Briefing Paper

Marginalization of Environment and Natural Resources Sub-Sector Undermining the Economic Base and Entrenching Poverty in Uganda

“Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) constitute a significant economic base of
Uganda and will remain so in the future. While the causes of poverty in Uganda can
be attributed to many other factors, environmental degradation and mismanagement
of the natural resources remain major obstacles to enhanced agricultural productivity and income generation for the rural population. Natural resources such as soils, forests, wetlands, fisheries, water, rangelands and minerals, among others, are
the principal sources of income for the rural poor. Therefore, to achieve pro-poor
economic growth, poor economies should build on the natural resource assets available to the poor. “