Effect of payment for ecosystem services projects to the livelihoods: a case study of TGB farmers in Hoima district

Abstract

The study to examine the effect of Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes to the livelihoods in Hoima district was carried out in two parishes; Bwikya and Kapapi. It specifically focused on; documenting the motivation factors of farmers to join the TGB project, assessing the socio-economic benefits to the participants and assessing the technical capacity of the TGB beneficiaries. Sixty respondents were interviewed of which there were TGB farmers and the others were non-TGB farmers. The study revealed that the project had a positive impact on respondents' livelihoods since they were receiving payments from carbon trading and self-motivated to join the TGB project, the economic incentives gained hence income stability, environmental services obtained, and the social capital gained. The study also indicated that the technical capacity of the respondents was enhanced through training in new skills like bee keeping new skills which increased their competency in tree planting. It was noted that the TGB project was dominated by the males since the females did not have documented land ownerships rights. But also the non-TGB farmers are left out especially on the second trainings. The study recommended that; strategies to ensure development in people's livelihoods the government of Uganda (GOU), ECOTRUST and other stakeholders should lobby to reform the land policy, seedlings should be supplied in the right season,newly recruited farmers that had planted trees already should be allowed to joining the project basing on trees planted already, and lastly the labor efficiency of the project should be increased in the area.