Shea Butter Cooperative Launches Restoration Drive to Save Northern Uganda’s Shea Trees

22 June 2026, 4:58 pm

By Michael Oboke

Okere Shea Butter Cooperative in Okere Parish, Adwari Sub County, Otuke District, Northern Uganda has launched an environmental restoration project aimed at reversing the rapid decline of Shea trees while strengthening livelihoods of smallholder farmers.

The initiative, implemented in partnership with Palladium Group’s Climate Smart Jobs through Wiigot platform, seeks to raise and distribute one million Shea tree seedlings to farmers by 2030 after regenerating 100,000 Shea trees, with 50,000 already established in the nursery beds under the project this year.

Speaking during a media tour of the project site that brought together journalists and content creators from Lango, Acholi and West Nile on the sidelines of the Climate Smart Jobs, Ojok Okello the cooperative Chief Executive Officer, said the intervention is a response to the alarming loss of Shea tree cover across Northern Uganda.

According to estimates by the National Forestry Authority (NFA), the region’s 19 Shea-growing districts lost about 55% of their Shea tree cover between 2000 and 2020.

Following the decline, Agago District, now remains with the highest concentration of Shea trees at 38 trees per hectare, followed by Kitgum with 35 trees per hectare and Otuke with 30 trees per hectare.

Ojok Okello attributed the decline largely to charcoal burning and uncontrolled bushfires.

He said Shea wood is highly prized for producing premium charcoal, making the trees a frequent target for commercial charcoal traders.

Ojok Okello added that the cooperative exported 18 metric tonnes of Shea butter to the United States of America last year further stating that conserving the species is critical for Uganda’s participation in the growing global Shea butter market.

According to Ojok Okello, the global demand for Shea butter has increased by an estimated 600 percent over the last two decades and continues to grow annually.

Ojok Okello emphasized that Uganda’s Shea sector is uniquely positioned as it produces the rare East African Shea variety known as Nilotica, found mainly in Uganda, South Sudan and Ethiopia.

This shows that Uganda has the most developed value chain for Nilotica Shea butter, giving the country a competitive advantage in international markets.

Climate Smart Job Uganda’s Ecosystem Service Specialist Solomon Etany stated that beyond tree planting, the project is promoting Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR), training farmers to protect naturally growing Shea trees.

Under this initiative, more than 1,500 farmers are being supported with seedlings, conservation skills and tools.

Etany applauded the Project managers for integrating beekeeping into conservation efforts, citing evidence that increased bee populations improve Shea tree pollination and fruit production for sustainable environmental restoration and rural economic development in Northern Uganda.

The cooperative nursery bed currently hosts thousands of indigenous and fruit tree seedlings, including 50,000 Shea seedlings, 30,000 Terminalia Superba, 20,000 Gymnantia borealis, 3,000 guava seedlings and 2,000 baobab seedlings