A new report by the Ministry of Water and Environment has revealed that sugarcane farming is rapidly destroying Busoga’s forest cover, endangering biodiversity, food security, and water resources.
The Ministry of Water and Environment has raised concern over the rapid loss of forests in Busoga, attributing it to the aggressive expansion of sugarcane cultivation.
While sugarcane has supported livelihood and agro-industrial development in the region, its unchecked expansion has come at a heavy ecological cost.
The report warns that continued deforestation is increasing the frequency of floods, landslides, and prolonged droughts, phenomena already being felt across the region.
The ministry now says restoring Busoga’s degraded landscapes requires deliberate reforestation efforts and community awareness to balance economic gain with environmental sustainability.
Mr Alfred Okot Okidi, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Water and Environment, emphasized the importance of collaborative reforestation initiatives. Mr. Okoti said the government is committed to restoring degraded landscapes through the Running Out of Trees (ROOTS) campaign launched in 2019.
“This campaign is a partnership between the government, the private sector, cultural institutions, civil society organizations, and academia,” he said. “We aim to plant 40 million trees annually, meaning each Ugandan should take it as a challenge to plant at least one tree every year.”
Mr Okoti said the crop remains a major source of income for thousands of households and a key driver of agro-industrial growth, but it has also fueled widespread environmental degradation.
The destruction has also reduced rainfall reliability and worsened the effects of climate change, leading to frequent floods and droughts that have destabilized livelihoods.
The ministry has begun targeting schools as learning centers for environmental stewardship, hoping to instill was so far planting about 2,400 of the 57,000 seedlings and distributing them across institutions, including Namwiwa Health Centre III, Mwiri Primary School, Mt. St. Mary’s College Namagunga, Pearl Secondary School, Uganda Railway Seed Secondary School, Busoga Diocese, and Iganga Secondary School.
Ms Diana Ondoga, Manager of Social Corporate Responsibility at Stanbic Bank, said the bank has contributed Shs150m to the campaign in partnership with the Ministry of Water and Environment. Ms. Ondoga said Shs150m has been put aside to support the campaign to plant trees across the country in partnership with the Ministry, Environmental Alert, to support afforestation efforts that address the declining forest cover.
Mr Michael Ofwono, the president of the Rotary Club of Jinja, said they have been planting a variety of trees in schools, including fruit trees, trees for timber, and firewood. Mr. Ofwono has appealed to residents and schools with land that the club can provide tree seedlings of choice to restore small forests in the communities that have been affected by sugarcane growing.