Agroforestry and Plan Vivo project in the region of Kagera, Tanzania

Our essay is focusing on the Vi Agroforestry programme around Lake Victoria, our interest for that was created during our trip to Masaka, Uganda in the spring of 2008. The problems of today concerning the increased greenhouse effect and the fact that trees absorb and store carbon dioxide and consequently effects the global warming creates an increased interest for Vi Agroforestry forestry-based carbon sequestration projects. The purpose of our essay has been to study the benefits and disadvantages, both concerning economic and physical geography for the particular farmer and the province, of Vi Agroforestry and Plan Vivo project in Kagera, Tanzania. To fulfil our purpose we’ve used the following two question formulations:

•  Which possibilities and problems have forestry-based carbon sequestration projects in Africa?
•  Which possibilities and problems have the Vi Agroforestry and Plan Vivo project in Kagera, Tanzania?

In order to answer the questions we’ve decided to have our starting-point from former research in the province and apply the results on the project in the region of Kagera to see thinkable possibilities and problems with the project. The project makes it possible for Swedish companies to pay for their emissions on the free market and the farmers can, in contrast to former Vi Agroforestry projects, get paid already when the trees are planted which is expected to reduce the poverty and improve the environment locally, regionally and globally. The possibilities and problems focused on in the former research about forestry-based carbon sequestration projects are nearly all applicable on the Vi Agroforestry and Plan Vivo project in Kagera. There are always problems with projects but they are more or less prominent. Vi Agroforestry has together with Plan Vivo worked to improve the monitoring system which controls that the rules are followed, they are partly controlling themselves which as such is a problem. The possibilities for the farmers are however better financial benefits, the biodiversity is protected because monocultures are not advocated and the rainsplash is reduced which also reduces the mass movements.

Adler, C. & Mattsson, L. (2010). Agroforestry and Plan Vivo project in the region of Kagera, Tanzania. Bachelor’s Thesis. Department of Earth Sciences. Faculty of Science. University of Gothenburg.

The thesis is written in Swedish. Link to publication