Awarded in 2025
Based in Gotanyonga Village, Akworo Subcounty, Nebbi District, Northern Albertine Region, Uganda
Okumu Yozenia Uguti was awarded the 2025 Kilimo Environmental Prize as the distinguished laureate of the year in recognition of his exceptional dedication to environmental protection, livelihood generation and the defence of ancestral land. His work combines traditional knowledge, ecological restoration and inclusive economic development at a time of rising ecological risk, conflict and industrial pressure. In a rapidly changing geopolitical and environmental context, his approach offers stability, dignity and hope, demonstrating how environmentally just practices rooted in local values can restore healthy ecosystems while sustaining communities and future generations.
Guardian of nature and a leading practitioner of traditional agroforestry systems in the Northern Albertine region of Uganda, his life’s work centres on the protection and revival of endangered indigenous tree species, most notably the shea tree, which is currently listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Through sustained stewardship rooted in ancestral knowledge, he has restored and protected a shea dominated forest landscape at a time when the species is under increasing pressure across the region.
On 2 hills covering approximately 25 hectares near Lake Albert and the Albert Nile delta, he maintains more than 45,000 indigenous trees, of which over 10,000 are shea trees. This landscape lies within the wider ecological system connected to Murchison Falls National Park and a Ramsar wetland site of international importance. The area plays a critical role in water regulation, biodiversity conservation and climate stability, yet it is increasingly exposed to risk from large scale oil development, including the Tilenga project led by TotalEnergies. Infrastructure expansion, habitat fragmentation, pollution risks and increased human pressure associated with oil extraction pose serious threats to wetlands, wildlife corridors and community livelihoods in the Albertine Graben.
In this context, Yozenia’s work is especially significant. By safeguarding tree cover, restoring soils and maintaining ecological integrity, his land functions as a buffer against environmental degradation. His forest contributes to carbon sequestration, stabilises local rainfall patterns and protects biodiversity in a landscape facing unprecedented industrial pressure. His conservation model demonstrates how community led land stewardship can coexist with national development ambitions while reducing ecological harm and protecting long term public interest.
Beyond conservation, his agroforestry system generates strong and diversified livelihoods. According to him and his family, the shea trees alone generate an annual income of up to 10,000,000 Ugandan shillings, approximately 3,000 USD, through the production of vegetable oil. This oil holds deep cultural and nutritional value and supplies markets across the Albertine region, including Panyimur, Parombo, Nebbi, Arua and Lira in Uganda, as well as Mahagi, Djegu, Nyarambe, Mukambu and Ndrele across the Lendu Plateau in Ituri Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. His work sustains cross border trade networks that are rooted in traditional economies and local demand rather than extractive export models.
The ecological importance of shea trees extends well beyond income generation. A 2022 study published in Scientific African documents how bats, birds and insects rely on shea trees for food, while playing essential roles in pollination and seed dispersal. The study highlights the complex ecological relationships surrounding shea regeneration, noting that rodents, birds, humans and bats all contribute to dispersing seeds across the landscape. This natural regeneration process is clearly visible on Yozenia’s land, where seedlings emerge through multiple dispersal pathways, strengthening forest resilience and genetic diversity.
In addition to indigenous species, Yozenia has planted more than 11,000 mango trees. These trees produce over 3 truckloads of fruit per season, which he supplies to markets in Kampala, generating approximately 15,000,000 Ugandan shillings per season. This income directly supports household welfare, enabling access to education, healthcare and improved living standards, while reducing poverty through climate resilient agriculture. He has also planted over 400 cashew nut trees, representing an emerging livelihood opportunity for which he is actively seeking expanded market access.
His integrated agroforestry system supports livestock production alongside tree conservation. He maintains a corral with hundreds of cattle and keeps goats and poultry, including chickens, which further diversify household income and food security. This mixed system enhances soil fertility, improves moisture retention and strengthens resilience to climate variability. As a result, his land consistently outperforms surrounding farms in productivity. He is recognised locally as one of the strongest producers of cassava, maize, beans and sorghum, producing sufficient quantities to support his family and neighbouring communities.
Yozenia is also a member of the Ker Alur administrative council, where he serves as Minister of Land and Environment. In this role, he uses customary authority and public gatherings to educate communities on environmental protection, conservation ethics and responsible land use. His leadership bridges traditional governance and contemporary environmental challenges, reinforcing the role of customary institutions in safeguarding natural resources.
His project has created employment for community members, particularly in tree maintenance, harvesting and fire management. It has also established constructive relationships with government authorities and researchers, who regularly visit his land to collect seeds, observe regeneration processes and conduct agricultural experiments. These interactions position his land as a living laboratory for sustainable land management in the Albertine region.
Yozenia traces his environmental ethic back to childhood, when he accompanied his father into the forest while hunting. Those early experiences shaped his understanding of the land as a living system. He credits community radio programmes, notably Kilimo and No Cut No Kill on Terra FM, with reinforcing these values in later life. He often recalls his father’s words, which continue to guide his work, that the environment is life itself and that destroying it ultimately destroys human wellbeing.
To protect his forest during the dry season, he establishes fire lines annually and hires guards to patrol the boundaries of his land, reducing the risk of bushfires that threaten both biodiversity and livelihoods across the region. These preventative measures are increasingly important as climate change intensifies drought conditions and fire risk.
