From February 2009 to April 2009 a Nordeco consultant together with three national consultants carried out the “end term evaluation” of the 4 year EMPAFORM (Strengthening and Empowering Civil Society for Participatory Forest Management in East Africa) Programme that CARE Danmark together with local partners is implementing in East Africa. The purpose of the evaluation was to ensure accountability to main stakeholders and sieve out lessons for the future.

EMPAFORM is a joint venture of national and international NGOs focusing on participatory forest management in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.  The partners include FAN, KEFRI and CARE Kenya in Kenya, TFCG and CARE Tanzania in Tanzania, and BUCODO, ACODE and CARE Uganda in Uganda. The programme is funded by the EU Tropical forest Budget Line and is attempting to promote a pro-poor approach to the management and conservation of natural forests. Community Based Organisations (CBOs) have been the primary target groups, and by strengthening and empowering these organizations the programme aims at make the implementation of new forest policies in the three countries more demand driven, and more equitable in addressing the interests and rights of poor men, women and children.

Participatory Forest Management (PFM) is essentially the involvement of local communities supported in the management and conservation of forests and forest lands with appropriate user rights as incentives. In Tanzania PFM was initiated in 1990 with Uganda and Kenya starting some years later. However, due to the different social, political and geographical realities PFM has developed into three slightly different models in the three East African countries. Through the regional component the EMPAFORM Programme has facilitated cross learning and initiatives in all three countries.