Beehives and Agroforestry for Mount Elgon’s Slope Stabilization in Uganda
Bees and Trees works in the Mount Elgon region of Uganda to restore degraded land, rebuild biodiversity and ecosystem services, as well as mitigate landslides that have claimed over 1000 lives in the last two decades. They motivate smallholder farmers, especially youth and women to restore their land through meaningful incentives. They provide bee hives, tree and coffee seedlings to them at no cost. Beekeeping motivates the farmers to plant bee forage trees, while coffee encourages them to plant indigenous shade trees. They also offer a premium market for the sustainably grown coffee and honey, further motivating the farmers to practice nature-positive agriculture.
Project story
Our Mission
In Uganda, in the foothills of Mount Elgon, farmers have long believed they must choose between trees and crops, fearing that trees are space-hungry competitors. This perception has driven widespread deforestation, exacerbating landslides that have claimed over 1,000 lives in the last decade, devastated crops, and left families starving. Entire communities are at risk of disappearing.
Our mission is to restore degraded landscapes on the slopes of Mount Elgon by challenging this false trade-off and demonstrating that trees are not competitors to crops but partners in food security, income, and survival.
Land Degradation in Mount Elgon
Over 95% of people in the Mount Elgon region depend on rain-fed agriculture. The widespread belief that trees compete with crops has led directly to the current catastrophe: loss of biodiversity, accelerating soil erosion, and increasingly deadly landslides. Without urgent intervention, more lives will be lost and the land will never recover.
Our Approach
At Bees & Trees, we motivate and inspire farmers to envision a win-win scenario that harmonizes agriculture, nature, and climate stability. Through our social enterprise model, we fundraise, train farmers in beekeeping and agroforestry, and establish networks of indigenous trees that restore the landscape while generating new income streams.
Agroforestry & indigenous tree planting: Stabilizing slopes, improving soil water retention, and enhancing agricultural productivity
Beekeeping initiatives: Planted trees nourish the bees, the bees produce honey, and we provide a ready market — creating additional revenue and a safety net during crop failure
Community sensitization: Shifting farmer perceptions around land restoration and the relationship between trees, crops, and livelihoods
Reforestation & slope stabilization: Preventing landslides, restoring ecosystem function, and fortifying biodiversity
Training & land restoration tracking: Measuring adoption of new land use systems and tracking the number of people trained in reforestation, agroforestry, and higher-level restoration
Project updates
Team
Donations (58)
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Beehives and Agroforestry for Mount Elgon’s Slope Stabilization in Uganda
Bees and Trees works in the Mount Elgon region of Uganda to restore degraded land, rebuild biodiversity and ecosystem services, as well as mitigate landslides that have claimed over 1000 lives in the last two decades. They motivate smallholder farmers, especially youth and women to restore their land through meaningful incentives. They provide bee hives, tree and coffee seedlings to them at no cost. Beekeeping motivates the farmers to plant bee forage trees, while coffee encourages them to plant indigenous shade trees. They also offer a premium market for the sustainably grown coffee and honey, further motivating the farmers to practice nature-positive agriculture.
Project story
Our Mission
In Uganda, in the foothills of Mount Elgon, farmers have long believed they must choose between trees and crops, fearing that trees are space-hungry competitors. This perception has driven widespread deforestation, exacerbating landslides that have claimed over 1,000 lives in the last decade, devastated crops, and left families starving. Entire communities are at risk of disappearing.
Our mission is to restore degraded landscapes on the slopes of Mount Elgon by challenging this false trade-off and demonstrating that trees are not competitors to crops but partners in food security, income, and survival.
Land Degradation in Mount Elgon
Over 95% of people in the Mount Elgon region depend on rain-fed agriculture. The widespread belief that trees compete with crops has led directly to the current catastrophe: loss of biodiversity, accelerating soil erosion, and increasingly deadly landslides. Without urgent intervention, more lives will be lost and the land will never recover.
Our Approach
At Bees & Trees, we motivate and inspire farmers to envision a win-win scenario that harmonizes agriculture, nature, and climate stability. Through our social enterprise model, we fundraise, train farmers in beekeeping and agroforestry, and establish networks of indigenous trees that restore the landscape while generating new income streams.
Agroforestry & indigenous tree planting: Stabilizing slopes, improving soil water retention, and enhancing agricultural productivity
Beekeeping initiatives: Planted trees nourish the bees, the bees produce honey, and we provide a ready market — creating additional revenue and a safety net during crop failure
Community sensitization: Shifting farmer perceptions around land restoration and the relationship between trees, crops, and livelihoods
Reforestation & slope stabilization: Preventing landslides, restoring ecosystem function, and fortifying biodiversity
Training & land restoration tracking: Measuring adoption of new land use systems and tracking the number of people trained in reforestation, agroforestry, and higher-level restoration
Project updates
Team
$3,318.30
Total funded by
Activity
Anonymous
$15.02
Anonymous
$4.46
Anonymous
$4.50
Location
Uganda
Round 2
Oct 23 - Nov 6, 2024
This round provided funding for regenerative land projects and was conducted on Gitcoin.
Matching funds provided by
