Agroforestry Living Labs for Coffee Farmers in Eastern Uganda

YLEC, in partnership with key collaborators, is involved in the implementation of the Agroforestry for People, Ecosystems, and Climate (AfPEC) project. As the primary coordinator of the Living Labs (L.L) concept of the project, YLEC is establishing dynamic demonstration sites across four coffee-growing communities in the Mt. Elgon region of Uganda. These Living Labs showcase practical, sustainable agroforestry and alternative livelihood practices that support both people and the planet. A central focus of the initiative is the promotion of indigenous tree planting, which plays a vital role in mitigating climate change, improving coffee yields, and offering farmers additional income-generating opportunities. Other key activities within the Living Labs include establishing tree nurseries, beekeeping (apiary), rainwater harvesting, soil and moisture conservation techniques, and the production of organic fertilizers from agricultural waste. Four Living Labs have been set up across Mbale, Bulambuli, Kapchorwa, and Bududa districts. Each site engages two farmer groups, totaling 60 members, with the various themes introduced progressively. Each farming household is an agroecological unit; thus, collective farming units amount to a restored highland ecosystem once farmers adopt and replicate most of these practices on their farms, leading to improvements in the coffee value chain, increased ecosystem resilience to climate change, and enhanced livelihoods.