VOL. XI, NO. 1
SPRING, 2004
Reporting from Uganda
KEEP Shows Improved Tree Cover and Soil Productivity As the rains begin in early March, this season’s tree planting is not the only thing on Moses Kibuuka’s mind. With his country in civil unrest, tens of thousands of children having been abducted, HIV running rampant, and a group of orphans under his wing, Moses and Kikandwa Episcopal Environmental Project (KEEP) have their work cut out. “The 1995 Uganda Constitution provides that every person has the right to a clean and healthy environment,” says Moses. Working to make that ideal a reality, KEEP and its 120 members are working in 12 villages. They planted over 15,000 Leucaena and Moringa trees last season - the seeds of which came from TREES – in addition to Calliandra, Ficus and Pinus species, totaling almost 30,000 trees in 2003. “With limited human resources and few assets, the association has made an appreciable impact,” claims Moses. KEEP’s goal of improving environmental resources and alleviating poverty of rural Kikandwa is absolutely necessary for an area facing unprecedented rates of deforestation, soil degradation, and destruction of its pockets of wetlands. By training local farmers at its large tree nursery and demonstration site, KEEP has helped locals to significantly increase tree cover around the regions farms, reducing the pressure on local forest resources.
Moses Kibuuka, sitting with a local volunteer (above) and baptizing orphans (below) is training farmers to grow and plant tens of thousands of trees.
KEEP’s program is working. Kikandwa has experienced reduced incidences of charcoal burning and illegal tree cutting from government forests, and farmers who have planted trees in lines around their fields are noticing increased productivity of their field crops, primarily corn and beans. Through a monitoring and evaluation process designed by TREES, Moses, Professor Bukenya Mohamed, a member of the Faculty of Forestry and Nature Conservation at Makerere University, and the KEEP members have identified two main problems. The first is a lack of sound technical knowledge of nursery management, which TREES is addressing with continued support of seeds, training materials, and copies of manuals for improved nursery management. The second is a lack of financial resources for
Page 1 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XI, No. 1 Spring, 2004
(continued on page 3)
Focus on International Fire Control Philippine Report: The Solid Green Walls The dry season in Southeast Asia's mountains is long and hot. This is especially true where the forests have been cleared - that's almost everywhere in the Philippines where only 2% of the original forests remain. Nature protects these barren lands with a rank grass, Imperata cylindrica, locally called Talahib. It's thick and tough and can grow on poor and degraded soils to a height of more than 10 feet. When the uplands get hot and dry, it's almost explosive. Then all it takes is one spark. This happened during the "El Ni単o" in 1998. For weeks, smoke from the fires blackened the skies from Jakarta to Singapore to Manila, killing thousands. Each year the grass fires wipe out hundreds of upland villages and have been the end of many well-intentioned reforestation projects. Orchards of mango and other fruit trees are especially susceptible and, from bad experiences, farmers have learned to build firebreaks to save their fruit. These are "living" firebreaks. They are about 40 feet wide, consisting of about 7 rows of trees that stay green and cool during the dry season. The shaded land beneath them maintains lush undergrowth making a solid, cool and green barrier about 20 feet high. When these breaks are planted in gridworks, they can stop almost any grass fire. They work because they quickly become solid green walls. One reason for this, and for their popularity in the community, is this undergrowth. Under the protection of these trees people can plant many other food crops: papaya, bananas, pineapple, different root crops. The continuing leaf fall from the trees fertilizes and shades them while holding moisture on the land. This project, begun by TREES Technician Gabby Mondragon in the northwest Philippines is teaching this technology to the people of the upland villages. He's getting help from nearby Magsaysay Technological University, from various government agencies, and from a fast- growing number of local NGO's. The demonstration farm he started with TREES serves 23 upland villages scattered over an area of thousands of acres. We're helping people work together to turn the brown mountains green again.
Stopping Fires with Cashew Trees on the Senegal-Gambia Border Brush fires, frequently caused in the sahel by cigarettes, inexperienced apiculturalists, and animal herders camping in the bush, wreak havoc on dryland Africa, especially now from March to June. The Dankou Forest, located on both sides of the border between Senegal and Gambia, is no exception. Brush fires develop into larger forest fires, and you can be sure that residents of each country blame the other side. The solution: Three lines of cashew trees, Anacardium occidentale, spaced ten meters apart, which were planted in 2001. Cashew trees develop a thick, full crown, blocking most of the light from reaching the under-story. This inhibits many grasses and shrubs from growing underneath. Furthermore, the cashew tree has medium sized, waxy leaves, which blanket the ground beneath the parent trees, further excluding growth of other vegetation. When a fire advances, the waxy leaves on the tree resist igniting, and with no where to pass underneath, the fire stops. One argument against using cashew trees in firebreaks is the flammable, caustic cyanic acid that must be roasted off the nuts before consumption, but nevertheless, cashews make a good firebreak. As soon as the trees are mature in another couple years, Senegalese and Gambians will no longer be able to point fingers at each other as to who started the fire. (See the Winter 2003 article on Desertification for more about sahelian Agroforestry).
