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  Uganda – the Pearl of Africa  – is home to some of the most beautiful forests in Africa. Uganda was blessed with a near perfect climate , rains twice yearly. However due to population growth, the forests are being destroyed at alarming rates. Many areas that were densely forested have become denuded. One such area is the Diocese of  Bunyoro Kitara in Uganda in near to the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. Bishop Nathan Kyamanywa, known as the “Bishop of the Trees”  had the vision of reforesting his Diocese and set up a programme with the support of the Alliance for Religions and Conservation.  The Mothers Union have taken up the dream of  a green Diocese. MU members were trained by foresters to plant the seeds, do the potting, and care for seedlings. They also learned entrepreneur skills. Once the beds have been prepared, the women are given seeds, either hard wood such as mahogany, or fast growers such as eucalyptus or pine. Six parishes are involved in the project , which involves over 100 women. Once the seedlings have grown the trees are distributed to the community . Hard wood trees such a mahogany since they take 80 years to grow to maturity. Fast growers are distributed in the community. A small percentage of the sales cost  goes to the women involved in the project. Since the project started 18 months ago, they have managed to plant 35000 trees and another 35000 seedlings are being grown. In the Diocese, when a child is baptized or confirmed the family must plant a tree as a symbol of their spiritual growth and care for God’s creation. “This project is very nice because our area was formally a forested area, but it has become deforested. I get so encouraged when I see people planting a forest again! It makes the Mother Union proud to know that their organization is making a difference” Rev Kavuya Joram Rev Kavuya Joram is  attending the international workshop on Faith- based farming and sustainable land mananagement in  Mukono , Uganda.

  Climate change is impacting the most vulnerable people in Africa, subsistence farmers. As soil becomes more degraded and yields fail, farmers move into more land, which poses a growing  threat in terms of deforestation. The Anglican Church in Kenya has embraced “Farming God’s Way ” as a way to improve food security. This methodology of faith based agriculture started 30 years ago in Zimbabwe and has spread to 20 countries. In the face of climate change it is becoming a very important strategy. It is based on theological principles learned from God, the first farmer! Farming is seen as part of worship and should be done in a way that honours God. The value of God’s creation is emphasized in the protection of the eco-system.  The soil is disturbed as little as possible to protect worms and micro organisms (minimal tillage). Mulch is used (God’s blanket) to preserve water and release nutrients into the soil.  Trees are grown to produce natural fertilisers and soil and natural pollinators such as bees , butterflies and birds are attracted to the system once pesticides are no longer used. The Anglian Church of Kenya and Uganda has embraced Farming God’s Way in order to break the yoke of food insecurity. “I am the  regional development coordinator of  the Anglican Development  Services , Mount Kenya (five Dioceses) , in partnership with  the Alliance for Religions and Conservation. We  selected the area with the most degraded soils for this project.  We train in “farmers field schools”, firstly, trainers of trainers (TOTs) are selected who mentor nine farmers each. Exposure visits are arranged since seeing in believing. We have had a lot of success, their yields have increased. The demand has been overwhelming.  We began with 500 households and have upscaled to 3500 households! One farmer shared how before doing Farming Gods way he used to get one bag of maize from half an acre and when he used this method his yield increased to ten bags”– Kennedy Gichira – Anglican Development Services – Mount Kenya Kennedy Gichira is attending the  International workshop on Faith Based Farming and Sustainable Land Management in Mukono Uganda, hosted by the Alliance for Religions and Conservation  

Green Anglicans “Movers and Shakers” Camp The weekend of September 19 to September 21 marked the first Green Anglican Camp in Glencairn, attracting members of the Dioceses of Cape Town, Saldanha Bay, and False Bay. The weekend paralleled the Climate March in New York, where more than 400,000 people showed in support of new standards and demands at the UN Climate Summit. The camp was held at Glencairn, surrounded by wetlands, mountain and ocean, and was an awesome setting to experience God’s creation. On the first day, campers learned about the surrounding ecosystems with a devotional walk led by Fr. Bob Commin, we spent time in the wetlands leading to the ocean and practiced personal prayer, taking in the sound and feeling of nature while having a conversation with God. We then proceeded to pick up litter along the beach and train tracks, as a way to join the worldwide Climate March and do our part in beautifying God’s creation. Our afternoon was filled with opportunities – we headed to Simon’s Town, we were met by a boat where we were able to see some sea life, followed by a talk about the status of the marine conservation and protected areas, we were also able to experience some of the other services at the marina, like the National Sea Rescue Institute. For me a personal highlight as a new arrival from the US was interacting with the African penguins! On the final day we ended with a labyrinth walk through the beautiful vegetation in the shade of the mountains. It was great to see the diversity of the group who bonded through prayer, walking, and laughter. There was a real sense of excitement about bringing the lessons back to churches and dioceses and to share a better understanding of the environment and the challenges of climate change. Everyone was able to share the strategies they learned and their plans to improve the practices and understanding of the environment at their own churches. It’s fantastic to see so many people inspired to be a change and make a difference to keep our ecosystems healthy. The youth really want to make a difference and reach out to make others be stewards of the environment as well. A few comments from some of the campers “All my life I didn’t care about animals and I never appreciated the importance of the creation of god especially the trees”. “I learnt about the importance of the sea, life and how they are becoming extinct and that it’s different from farming because we don’t plough back there we just take, take and never think about the future and food becoming more expensive.” “We may speak different languages, come from different cultures but our love for ministry and God are the same. Our hearts beats as one.”   Willie Lutes is an intern with Green Anglicans from the Diocese of South Dakota. He is part of the Young Adult Service Corps of the Episcopal Church.