Abstract:

This book is the fourth in a series covering the countries of East Africa published with support from SIDA through the Regional Soil Conservation Unit. The corresponding handbook for Kenya was published by ICRAF in 1992 with financial support from SIDA and technical input from RSCU professionals. The succeeding volumes for Ethiopia and Tanzania were published by RSCU in 1993 and 1994, respectively, and produced in close collaboration with relevant institutions and individuals in each country. The major aims of these handbooks are to document the useful tree and shrub species of the region and to provide information to subject-matter specialists, extension workers, institutions and farmers on species that have production and conservation potential for small-scale farmers in the region. The present book covering Uganda contains even more species than the earlier ones, mainly due to three factors. Firstly, Uganda is extremely rich in tropical species. Secondly, RSCU found a Ugandan co-author, A-B. Katende, who has an enormous amount of knowledge about the trees of Uganda; knowledge that he willingly made available for the production of the book. Thirdly, more forest species have been covered than in the earlier books which concentrated more on the agricultural and pastoral settings. With growing worldwide interest in the Uganda rain-forest ecosystems, the authors felt it was important also to include species from a biodiverstity conservation point of view. Thus the size of this book rnay not be as handy as one would wish, but RSCU felt it was important to include as much of the available information as possible. Bo Tengnas, a former RSCU staff member now working as an agroforestry consultant, and Ann Birnie, a Nairobi-based botanist, teacher and illustrator, have contributed substantially to the production of the book and done the technical editing. Mrs Birnie has also organized all the illustrations. RSCU publishes this handbook in the hope that it will be widely used by individuals, extension workers and educational and research institutions in order to foster a greater interest in the growing and management of a wide range of trees and shrubs as part of the development of sustainable farming systems in different ecological zones of Uganda.