More Than a Spice: Cinnamon Opens New Opportunities for Small Farmers in Uganda
Cinnamon is particularly popular with us when temperatures drop. However, the tropical "wonder tree" needs warmth to grow. It finds this warmth in the Ugandan community forest funded by the FLSK Future Fund. Learn how cinnamon cultivation there is sustainably changing people's lives.
Cinnamon from Uganda: A Success Story from the Community Forest
A sprinkle over the milk foam of your cappuccino or as a topping for your morning apple porridge – we love cinnamon! The "soul-soothing" spice adds a warming, slightly sweet note to dishes and drinks and can even have an anti-inflammatory effect.
In Uganda, not only the powder from the bark is traditionally used, but also other parts of the cinnamon tree: the leaves for tea, the root for medicine, and the branches as firewood. The Gabula family, with the help of Kasuku Organics, has built a successful economic independence based on this. Thanks to cinnamon, the Gabulas can afford a good education for their six children.
One Tree, Many Opportunities
The Gabula family lives in the Wakiso district, where the GLS Future Foundation, together with the partner organization Kasuku Organics, launched the Community Forest Project. Local small farmers receive advice, support, and training opportunities to manage the forest sustainably.
The family's cinnamon production is a wonderful example of the enormous impact of these measures. Initially, the Gabulas planted around 2,000 cinnamon trees on 2.6 hectares in the community forest and mainly sold the leaves and branches. As part of the project, they developed a plan to market the much more lucrative cinnamon powder extracted from the bark. This was made possible by seminars on harvesting techniques, hygienic storage, quality management, packaging, and labeling offered on site.
Today, the Gabula family is proud to run their own family business and even send their older children to university. And we are very happy that we can support the community forest in Uganda through the FLSK Future Fund and make a real difference for so many people.
Learn more about the FLSK Future Fund and the projects we support.
Image sources: GLS Future Foundation for Development