The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
According to the Rwanda state of environment and outlook report indicates that the country loses 1.4 million tons of soil annually causing a persistent decline in the country’s capacity to feed 40,000 citizens such losses adversely affect both the economy and the environment? What are you doing to mitigate the situation?
We are trying to plant many trees for us to be able to reduce soil erosion planting 2,800,000 cubic meters area which are more genetically superior species. We make sure that the biological approaches such as planting grass strips and hedgerows are introduced as complementary methods of reducing soil loss. We are afforesting Rwanda with the new planting activities in districts of Nyamagabe and Nyanza with the plans to take it to the north parts where the soil erosion is more rampant. We are moved on tripartite principles of people, planet and profits meaning that you cannot be sustainable if you focus on the planet and forget the people as well profits that will move the project. The company is also involving in increasing non agricultural activities which have impact on the communities as well as supporting local communities in building schools, beekeeping projects, among other communally owned projects.
What are you doing at the same time to mitigate the climate change as a result of the environmental degradation?
One of the biggest impacts we verified this year was an external carbon audit that proved we have removed more than 1.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in the last three years we have spent in Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. One point two million tons of C02 removal is no small feat. This reduction is equal to the small emissions of the 183,000 Europeans or 249, 9000 vehicles on the road. We are very proud of this and excited to find ways financial year 2018 of turning this success into another revenue stream to underpin our commercial model.
What are the major challenges in the afforestation projects?
The major challenges are the errant markets where there is vulnerable to the swings and upsets of weak policy and regulatory environments, infrastructural targets, efficiency in executing the strategic developments in rural electrification and timber theft since our companies are based in rural areas.
What are the future plans?
In our programs we are looking forward to see that continually there is an innovation on the market pushing forward the impact side of our business making sure that measurements are laid in maximizing the environment and social impact.
