Plant Organic Fruit Trees with Ugandan Farmers to Fight Poverty and Deforestation

Summary
Rural Ugandan farmers face severe poverty and the devastating effects of deforestation. In many communities, families are forced to cut down trees for firewood or charcoal just to afford food. Uganda has lost more than 60% of its forests since 1990, and continues to lose around 2.3% of remaining forest cover each year. This destruction has disrupted rainfall patterns, prolonged dry seasons, and worsened food insecurity.

Village Vision Care (VVC) is helping families plant their way toward prosperity. This project supports local farmers in Masaka District and neighbouring areas to grow organic fruit trees, such as mango, avocado, apple, jackfruit, guava, orange, pawpaw, and pomegranate, alongside herbs and aromatic plants like thyme, oregano, lemongrass, and lavender. These pesticide-free crops provide nutritious food, stable income, and restore the environment for future generations.

Challenge
1. Nearly 40% of Ugandans live below or near the poverty line.

2. Over 85% of rural households depend on firewood or charcoal for cooking.

3. Subsistence crops like maize and cassava dominate farmland but yield little profit.

4. Deforestation and climate change are accelerating droughts and floods.

5. Many farmers lack access to affordable fruit tree seedlings or agricultural training.

Solution
This project empowers smallholder farmers, especially women and youth, to transition from subsistence farming to sustainable organic agroforestry.

We will:
1. Establish community-managed organic fruit tree nurseries across Masaka District.

2. Provide free or affordable saplings of fruit trees (mango, avocado, apple, jackfruit, guava, orange, pawpaw, pomegranate).

3. Grow aromatic plants (thyme, oregano, lemongrass, lavender) for added income from herbs, oils, soaps, and cosmetics.

4. Train farmers in organic cultivation, pruning, grafting, pest control, and marketing.

5. Support cooperatives to process and sell fruit-based products, increasing local income and self-reliance.
Each tree becomes a source of food, shade, and income, while healing degraded land and protecting biodiversity

Long-Term Impact
Increased income for 5,500 households per year through fruit sales, companion tree products, and edible herb production, giving families sustainable, renewable sources of livelihood.

Improved food security and nutrition as households diversify their diets with fresh, locally grown fruit and herbs.

Reduced deforestation and soil erosion, as families rely less on cutting trees for firewood and charcoal, and soils are restored through agroforestry practices.

Empowered women and youth with practical skills in managing organic nurseries, planting, and marketing, creating local leaders and long-term economic opportunities.

Enhanced biodiversity and ecosystem health, supporting resilient farmland, cleaner water sources, and a more stable local climate.

This project supports Uganda’s National Forest and Landscape Restoration Plan and advances the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 1, 2, 5, 13, and 15).

Donate Now Please
Donation Impact
$10 USD Grow 20 organic fruit saplings in a community-managed tree nursery and benefit one farming family.
$25 USD Grow 50 organic fruit saplings in a community-managed tree nursery and benefit one farming family.
$50 USD Grow 100 organic fruit saplings in a community-managed tree nursery and benefit one farming family.
$100 USD Grow 200 organic fruit saplings in a community-managed tree nursery and benefit two farming families.
$200 USD Grow 400 organic fruit saplings in a community-managed tree nursery and benefit four farming families.
$300 USD Grow 600 organic fruit saplings in a community-managed tree nursery and benefit six farming families.
$500 USD Grow 1,000 organic fruit saplings in a community-managed tree nursery and benefit ten farming families.
$100,000 USD Build one full community-managed tree nursery with water infrastructure and a solar-powered pump system that produces 100,000 trees annually, benefiting 10,000 farming families each year.
Kindly support us establish sustainable organic fruit tree nurseries and empower thousands of Ugandan families with food, income, and technical skills.

Together, we can plant prosperity,one tree, one family, one village at a time. Driving impact together!