Centre for International Forestry Research) and International Centre for Research on Agroforestry – World Agroforestry

AVA  signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)  in July 2025 with CIFOR-ICRAF whereby AVA will host a Rural Resource Centre (RCC) for the South Western sub-region of the Restore Africa (RESAF) Project  for restoring livelihoods and landscapes by Carbon Asset Management (CAM)  led by Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Uganda. CRS  Uganda is leading a consortium of partners to implement the RESAF program in Uganda. The program is part of the larger Restore Africa Program that will restore 1.9 million hectares of land, supporting 1.5 million smallholder farming families across six countries – Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia. The commitment, first announced by the Global EverGreening Alliance with Climate Asset Management at COP26 in Glasgow is one of the largest land restoration programs in the world and will significantly contribute to the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100), which aims to restore 100 million hectares of degraded land by 2030. CIFOR-ICRAF is part of the 15 CGIAR (Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research) Research Centres. CGIAR is a global partnership that unites international organizations engaged in research about food security. This partnership aims to reduce rural poverty, increase food security, improve human health and nutrition, and sustainable management of natural resources.

The region to be covered in South Western Uganda comprises of the following 9 districts: Kamwenge, Ibanda, Buhweju, Kabarole, Bunyangabu, Ntoroko, Bundibugyo, Kyenjojo, Kyegegwa. In this project, AVA will produce more between 100,000-150,000 good quality seedlings each year to be used in solving the most pressing global challenges of our time which are biodiversity loss, climate change, food sovereignty, livelihoods and inequity by restoring forests and agroforestry landscapes.