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LAF, funded by Stichting Voeten in de Aarde, has helped the Kilimo Kisasa farm in Zombo District in developing their first 500L of organic neem pesticide.

Neem pesticides are made from the leaves and fruits of the Neem tree (Azadirachta indica), which is commonly found in Uganda. A pilot batch of 500L of these pesticides has been produced, and the workers of Kilimo Kisasa along with farmers from the surrounding community have been trained to use Neem on their crops. The results are promising, as the initial trials show less plant damage from insects. These trials will be continued to better understand the long-term effects. The production of Neem pesticides will be continued at Kilimo Kisasa, which can finance it from the proceeds of sold Neem and rented equipment.

In January 2024 we started the construction of the local tree nursery at the Kilimo Kisasa farm in Zombo District, Uganda. We are grateful to Stichting de Hoorn, who has enabled us to construct this nursery and thereby bring good quality, affordable seedlings to the farmers of Zombo. In this picture, you see the stands for the water tanks, and the first nursery bed under construction. We’re looking forward to updating you about our progress!

2024 has only just started but LAF is already busy with preparing for our new activities! We are grateful for the generous donations of Stichting de Hoorn and Stichting Voeten in de Aarde, which enable us to construct a tree nursery, compost system and new biopesticide line made from products of the neem tree. The construction will take place at our partner Kilimo Kisasa’s farm in Zombo district, Uganda. These steps are all essential in moving towards truly regenerative farming, in which a healthy soil forms the basis for healthy ecosystems and healthy communities. Later in the year, we aim to construct a new training centre on productive, regenerative agriculture for the region and supporting even more farmers in switching to healthier ways of producing food. We are looking forward to the new year and will keep you updated!

The year is almost at its end and Christmas is around the corner. Time to have a short look back at what we did in 2023!

Among many activities, some things were important to our work in 2023. In April, together two students of CIBAP (a vocational school for design), we planted our own regenerative food forest. This forest was the first ever food forest in West Nile region and a pilot to test whether the design of the food forest would be scalable and applicable for neighbouring farmers to adopt. After less than a year, it is already producing its first fruits and bringing income to the farm where it was planted! By now we have received funding to plant food forests on pieces of land of farmers that are degraded and lack nutrients for conventional agriculture. The two CIBAP students assisted in visual documentation of the food forest and developed a campaign strategy for Lake Albert Foundation.

In June 2023, we were very happy to welcome a national Young Expert: Noreen Lamoris Acaphye. Noreen is part of the Young Expert Programme, financed by the Netherlands Water Partnership and Foreign Affairs. She strengthened the team of Lake Albert Foundation by field work and planning, and she brings in knowledge on agroforestry.

For next year, many tree planting and soil regeneration activities are planned for and we cannot wait to inform you about these. Therefore, beginning of next year we will give you an overview of the planning for 2024.

In April 2023, Farah and Lloyd, two interns from CIBAP – Vocational School for Design, joined the LAF team in Uganda! These two ambitious students will help the foundation with their online presence and setting up campaigns. We are looking forward to seeing the pictures, videos and drawings they create, inspired by their time in Uganda.

One of the main goals of the Lake Albert Foundation is supporting reforestation and biodiversity restoration. That is why we teamed up with the ambitious potato-farm Kilimo Kisasa in Zombo District, Uganda, to make a vegetation inventory and map the plant species in their local wetlands. The Lake Albert Foundation used its network to contact Christopher of Embaka (African Golden Cat Foundation) to lead this inventory. The gained knowledge gives insights in which indigenous species are already present and how the area needs to be managed in order to enhance biodiversity and recover nature in Zombo’s wetlands. This will benefit many insects, reptiles, birds and mammals (like the otter). It also conserves wetlands as clean water sources, improves soil quality in the area and enhances the resilience of surrounding communities.

For more information on Embaka, visit https://www.savingafricangoldencat.com

For more information on Kilimo Kisasa, visit: https://kilimokisasa.com