Joseph Oken transforms his land into a thriving, diverse agroforestry ecosystem

Oken is an avid contributor to the Pur em Tekowo radio show on Jambo FM. Oken’s transformation has proven that with the right knowledge, an open mind, and a dedication to the earth, a farmer can secure both his family’s future and environmental sustainability. Lamwo, Uganda | NEWS CORRESPONDENT | For many, retirement means slowing down.

But for Joseph Oken, a former soldier residing in Kaliro Village in Lamwo District, hanging up the uniform in 2015 marked the beginning of sustainable agriculture. Today, Oken is not just a farmer, he is an environmental steward, an entrepreneur, and a role model for his community. Through hard work and strategic partnerships, he has transformed his land into a thriving, multi-income ecosystem.

Joseph’s agricultural evolution took a massive leap forward through his involvement with ECOTRUST. The organization provided him with 100 mahogany seedlings and invaluable training that shifted his entire approach to the land. He has gained knowledge across a wide spectrum of essential disciplines, including sustainable land management practices like afforestation, soil fertility, and conservation, integrated crop management and livestock management, and socio-economic skills, and gender-relation dynamics.

Beyond field training, Joseph became an avid contributor to the Pur em Tekowo radio show on Jambo FM. This platform enabled him to interact directly with agricultural experts, sharpening his skills and inspiring him to build a resilient farm with multiple revenue streams. Multiple revenue streams Oken’s farm perfectly shows how agroforestry works by combining trees, crops, and livestock on the same land.

He nurtures a flourishing woodlot of over 700 trees, including black teak, mangoes, and his newly planted mahogany. He doesn’t let the space between these trees go to waste, instead, he practices smart intercropping by growing beans within the forested areas and integrating beehives for honey production. One of Oken’s biggest revelations was learning the hidden dangers of bush burning, a traditional method he once used to clear crop residues.

“When I was practicing bush burning, I noticed that all the living organisms in the soil were gone, and the color of my plants was changing for the worse,” Oken recalls. Today, he and his children work together to lay crop residues back into the garden as mulch.