Combating Desertification with Trees

Abstract

Uganda is a small land locked country in Eastern Africa lying astride the equator. It occupies about 236,000 km² of the central African plateau. The country has a diverse climate, influenced by the country’s latitudinal position between 1° South and 4° North and its altitude and topography. Seasonal movements of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) determine the general pattern of rainfall. Although much of the country receives 1,000 — 1,500 mm of rain per annum, there are some dry parts in the northern and northeastern region which receives less than 500 mm and are prone to long periods of drought which adversely affect agricultural and other rain dependent activities in the country. A bigger portion of this region is either semiarid or arid due to the Sudan-Sahelian climatic influence. It is also known as the cattle corridor because together with some parts of the Southwestern they are heavily used by nomadic pastoralists who subject them to seasonal bush-burning to encourage the growth of palatable pasture during the rainy season. This together with the large stocking of livestock has contributed to land degradation, decimation of tree cover, soil erosion, drought and desert like conditions.