Programme I: Management of Trees and People

The Management of Trees and People Programme is under the supervision of a Programme Officer. The broad objective of this programme is: to facilitate the management of trees and forests for improved livelihoods .

The programme's specific objectives are:

1. To promote on-farm forestry practices
2. To empower communities to participate in forest management
3. To Initiate and negotiate partnerships with the private sector

It also implements the EMPAFORM programme in Kenya:

EMPAFORM

" Strengthening and Empowering Civil Society for Participatory Forest Management (EMPAFORM)”, is a programme of civil society strengthening, and aims to promote a pro-poor approach to the management and conservation of natural forests in East Africa through making implementation of new forest policy more demand driven, and more equitable in addressing the interests and rights of poor men, women and children. It is a four-year programme starting in April 2005 and will be implemented by a partnership of CARE International, the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), and national NGOs of the 3 countries: Tanzania Forest Conservation Group (Tanzania), Forest Action Network (Kenya), BUCODO and ACODE (Uganda). Each country will have a national coordinator working under a regional coordinator based at the CARE Uganda offices in K ampala.

Overall Objective

Natural forests and woodlands in East Africa are sustainably managed and conserved with increased benefits to poor men, women and children in forest-dependent communities.

Specific Objective

Empowered civil society organizations have promoted a pro-poor approach to PFM that is more demand-driven and more equitable in addressing the interests and rights of poor men, women, and children, and national networks have been established that will institutionalize and reinforce this approach.

Expected results are:

• Access to information: Relevant information has been disseminated to CBOs and NGOs at all levels on the legal and policy framework for PFM, the experience and performance of government and civil society in PFM implementation, and key opportunities and constraints as they emerge.

• Local and national networking: Networking between community level and second-level CBOs has promoted sharing of information and experience on PFM and related issues, and joint action on advocacy and other issues of common interest.

• Advocacy capacity: Increased capacity of second level CBOs and national NGOs to analyse forest and land tenure policy, and PRSP processes, to design, implement and monitor advocacy initiatives for PFM policy and decision-making, and to mainstream PFM within PRSP processes.

• Organisational strengthening: Governance, management, negotiation, fund-raising and networking skills of second-level CBOs have been strengthened, emphasizing effective representation of the interests of poorer households, women and other marginalized groups.

• Direct technical assistance: Community-level and second-level CBOs involved in PFM have had access to legal advice and other technical support for CBO establishment and governance, negotiation and conflict resolution, and forest based enterprise.

• Regional networking: Networking at the regional level between second-level and national level CSOs has promoted sharing of information and experience on PFM and related issues across the 3 countries, and common strategies for engagement in regional and global policy processes.

• Learning and dissemination: The nature of community participation in PFM and the effect of civil society strengthening processes have been monitored, analyzed and shared between countries on a regular basis, and learning has been applied and documented for wider dissemination.