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Microcredit for Macro Gains

Loans for small-scale development to reduce pressure on Uganda’s mountain ecosystems and bolster resilience to climate change

October 16^th, 2015

“I no longer find problems paying my children’s school fees on time”, says Moses Monje, a renowned carpenter in the town of Budadiri in the Sironko district of Mount Elgon, Uganda.

In the past, Monje used coffee and food crops to earn supplemental income, but in recent years this became difficult to sustain due to inadequate capital. After the inauguration of a local, environmentally-focussed microcredit initiative, Monje was able to regain this important income stream.

Moses Monje, carpenter, father of eight and member of the Sironko Valley lending and saving scheme

Loans for Environmental Conservation

Like many in his village, Monje benefits from the Sironko Valley lending and saving scheme, which began operations in his community in 2012, as a result of a partnership between the Ministry of Water and Environment and UNDP. The project aims to improve livelihoods whilst simultaneously protecting the natural resources of the surrounding Mt. Elgon ecosystem.

In Monje’s district, more intense rainfall events, combined with cultivation of steep slopes to feed a growing population, have contributed to increased soil erosion and siltation of rivers, which in turn has decreased agricultural productivity.

Working to improve the micro-catchments feeding local rivers, and to improve life for farmers along the tributary streams, UNDP - through the Mountain EbA programme - started a self-help Community Revolving Fund for small scale enterprise development. The scheme supports communities in adopting climate-resilient agricultural practices in order to minimise land degradation and to increase agricultural yields and resulting income.

As part of project activities, trainings have been conducted to improve water management and agricultural production

The EbA project has trained members on climate change adaptation measures such as planting vetiver grass to decrease erosion

loans that change lives

Monje and nine other members from the Budadiri women’s self-help group, (comprised and led primarily by village women, but open to local men too) were among the first in the community to benefit from this fund.
Seventy individuals from 13 groups in this community have been provided loans worth a total of 12,644,000 Ugandan Shillings (≈3,400USD) to carry out EbA-focused agricultural enterprises.

Additional members of the Sironko Valley lending and saving scheme

A member of the Budadiri women’s self-help group who used the funds to start her own very popular business selling moisturizer

Coffee & Cows: Coming together to end poverty

With his share of 200,000 Ugandan Shillings (≈50USD) Monje bought 300 coffee seedlings and a calf.
“I sold my cow later on and started construction on my family house. We have learned how to save. We have learned to improve our farming.”
He adds that every member of his group, who received loans from the fund, has invested in an environmentally sustainable business.
Monje hopes to reap higher returns from his business in the short run, and to have a long-term sustainable income from his coffee plantation, the first crop of which is due for harvesting in a few months’ time.

Monje proudly holds a coffee bean from his harvest

Monje says that by the end of this year, his family will move into a spacious house with enough room for everyone

Monje standing with some of his children in front of his new house, something he has worked hard for

Building a sustainable future

UNDP’s support through the Mountain EbA Programme, the groups’ revolving fund and saving scheme has supported communities to adopt sustainable agricultural practices in the face of climate change.
“We were able to invest in activities such as trading, modern farming and agroforestry, that enabled us to earn an income without putting a lot of pressure on the mountain ecosystem,” says Monje.

Mountain EbA Programme

The global Ecosystem-Based Adaptation (EbA) in Mountains Programme is a partnership between UNDP, UNEP and IUCN, with funding from the German Government (BMUB)’s International Climate Initiative. By using sustainable management, conservation and restoration of ecosystems, as part of an overall EbA strategy, the Programme aims to reduce the vulnerability and enhance the resilience of select fragile mountain ecosystems and their local communities to climate change impacts. The promoted EbA measures carefully take into account anticipated climate change impact trends to help communities continuously adapt to a changing climate and increasing uncertainty. This global partnership also involves national and regional government agencies, civil society and local communities in three countries (Uganda, Nepal and Peru).

The activities supported by UNDP in Budadiri Village are part of a broader suite of EbA measures supported by the Programme in Uganda. Championed by the Government of Uganda and working with the Ministry of Water and Environment, this site is expected to restore the degraded ecosystem and produce not only ecological, but also economic, social, and health benefits for the community. For more information on the EbA work, please visit: www.undp-alm.org/projects/mountain-EbA and www.EbAflagship.org.

Footnotes

Text by Monicah Aturinda-Kyeyune and Andrea Egan / Photos: Andrea Egan and Monicah Aturinda-Kyeyune

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FootNotes

Text by Monicah Aturinda-Kyeyune and Andrea Egan / Photos: Andrea Egan and Monicah Aturinda-Kyeyune

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Microcredit for Macro Gains

Loans for small-scale development to reduce pressure on Uganda’s mountain ecosystems and bolster resilience to climate change

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