REFOREST is a Sida-funded Programme building forest science capacity in the Eastern and Southern Africa sub-regions through PhD-level training. Its main objective is to enhance the quality, relevance and reach of forest research for transformation of livelihoods and environment in…
By Solange Uwingabire PhD student under REFOREST Programme at Sokoine University of Agriculture Firewood scarcity In Rwanda, the combination of rising human population, inadequate species-user-site matching, insufficient tree management, and premature cutting, contributes to imbalance between wood supply and demand.…
By Vestine Mukamparirwa Assessing the use of biomass from Agroforestry tree species as organic fertilizer The majority of smallholder farmers in Eastern Africa lack the financial resources to purchase sufficient fertilizers to replace soil nutrients exported with harvested crop products.…
In developing countries, most people rely on tree biomass for cooking energy. In Rwanda, about 91% of households use tree biomass for cooking (MININFRA, 2018). However, due to the increased population, forests are becoming an unsustainable source of tree biomass.…
By Elias Nelly BAPFAKURERA Being so strongly dependent on agriculture for national revenue, domestic food security, energy, and employment but with scarce arable land, the only viable option for Rwanda is to focus on maximizing the use of its agricultural…
By Osvaldo Meneses PhD student under REFOREST Programme at Sokoine University of Agriculture Frequent and intense fires in miombo woodlands elevate its potential to impact climate change. Fires in the miombo directly result in GHG emission, thereby suppressing the woodland’s…
By David Kissa Ocama PhD student under REFOREST Programme at Sokoine University of Agriculture Tropical forests have complex ecological and environmental processes that maintain functionality as habitats for biodiversity conservation and sources of ecosystem goods and services. Key among the…
Supervisory visitation by Prof. Philip Nyeko, Prof. SAO Chamshama and Daniel Obua (student) with one of the Vitellaria paradoxa tree in the background which is one of the germplasm sources. Photo credit: Patrick Abwango Daniel Obua PhD student under REFOREST…
By Lemma Tiki PhD student under REFOREST Programme at Sokoine University of Agriculture Introduction My research activities in Ethiopia started in February, 2022 by preliminary field visit to Southeastern part of the country called Adaba-Dodola forest priority areas. Adaba-Dodola forest…
By Americo Manjate PhD student under REFOREST Programme at Sokoine University of Agriculture Miombo is one of the most extensive forest formations in Africa. Due to its resilience, this ecosystem has become the basis of subsistence for about 100 million…
BY JOSHUA STANLEY MAGUZU PhD student under REFOREST Programme at Sokoine University of Agriculture, December 2022 Introduction Plantation forestry in Tanzania (then Tanganyika) started during the German rule (1891-1914) with the establishment of nursery and field plantation trials. When the…
By Alberto António Manhiça (REG. NO. FSC/D/2020/0020) Ph.D. student under REFOREST Programme at Sokoine University of Agriculture INTRODUCTION Nowadays, conventional wood preservatives are under restrictions worldwide due to their detrimental effect on human health and the environment. Increasing concerns exist…
We are inviting interested applicants for two (2) Masters of Science scholarships strictly for female candidates for studies tenable in the Department of Forestry, Biodiversity and Tourism at Makerere University, Kampala. Read full details here: MSc. Call for Reforest Scholarships_2023
By Jacqueline Kajembe Ph.D. student under REFOREST Programme at Sokoine University of Agriculture Introduction Value chain analysis is increasingly perceived as an important aspect to agricultural business development. In Muheza and Morogoro there are several agricultural products including spices, maize,…
Tigabu Redae PhD student under REFOREST Programme at Sokoine University of Agriculture During my studies and at SUA in Tanzania, I got the opportunity to learn about various tropical ecosystems and their management and challenges. I got equipped with different…
By Nishimwe Gaudence (PhD student under REFOREST Programme at Sokoine University of Agriculture) Background of the study In Rwanda, the exceptionally high rate of population growth (insert the rate hereof about 2.4% annually) has resulted in negative impact on physical…
