Government Policy Framework

The policy framework for forestry in Uganda is established along four axes:

• Poverty Eradication Action Programme (1997).
  This apex policy has 4 pillars: economic growth, good governance, improving incomes and quality of life for the poor.
  
  
• Public Sector Reform Programme.
  The Forestry Department is to be divested and replaced by a National Forestry Authority, which will be self-financing and have management freedoms outside the civil service.
  
  
• Plan for the Modernisation of Agriculture (2000).
  This includes a farmer-centred prioritisation of public spending on productive activities and the National Agricultural Advisory Service (NAADS) by which producers contract advisory services from private service providers. It also outlines development of research and technology, rural finance, processing and marketing, education and sustainable management of natural resources.
  
  
• Local Government Reform.
  Reforms include the decentralisation of budgets and most services to local governments and an incentives framework for local development planning to reflect local priorities, accountability through improved financial systems and transparency of allocation decisions.

Progress with the reforms in the forest sector includes a new Forestry Policy (approved in March 2001), a National Forest Plan and a Forestry Bill (both now approved by Cabinet) which will enable the creation of a National Forestry Authority and the rethinking of service delivery. These policy and legal reforms redefine roles and partnerships in governance including central government, local government, the private sector, local communities and NGOs/CBOs.

In the context of forestry services, this means a focus on poverty reduction and an environment favouring decentralised service delivery, with key roles for local governments and producers purchasing advisory services through NAADS. Forests and trees are recognised as being very important to people's livelihoods but the role of forestry extension is not well developed, including the question of how to maximise livelihood opportunities in this environment.

In general forestry extension is not working due to low funding and incentives in the Forestry Department, lack of a holistic livelihoods perspective and appropriate skills, and an over-centralised service. In order to re-think service delivery there was a need to understand how forestry contributes to rural livelihoods, what opportunities there are for forestry to contribute to poverty eradication and what services are needed to realise these opportunities. There was also a need to develop new planning approaches and new service delivery arrangements.