Tonthoza Uganja

Tonthoza "Tontho" Uganja is a Malaiwan ecopreneur, agroforestry expert and environmental researcher. She is the founder and chief executive officer of Sustainable Farming Solutions (SFS), a social enterprise that combines restoration science and nature-based carbon finance to combat land degradation in Malawi. Uganja also serves as a lecturer in Forestry at the School of Environmental & Natural Sciences, Bangor University.

Early life and education Uganja pursued her undergraduate education at Mzuzu University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in forestry. Uganja went on to attend Bangor University in Wales, where she completed a Master of Science (MSc) in Tropical Forestry; she was awarded the Peter Henry Award for the Best Dissertation in Tropical Drylands. She later returned to Bangor University to pursue a PhD focused on monitoring forestry landscape restoration interventions.

Uganja founded Sustainable Farming Solutions (SFS) in 2019. SFS is a Malawian farmer-first organisation that uses agroforestry and restoration to improve smallholder livelihoods. She leads land restoration across degraded landscapes with strong monitoring, transparent benefit sharing and a focus on women's leadership. Uganja is also co-developing Smart-Tree, a digital monitoring and traceability platform that supports credible reporting and fairer access to nature-based finance for farmers.

Awards and fellowships Uganja's contributions to sustainable food systems and landscape restoration have earned her international recognition:

2026 African Visionary Fellow, Segal Family Foundation Schlumber Faculty for the Future Fellow: Awarded to support her doctoral scientific research 2024 AGRA's Value4Her Rising Star Award for Southern Africa