News published: 27 October 2025

From October 20^th to 24^th the 6^th World Congress on Agroforestry 2025 took place in Kigali, Rwanda, under the main theme ‘Agroforestry for People, Planet & Profit.’ The Congress brought together global stakeholders to exchange knowledge, foster collaboration, and advance research and practices in agroforestry systems, natural resource management, and climate change adaptation for sustainable and resilient agroecosystems.

BGCI and BGCI Africa participated in the Congress and, together with the Consortium Leader CIFOR-ICRAF, organised a side event titled “Scaling Native Tree Seed Systems for Agroforestry and Landscape Restoration: RTRP-Seed Project Implementation in Rwanda through National Partnerships”.

The event aimed to introduce the project’ scope and present the activity plans of both consortium partners and national partners in Rwanda. Under the project, CIFOR-ICRAF will work with two partners, the Rwanda Forestry Authority (RFA) and One Acre Fund (OAF). RFA will focus on strengthening the quality of the national tree seed production system through activities such as establishing breeding seed orchards and characterizing existing seed sources. One Acre Fund (OAF) is committed to improving both the quality and quantity of native tree species seeds. Their contribution will include providing land to establish breeding seed orchards for priority species, characterizing existing seed sources, and supplying species distribution data to help validate species suitability maps.

BGCI will work with the Center of Excellence for Biodiversity (CoEB)  and the Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association (RWCA). The Center of Excellence for Biodiversity (CoEB) will contribute with a strong research component, particularly through its biodiversity science programs, leveraging the Rwanda Biodiversity Information System (RBIS) to provide taxonomic expertise and develop species mapping to support evidence-based selection of native species for diverse agroforestry applications. The Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association (RWCA), will instead bring a community-based approach, ensuring that restoration efforts align with wildlife habitat requirements and training seed collector groups in appropriate seed procurement techniques that safeguard species conservation while providing adequate supply and quality of native tree species.

During the event around 60 people have also discussed about key points and challenges for the integration of Native Tree Species (NTS) in Agroforestry initiatives, the importance of policies and existing gaps and what the RTRP-Seed project should do to support enabling a better integration of NTS.

BGCI’s national partner in Uganda, Tooro Botanical Gardens (TBG), also participated in the Conference and delivered a session titled: “The Right Tree in the Right Place: Adopting the Global Biodiversity Standard Mentoring Scheme to Enhance Positive Outcomes for Biodiversity, Ecosystems, and Communities in Agroforestry Systems.”