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Right Tree, Right Place – Seed Project (RTRP-Seed)

Right Tree, Right Place – Seed Project (RTRP-Seed)

Duration: August 2022 - December 2029

Supplying high-quality seeds and seedlings of native tree species to scale up landscape restoration in sub-Saharan Africa

Description

The project addresses the prevailing challenges of African countries to meet their ambitious forest landscape restoration pledges under the Bonn Challenge and AFR100, and their national climate and biodiversity targets. In Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Uganda the project seeks to improve the very low availability of high-quality seed and seedlings of native tree species for a diverse range of sites and purposes. Activities focus on enhancing the enabling environment for tree seed and seedling production, building functioning seed/seedling supply systems and involving the public and private sector in mobilising tree seed/seedling uptake through appropriate business models, best practice model nurseries and targeted training. The project facilitates an Africa wide partnership platform with innovative knowledge management and various networks to disseminate the results and knowledge. The main objective of the project is to strengthen the efforts of the four selected African countries with their ambitious FLR pledges to implement their restoration targets by ensuring a sustainable supply of native tree seed (NTS) planting material. This addresses one of the principle bottlenecks for achieving their NDC, NBSAP, LDN and SDG targets through tree planting. The main beneficiaries of the project are the growers and farmers that plant trees for timber, food and a multitude of other purposes; rural custodians, small-scale enterprises, nurseries, national tree seed centres (TSCs), networks, private and public cooperatives in the tree seed supply sector; government agencies and relevant authorities; research organisations and civil society organizations.

The wide use of inferior-quality tree planting material with a focus on exotic species has resulted in poor outcomes for biodiversity, carbon sequestration, climate resilience and livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa.

Building on decades of research and practical experience in tree-planting for landscape restoration, and on extensive partner networks, the Right Tree in the Right Place – Seed (RTRP-Seed) initiative will enhance landscape restoration in Africa by ensuring a sustainable supply of high-quality seeds and seedlings of a diverse range of native tree species.

Working with international, national and local partners, the project will through evidence-based interventions help African countries to meet their landscape restoration pledges under the Bonn Challenge and the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100). International implementing partners are Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) and Unique Land Use GmbH, while the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) supports up- and out-scaling of developments.

Contact us

Photo of Ramni Jamnadass

Ramni Jamnadass

Principal Investigator

About the project

RTRP-Seed primarily operates in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, with some activities in addition in Burkina Faso. Working closely with national partners, RTRP-Seed focuses on four key areas of tree seed and seedling sector development in these countries. First it supports an enabling environment for the tree seed sector in project countries, including of the right policies and institutional relationships; second it builds capacity in native tree species seed supply, including in high-quality seed sources and in decision-support tools; third it introduces new business models for tree nurseries supplying native tree seedlings, including in matching and linking nursery seedling production to demand; and fourth it builds platforms for learning and partnerships, to scale up lessons from immediate project countries to the whole of sub-Saharan Africa.

Supplying high-quality seeds and seedlings from a diverse range of native trees is crucial for ensuring progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG13 (combatting climate change and its impacts); SDG 15 (protecting, restoring and promoting the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems); and SDG2 (ending hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture).

Photo by Axel Fassio/CIFOR-ICRAF

Details

Project locations

Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda

Project duration

August 2022 - December 2029
(7 years, 5 months)

Thematic areas

  • Theme 1: Trees and Forest Genetic Resources & Biodiversity (TREES)

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

  • Zero hunger
  • Life on land

Transformative Partnership Platforms (TPP)

  • Transforming the quality of tree planting (TQTP): a platform for ensuring restoration and agroforestry success through partnership with pantropical planters

Research team

Lars Graudal

Senior Advisor

Roeland Kindt

Senior ecologist

Ian K. Dawson

Associate Fellow

Erick Nganga Ng’ethe

Theme Trees Program, Partnerships and Data

Kimberly Merten

Knowledge and Learning Coordinator

Strategic partners

Funding partners