In the shadows of Mt Elgon National Park, many farmers had long believed they must choose between trees and crops. They feared that trees are space-hungry competitors, and therefore cut them down to grow food. This led to loss of biodiversity, exposed soils to erosion, as well as exacerbated landslides, which tragically claimed over 1000 lives.

In the face of this staggering human toll and loss of biodiversity, the Bees and Trees (then Bees for Hope) idea emerged. It began as a modest idea in a graduate room at Kampala’s Makerere University, when two masters’ classmates, Samantha Natumanya  and Stephen Bright Sakwa, decided to act.

United by a common vision of creating communities where people live in harmony, their journey began with an application to the Nature Based Solutions Challenge organized by Wageningen University & Research in May 2022. They proposed beekeeping as an incentive that would motivate farmers to plant bee forage trees and adopt agroforestry.

Selected among eight finalists from different countries, Bees and Trees secured crucial funding and mentorship. This support enabled them to introduce beekeeping as a sustainable income source while rejuvenating sections of the park and community landscape with indigenous trees.

Evolving into a social enterprise, Bees and Trees restores degraded landscapes through incentives while empowering young minds in the realm of green entrepreneurship.

A fully-fledged value chain for sustainable honey and coffee has been established, underscoring their commitment to conservation and economic growth. By purchasing these products from farmers and catering to end consumers, they have begun generating profits, extending employment opportunities to other young individuals along this value chain.