Kabale District leaders have officially launched the distribution of alternative livelihood support items to households that voluntarily vacated wetlands under the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Project, aimed at restoring degraded wetland ecosystems while improving community livelihoods.
The GCF project, titled “Building Resilient Communities, Wetland Ecosystems and Associated Catchments in Uganda,” focuses on wetland restoration and the promotion of sustainable alternative livelihoods for communities previously dependent on wetland resources.
Under the project, livelihood support items worth Shs 1.481 billion are being distributed to 905 households that voluntarily vacated wetlands in Ikona, South Kiruruma, Kyanamira–Kabanyonyi and Nyombe.
Speaking during the handover of the first phase of the support items at Nyakigugwe, Masembe Kamaradi, an official from the Ministry of Local Government, which is overseeing the distribution, said the intervention is intended to provide sustainable income sources to beneficiaries while discouraging re-encroachment on wetlands.
Under the first phase, beneficiaries from Maziba, Kyanamira, Kamuganguzi and Kahungye sub-counties received various livelihood inputs, including 40 top-bar beehives, 460 dual-purpose chicks, 384 goats, 24 sheep, 64 piglets, 399 dairy cows, and tailoring equipment, among others.
Kamaradi cautioned beneficiaries against misusing the items, warning that selling them or using them for non-productive purposes such as paying dowry would undermine the objectives of the project. He emphasized that the inputs are meant to improve household incomes and sustain livelihoods.
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The Kabale District Production Officer and Project Focal Person, Beda Mwebesa, said the project seeks to reclaim degraded wetlands and offer viable livelihood alternatives to communities that had been utilizing wetland areas for agriculture and settlement. He noted that wetlands in Kabale District are increasingly under threat due to population pressure and land scarcity.
Mwebesa added that the long-term goal of the project is to restore and sustainably manage wetlands, while reducing climate change risks faced by agricultural-based livelihoods in wetland-dependent communities.
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Representing the Chief Administrative Officer, Ronald Mutegeki, the Principal Assistant Secretary (PAS), Gordon Manzi, reiterated that the project promotes co-existence between communities and the environment. He explained that beneficiaries were actively involved in selecting the alternative livelihoods best suited to their needs.
Manzi further noted that wetland restoration and conservation will secure enhanced and sustainable livelihoods for vulnerable subsistence farming communities that voluntarily vacated the wetlands.
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Presiding over the handover, Kabale District LCV Chairperson, Nelson Nshangabasheija, urged beneficiaries to work closely with sub-county veterinary officers to ensure proper management of the animals. He cautioned them against selling or consuming the livestock during the festive season, emphasizing that the items are intended to fight poverty at household level.
He also encouraged residents to adopt elephant grass planting and terracing as measures to reduce soil erosion and control surface runoff, especially during the rainy season.
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Officiating at the event, the Deputy Resident District Commissioner, Michael Muramira Kyakashaari, said the distributed livestock are hybrid breeds expected to yield quick benefits if well managed. He urged beneficiaries to make full use of veterinary services to avoid losses.
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