FAO supports Uganda’s forests through public spending review
Uganda is home to natural forests and forest plantations that span 12% of the country’s total land area, or around 2.5 million ha. Woodlands are the main type of forest, making up 64% of Uganda’s forest area.
Still, the East African country has witnessed a steep decline in natural forests since the 1990s, when forest coverage was around 24% of total land area. However, the country’s deforestation rate, after increasing from 28 400 (ha) in 2006 to 117 000 (ha) annually has gradually decreased to around 49 000 ha in 2021.
This positive turn around can be attributed, at least partially, to increased government interest in conserving forests, restoring degraded lands, and developing green value chains that is reflected in a threefold boost in spending from 2008 to 2017 in the sustainable management of forests, land, and environment.
Indeed, preliminary results from a new study by FAO on public expenditure on forestry in Uganda suggest that forest-related spending doubled on average annually from 2008 to 2017, from around UGX 1 billion in 2008 to over UGX 15 billion in 2017. However, given Uganda's ambitious climate adaptation and mitigation targets, this level of spending will need a substantial boost.
Against this backdrop, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) within the framework of the UN-REDD Programme and the Ugandan Ministry of Water and Environment along with other government bodies hosted a 2-day workshop in Jinja this week on analysing government spending on forestry in Uganda.
At the workshop, held from 7 to 8 November 2023, the overall goal was to take stock and validate with government partners a new methodology on public expenditure analysis on the forestry sector, which details the level and breakdown of spending and analyses policy coherence between spending and government policies and climate goals.
“This work on public expenditure for forestry is a very powerful tool because it helps us to identify investment gaps that can be used to access additional financing for the forestry sector, and to appreciate the strong interlinkages between forestry and agriculture”, said Bob Kazungu, Ag. Assistant Commissioner for Forestry, Assessment and Monitoring at the Ugandan Ministry of Water and Environment, Uganda, and National REDD+ Focal Point for Uganda.
“This new way of analysing public expenditure towards food and agriculture enables better tracking of spending on forests and natural resources, allowing the Government of Uganda to identify gaps or inconsistencies in budgeting across sectors and in light of national development and climate objectives, ultimately informing smarter spending that can transform rural livelihoods”, said Alethia Cameron, Policy Analyst for the MAFAP programme in FAO’s Agrifood Economics and Policy Division.
“Unlocking sustainable African investments is vital for reducing and achieving the 1.5C climate target. Conducting a forestry public expenditure analysis can provide information to improve cross-sectoral budget allocation and aligning priority outcomes for the country's strategic goals, and support the growing momentum on the crucial collaborations between agriculture and forestry sectors”, said Serena Fortuna, Senior Forestry Officer and REDD+ Team leader of FAO’s Forestry Division.
The workshop has also been a chance to strengthen capacity development in policy monitoring and analysis, and to and identify climate finance opportunities for strategic investments and innovative finance.
Joining the workshop were several government institutions involved in the initiative, including the Ministry of Water and Environment, the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries, the National Forestry Authority, and representatives from FAO Uganda, the REDD+ and MAFAP teams.
This collaboration sets the stage for the next phase, where the results and insights from the workshop will be translated into policy recommendations, ultimately advancing Uganda's efforts to bolster its forestry sector.
The study has been carried out by FAO through the MAFAP team in the Agrifood Economics and Policy Division and the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) team in the Forestry Division, in collaboration with several government bodies.