The transformation began in 2019, born from Ngobi’s memory of the rapid deforestation that followed the sugarcane trade in his youth. Today, his School Food Forest Initiative has established eight forests across the districts of Kalangala, Namutumba, and Kiboga. At each site, the schoolyard is no longer a dusty clearing but a living laboratory where 564 teachers and hundreds of students cultivate indigenous seedlings and medicinal plants.
The work is practical as much as it is ecological. In Uganda, where the national government does not fund universal school meals, many children sit through lessons on empty stomachs. By integrating fruit trees and vegetable plots into the school grounds, the initiative provides a direct source of food. Mary Mukyaala, the team’s environmental educator, walks among the rows of saplings, telling the stories of the land to children who are learning that a forest can be a pantry as well as a sanctuary.
The initiative’s inclusion in the Global Landscapes Forum (GLFx) in early 2026 marks a shift from a local struggle to a recognized chapter of a global network. For Mutungi Trevor, the project’s agronomist, and Aisha Kayera, the community liaison, this means access to the seed funding and technical support required to scale their model. They are now training farmers in sustainable agroforestry, moving away from the monocultures that have historically depleted the island’s soil.
Among the species being reintroduced is the African Blackwood. It is a slow-growing tree, requiring seven decades to reach its full height. To plant one is an act of profound patience and an admission that the true harvest belongs to a generation yet to be born. In the nurseries of Kiboga and Kalangala, Ngobi and his team are not merely planting trees; they are restoring the possibility of a future where the children of Uganda do not have to watch their horizon disappear.