up these interventions and sustain their impact. Join the movement! Save lives! Support nature!