By Sintayehu Tamene Beyene – Hawassa, Ethiopia Introduction Potentially beneficial plants are becoming extinct worldwide largely due to a lack of effective documentation. In Ethiopia, the loss of indigenous medicinal plants could be attributed to secrecy maintained by the traditional…
By Christine Kalembe Mwanja PhD student under REFOREST Programme at Sokoine University of Agriculture The Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Uppsala Sweden, undertakes training and research in forestry and forest…
By Nanyika Kingazi PhD student under REFOREST Programme at Sokoine University of Agriculture Introduction Plant pollination by bio-agents is one of the most important ecosystem services essential for both natural ecosystems and crops. It is estimated that 87.5% of the…
By Joshua Stanley Maguzu – PhD student under REFOREST Programme at SUA Background This study is being conducted at Sao Hill and Shume forest plantations in Tanzania. The Sao Hill Forest Plantation (SHFP) is in Iringa Region in the Southern…
Tree phenology observation in the plot The world is experiencing increases in mean temperatures due largely to various anthropogenic polluting activities. This is leading to shifts in weather patterns and subsequently to climate changes at global scale. This trend is…
REFOREST students and their lecturers during an excursion in Mazumbai montane forest Western Usambara-Tanzania (Photo credit: Mazumbai staff) Forestry is the science or art of managing forests. There are two types of forests i.e. naturally grown (natural forests) and planted…
REFOREST students, their lecturers and Sauti Moja Village leaders during an excursion in Southern Tanzania (Photo credit: Alberto Manhica) In Tanzania, the forests are classified and managed under the following arrangement i.e. forests managed by the central government (16,610,581 ha),…
Sida funded REFOREST students and their lecturers during an excursion in Southern Highlands of Tanzania (Photo credit: QGEC staff) Tanzania being a middle-income country, is focusing more on industrialization to spur economic development. Forestry sector is one of the key…
Sida SUPPORTED REFOREST PROGRAMME STUDENTS WAITING FOR COVID 19 VACCINATION AT SUA HOSPITAL Sokoine University of Agriculture together with the REFOREST Programme organised voluntary vaccination for Forest Sciences PhD students. This was in response to a request made by the…
Above: REFOREST students and lecturers at Kilombero Sugar Company (Photo credit Alberto Manhica) Like all developing countries, Tanzania strives to enhance affordable, accessible and environmental friendly energy supply for its socio-economic development. The development of renewable energy has been of…
Reforest students and instructors at Amani Nature Reserve – Mbomole view (1050 m.a.s.l) (photo credit: Alberto Manhica) Tanzania’s rich biodiversity positions the country as one of the mega-biodiversity hotspots in the world. The coastal and Eastern Afromontane are of special…
PhD students and instructors from the Sida funded REFOREST Programme at Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) during the agroforestry field excursion to Morogoro and Dodoma regions. Background is the maize drought resistance experiment at Manyusi Village, Kongwa District (Photo credits:…
The REFOREST Programme organized a combined face-to face and zoom workshop from 20th to 22nd January 2021 to orientate resource persons involved in teaching the PhD courses during the first semester (January-June 2021). The 25 participants came from all the…
Group Photo: PhD Forest Sciences Students with various University Leaders during the opening session of the orientation week program (11th January 2021) A total of twenty deserving PhD Scholarship applicants were awarded REFOREST PhD scholarships to undertake the PhD Forest…
In May, 2020 REFOREST Programme hosted at Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) and supported by Sida announced a call for 20 PhD scholarships in Forest Sciences. Following this call, the programme received 334 applications (18% were female). REFOREST Programme Academic…
On 23rd May 2020, REFOREST Programme invited applications for PhD scholarships in Forestry supported by Sida and organized by the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Tourism at Sokoine University of Agriculture in partnership with Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences –…
SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE College of Forestry, Wildlife and Tourism – REFOREST Programme Background The College of Forestry, Wildlife and Tourism of the Sokoine University of Agriculture, is coordinating a regional research school in forest sciences (REFOREST) Programme (financed by…
