Climate Curve

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Project Summary / Description:

The Royal Farms Initiative (RFI) is an active, youth-led climate solution in northern Uganda’s Acholi sub-region. Since 2023, AIAS has awarded 570 full scholarships to disadvantaged youth from all 57 chiefdoms which spreads through all the 8 districts of Acholi, training them in climate-smart agriculture.
The current expansion (2026–2030) directly integrates large-scale agroforestry and beekeeping to halt deforestation and cut emissions:
•	500,000 native trees planted for carbon sequestration and habitat restoration
•	2,500 modern beehives deployed to recover Apis mellifera scutellata populations and boost pollination
•	Sustainable honey and tree-product enterprises that replace charcoal-based livelihoods (the primary driver of forest loss in Acholi)
•	Expanded paid work-study program keeping vulnerable students in school
By transforming graduates into agroforestry entrepreneurs who co-manage Chiefdoms’ Royal Farms, RFI delivers measurable GHG reductions through avoided deforestation, active sequestration, and permanent livelihood substitution across eight districts.

How Project Affects Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions:

['Removes/stores GHGs (e.g., projects that capture, sequester, or otherwise enhance the "sinks" that accumulate and store GHGs)']

Impact on Underrepresented Groups:

The Royal Farms Initiative centers groups historically excluded from climate leadership:
•	Youth (primary focus): 570 scholarships deliberately target disadvantaged, post-conflict Acholi youth (average age 18–25), 48 % female, from rural households below the poverty line.
•	Women and girls: Minimum 45 % female beneficiaries (current cohort 48 %), with deliberate recruitment of female-headed households and orphans. Women lead half of the new Royal Farms and dominate hive management roles due to cultural acceptance.
•	Climate-vulnerable, indigenous Acholi communities: All beneficiaries are indigenous Acholi from the eight most climate-stressed districts in Uganda, directly affected by drought, floods, and deforestation.
•	Representation in leadership: 60 % of AIAS senior staff and field coordinators are Acholi; three of five key RFI leaders (Topaco Caroline, Sarah Atim, and community engagement team) are Acholi women. Traditional chiefs (ker kal kwaro) co-govern site selection and enforcement, ensuring local ownership.
By transforming the region’s most marginalized demographic—post-conflict youth—into paid climate entrepreneurs who own farms and carbon assets, RFI places underrepresented voices at the forefront of decision-making and benefit distribution.