Yenwaa Collectives

Community Context

Yenwaa Collectives operates in Daki Wayo village, Latanya Sub-county, Kitgum District - in the heart of the Acholi region of Northern Uganda. The community of approximately 15,000 people sits within a rural agricultural landscape under the traditional authority of the Acholi Chiefdom, led by the Rwot.

Northern Uganda carries the legacy of decades of conflict and displacement, and its communities are rebuilding livelihoods, food systems, and social cohesion from the ground up. The local economy is driven by small-scale crop farming, goat rearing, poultry, local trade, charcoal production, and informal business - but economic opportunities remain limited, particularly for youth and women. The project directly serves around 7,000 people - smallholder farmers, women's groups, youth, school children, local entrepreneurs, and vulnerable households - with another 8,000 reached indirectly.

Ecological Landscape

The project sits within a rural agricultural landscape characterised by savanna vegetation, scattered trees, seasonal wetlands, and smallholder farming systems. The area faces increasing climate variability, prolonged dry seasons, soil degradation, and deforestation driven by unsustainable land use and heavy dependence on fuelwood and charcoal.

Key environmental conditions include deforestation, soil degradation, water scarcity, biodiversity loss, and overgrazing. The project's restoration priorities are:

• Reforestation and agroforestry development
• Soil restoration and regenerative agriculture
• Water conservation and watershed protection
• Biodiversity enhancement
• Sustainable grazing systems
• Climate resilience for farming households

Regional Economic Context

The regional economy is primarily driven by small-scale agriculture and livestock production. Communities rely on crop farming, goat rearing, poultry, local trade, charcoal production, and informal businesses. Natural resources include forests, rivers and watersheds, fertile agricultural land, and wildlife habitats.

Small-scale artisanal mining is present in Northern Uganda but limited around the immediate project area, with some extraction of sand and clay for construction. Charcoal production - a key livelihood - is also a significant driver of deforestation, making the project's regenerative alternatives both an environmental and an economic intervention.

Core Project Systems

Yenwaa Collectives develops an integrated set of regenerative systems designed to restore land while rebuilding livelihoods and community cohesion.

Regenerative Agroforestry & Food Forests

At the core of the project are regenerative agroforestry systems - food forests and permagardens that integrate food production with ecological restoration. These systems rebuild soil health, restore tree cover, improve water retention, and provide year-round nutrition security for farming households, replacing degrading subsistence practices with regenerative ones.

Tree Nurseries & Reforestation

Community tree nurseries produce seedlings for reforestation, agroforestry, and watershed restoration across the project area. The nurseries provide a reliable supply of climate-resilient species and position Yenwaa Collectives as a potential seedling source for regional reforestation efforts in Northern Uganda.

Community Seed & Tool Banks

A community seed and tool bank provides smallholder farmers and rural households with much-needed access to seeds and agricultural tools - removing a key barrier to regenerative farming. The seed bank preserves local crop genetics and ensures farmers can transition to sustainable practices without prohibitive upfront costs, while the tool bank enables shared access to equipment across the community.

Beekeeping & Value-Added Enterprise

Beekeeping systems provide an income stream that depends on and reinforces healthy ecosystems - incentivising reforestation and biodiversity conservation. Honey and other value-added products create market opportunities for the community, with particular benefit to women and youth.

Women-Led Enterprise & Youth Vocational Training

Women-led enterprises and youth skills training address the region's most acute economic challenge - limited opportunity for women and young people. Through vocational training, community learning spaces, and income-generating activities, the project builds local capacity and creates pathways out of poverty, while strengthening the social fabric of a community rebuilding after conflict.

Watershed & Land Restoration

Dedicated watershed and land restoration areas combine soil restoration, water conservation, sustainable grazing management, and biodiversity enhancement - improving long-term environmental resilience across the project landscape and protecting the natural systems the community depends on.

Three Pillars of Sustainability

Environmental

The project promotes ecosystem restoration through agroforestry, reforestation, regenerative agriculture, soil restoration, biodiversity conservation, sustainable grazing management, and water conservation. By offering communities regenerative alternatives to charcoal production and unsustainable land use, the project addresses the root drivers of deforestation and degradation while building long-term climate resilience for farming households.

Social

In a region recovering from decades of conflict and displacement, the project strengthens community well-being by improving food security, creating safe learning and gathering spaces, empowering women and youth, promoting vocational skills development, and increasing access to knowledge on sustainable livelihoods and environmental stewardship. The community learning spaces and collective enterprises help rebuild the social cohesion that conflict eroded.

Economic

The project supports local economic resilience through diversified agricultural production, livestock enterprises, beekeeping, value-added products, local entrepreneurship, vocational training, and income-generating activities. The seed and tool banks lower barriers to productive farming, while women-led enterprises and youth training create jobs and strengthen household livelihoods in a region where economic opportunity is scarce.

Role Within the Country Platform

Yenwaa Collectives can serve as a regional demonstration hub for regenerative agriculture and environmental restoration in Northern Uganda. It can support national reforestation efforts through seedling production, provide vocational and agricultural training for youth and farmers, promote climate-resilient farming systems, and contribute a replicable model of post-conflict community development. As one of CFC's Northern Uganda projects, it extends the network's reach into a region with significant need and strong community leadership.

Potential Synergies With Other Projects

The project can collaborate with other initiatives across Uganda through:

• Agricultural training programs and seed distribution networks
• Youth development and environmental restoration organisations
• Local cooperatives for market linkages and value-added processing
• Joint trainings, seedling distribution, and coordinated climate resilience activities
• Knowledge-sharing with other CFC projects in Uganda and across the region

Collaboration Needs

Key resources and partnerships for the project's success:

• Technical training and agroforestry expertise
• Renewable energy systems and water infrastructure
• Transportation support and market access for local products
• Vocational education resources
• Seed and livestock supplies
• Financial support to establish core systems and enterprises

Community Leadership & Governance

Project Lead

Ola Tom Lakere - Yenwaa Collectives

Local Partners

Local farmer groups · youth associations · women's groups · community leaders · schools · regional environmental and development organisations

Community Groups

Smallholder farmers · women-led groups · youth groups · local artisans · livestock keepers · students · community elders · environmental restoration volunteers

Traditional Authority

Acholi Traditional Chiefdom (Rwot)

Training Completed

Earth Awareness · Nursery Management · Permaculture Design Course · Resilience Design Course · Ecosystem Restoration and Monitoring

LCPA Coordination

LCPA Federation - governance and financing framework integration