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.