"It Takes a Village..." - BUNYONYI FOOD FOREST FOUNDATION (BFFF)

~ Current and Future Generations ~

Renewing Relations with Land, Water and People
Kashekye & Kyevu Community

“We need more local champions,
because these are the people who will become
decision-makers for their communities and countries”
(Dr. Gladys Kalema-Kikusoke, Uganda's first wildlife veterinarian)

Bunyonyi Food Forest Foundation (BFFF) recognizes the foundational role that Kashekye Village members play in sharing the history, needs, and visions for Food Security, Gender Equality, and Youth Education in this region. Kashekye Women, Youth, and Men are the key drivers and implementers of the various programs and initiatives on BFF Land.

Bunyonyi Food Forest Foundation is Committed to:

The intrinsic dignity of every person, their values and rights regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion or politics
The status, voice and visibility of women and young people in sustainable agriculture, conservation, and agribusiness
The inherent power of women and young people to create, nurture and transform
Gender equality, knowing that positive, sustainable change needs to include the sharing of decision-making, advocacy, and power of all genders

Kashekye dance after
BFFF Fieldwork

We understand that the wellness of Kashekye community goes hand-in-hand with the promotion of biodiversity, environmental relations, and mutually beneficial relationships with nature and neighbouring Batwa community(ies).

Indigenous - Batwa (Kyevu) - Community

Bunyonyi Food Forest Foundation is Committed to:

Reconciling with "conservation" efforts that have removed and displaced Indigenous inhabitants who depended upon, and contributed to, the health of these very environments
Respecting, acknowledging, and including Indigenous wisdom when planning, implementing, and disseminating

           "The songs of the "Pygmies" are the oldest to continually be sung, and their relationship to their forest represents
                                               the oldest and one of the very few truly sustainable societies on Earth....
                                                               We are the children of the forest... When it dies, we die"
                                                                           (Henley & Tumwesigye, Batwa: Exiles of the Impenetrable Forest, p. 139)

Forest Community

Bunyonyi Food Forest Foundation is Committed to:

Environmental Rejuvenation is at the core of all BFFF programs. We have the best, most committed community on the ground, and this dedication extends to the building of relationships with other living systems (of which human survival depends upon). Without this, any attempts for sustainable food security will be short-lived
We recognize that Conservation efforts are incomplete without Nature Relations, and that such efforts were not needed in regions where Indigenous peoples coexisted naturally for thousand of years within forest systems
The interdependent health needs of land, water, air, and people bring reciprocal, long-term benefits for current and future generations