As part of the YenKasa Africa initiative to showcase radio programs, we are thrilled to share this week’s feature from Farm Radio International’s project, On-Air Dialogues for Gender-inclusive Nature-based Solutions. This episode from the Nature Answers podcast delves into the vital topic “Why Morungatuny, a community in Uganda, is planting trees for the next generation.” Read the feature to discover valuable insights and expert advice, and then listen to Farm Radio International’s podcast in English. The Nature Answers podcast shares stories from rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa, where some of the most vulnerable people on earth are turning to nature for solutions to a changing climate. Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your knowledge. Happy reading and listening!
Trees are the looming lifelines of our planet, and their roots run deep in rural Uganda. But in Morungatuny, burning trees for charcoal was the main driver of the economy. Trees were needed for firewood for cooking and building.
The rates of consumption soon outpaced the availability of trees. This resulted in extra difficulties faced by women, from the long distances they had to travel for firewood to higher rates of domestic violence caused by economic stress.
So, the community was faced with a question: What could they change to make life better for everyone—and for future generations especially? Community members like Jethro and Aliba Mary came to the community with answers—answers pulled from nature itself.
Listen to the podcast episode
E7: Five trees for every child: Why this community is planting trees for the next generation
Nature Answers is made in partnership with Carleton University’s School of Journalism. Journalism students from the school were hired to spend 2-3 months in Ghana and Uganda in 2023 to conduct interviews and tell these stories in partnership with Ghanaian and Ugandan broadcasters and Farm Radio International’s Ghanaian and Ugandan staff members.