Tree planting incentives in the Albertine Rift Region, Uganda

The study assessed the influence of incentives in tree planting by farmers
in Kiryanga Sub county, Kagadi district, Albertine rift region. Key
informant interviews, focus group discussions and household interviews
were conducted to generate data on the influence of incentives on tree
planting. The X2  test established associations between
incentives and tree planting while a t-test was conducted to test for
differences in characteristics of non-tree farmers and tree farmers.
Results indicate that incentives are important in tree planting although
some did not match farmers’ interests (X2 = 35.13, p
<0.05). The incentives that mattered most were: provision of tree
seedlings (84.6%) and cash payments (69.4%) while farm tours as an
incentive did not match farmers’ interests. The success attributed to
incentives mainly depended on land size, and tree species’ preferences.
The study concludes that, provision of tree seedlings and cash payments
should be the incentives to be promoted. It is therefore important that
different stakeholders adopt incentive-based tree planting.