Uganda Kids Plant School Forests to Fight Deforestation

In Uganda's Kalangala district, where forests are disappearing fast, students are becoming the solution by planting trees right where they learn.

The School Food Forest Initiative started in 2019 with a simple idea: teach kids to value conservation by letting them grow it themselves. Now, after establishing eight school forests filled with indigenous trees, fruit plants, and vegetables, the group has joined the Global Landscapes Forum, a worldwide network strengthening community-led restoration efforts.

Coordinator Ngobi Joel says students don't just plant seedlings. They run the nurseries, tend demonstration gardens, and learn how agroforestry can feed people while protecting the land. The school plots provide actual meals for students while showing families how to use land sustainably.

This hands-on approach plants something deeper than trees. When children spend their school days nurturing forests and growing food, they carry that knowledge home. Parents see working models of conservation that actually produce results.

The Global Landscapes Forum just welcomed 12 new grassroots groups into its GLFx network, including five from Africa. These chapters connect independent, community-driven initiatives working to heal damaged landscapes across Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Tanzania, and Uganda.

The Ripple Effect

Ana Yi Soto, who coordinates GLFx, says connecting these local groups creates something powerful. When community leaders share knowledge and amplify each other's voices, their restoration impact multiplies. They gain access to expert advice on biodiversity, climate impact, and agroforestry design plus visibility at global conferences.

The work goes beyond planting trees. These groups are regenerating livelihoods, rebuilding relationships between people and their land, and proving that local solutions work. They're claiming space for community voices in conversations that have historically excluded them.

For Joel and his student foresters, joining this global network means better tools, stronger connections, and expert guidance to ensure their projects truly help their communities for generations.

Eight school forests are just the beginning for Uganda's young environmental champions.