Without a thick barrier of trees to contain it, locals in Senegal will have a difficult time containing this fire with rakes and shovels . Page 2 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XI, No. 1 Spring, 2004
(Uganda—continued from page 1) transporting seedlings, nursery care, and planting supplies, for which KEEP is now asking all of its local members to make small contributions. In country, KEEP has found Moses to be a valuable asset for local technical knowledge. In spite of Uganda’s civil unrest, Moses has managed to keep in touch with TREES on nearly a weekly basis. KEEP and TREES are constantly trading questions and new ideas – What can we do about this fungus or insect? Do you know about this tree? Can you send more seeds and training videos? Looking ahead, TREES is working to build a larger East Africa program, so that we can supply the on-site training in agroforestry and incomegenerating projects that Moses, KEEP, and the rest of our 12 projects in Uganda desperately need. “Only local people can solve their own problems. By working with women, important stakeholders in the environment, we believe that a lot will be achieved,” says Moses, and with the right technical plannin g, w e wh ole-he arte dl y a gre e .
KEEP’s nursery of Pinus sp. (right) and thousands of Leucaena seedlings (below).
News from the Ruppe Center E-NEWSLETTER SIGN UP & TELL A FRIEND Our members often suggest that we could save money and trees by sending the Johnny Ipil-Seed Newsletter by e-mail. An electronic version, the Johnny Ipil Online, will be available soon. Send us your email addresses! For those of you (like Dave) having trouble coming to grips with the 21st century, don’t worry; we will continue to mail Johnny Ipil-Seed News to you each quarter. With members as loyal as you, we don’t want to make any sudden changes. But the idea is good, and we want to reach as many people as we can. And so we will soon offer Johnny Ipil Online, as well as updates from the field to keep you aware of what your organization is accomplishing. It also gives you a way to play a bigger role in developing our program. All this will be an additional service to our members at no cost. If you are interested, please send us your email address, either by calling or emailing it through the ‘Contact Us’ section of our web site.
THE NEW ONLINE RUPPE CENTER CALLS FOR TECHNICAL INFO http://www.treesftf.org/techinfo.htm From the quality of questions and suggestions we receive from our members, we know you have plenty of knowledge and experience useful for the project leaders, Peace Corps Volunteers, and other technicians in the field. Many TREES members are experts in a variety of fields. The numbers of people in developing countries accessing the internet increases everyday, and many are accessing the ‘Technical Info’ page on the TREES website. By posting as much useful information as possible, we hope to instantly support sustainable agriculture and agroforestry workers with the knowledge they need. Now is your chance to transfer your stored experience to those who need it. Two pages with a couple pictures should serve as a great training aid. Important topics are listed on the web site. Remember, your experiences, observations, and hints are just as important as textbook details. We’ll post training sheets on the new online Ruppe Center and translate them into Spanish, French, Amharic, Wolof, Tagalog, Visayan, Ewe, Hindi . . .
Page 3 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XI, No. 1 Spring, 2004
TREES FOR THE FUTURE, INC. Annual Report - 2003 Expansion: The year saw rapid growth of the program through expansion of ongoing projects and with new communities joining in. TREES helped people plant more than 5,200,000 trees in developing communities of 25 countries: Belize, Brazil, Cameroon, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Liberia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Nepal, Nigeria, Peru, the Philippines, Senegal, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, and Zambia. Improving Technical Capabilities: We increased our technical abilities by hiring two new staff members, John Leary and Bedru Sultan, assisted by interns Chris Landoll and Winta Tefeda. John, who recently completed service as a Peace Corps agro-forestry volunteer in Senegal, is now coordinator of the Ruppe Center. He has been joined by his new wife Sylvie Sagna Leary, from Senegal, now working to communicate with leaders of former projects worldwide so we can evaluate what we've accomplished over the past 15 years. Bedru, who volunteered for TREES to build the Ethiopia program, has now joined the staff and is developing a major program called Greener Africa. He is also in charge of a program for energy efficiency. This issue grew in 2003, especially with a growing controversy about SUV's and the damage they cause to the global atmosphere. Part of our response was a new and popular idea called the "COOL CAR" which has encouraged concerned people to plant enough trees (300-350) to offset the emissions of their vehicles. This idea gained TREES over 300 new members in 2003. We purchased new computers of greater capacity, plus scanners, laser printers and software such as Photoshop to allow us to produce better graphics for technical publications. Also, we can now "opti-scan" great numbers of books onto compact discs which can be quickly and cheaply sent to project leaders in developing countries. Project Support: From our Silver Spring office we can now provide seeds of seven (7) species of permanent, fast-growing, beneficial trees. We have published technical papers on these and other species beneficial to the participants. We produced 16 new technical publications. On-Site Training included an international workshop held in Butajira, Ethiopia with more than 50 representatives from various agen-
cies and NGO's from several African nations. The response to this workshop has helped expand our Greener Africa program. Staff technicians spent a total of 288 days on site, in Haiti, Ethiopia, Senegal, the Philippines, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador. They trained village leaders, observed local problems and opportunities, met with other organizations and developed alliances with them. These new alliances include: Partners of the Americas, Vetiver Network, Ethiopian Essentials, Gondar Self-Help Assoc., Eritrea Forestry Dept., Tarna (Haiti) Project, ECHO, African Chamber of Commerce, Chesapeake Energy Foundation, and World Neighbors. We provided Peace Corps pre-service and inservice training and on-site visits. Subjects ranged from nursery management to organic gardening. Outreach Program: We expanded the content of our website and our e-mail capability. During the year we received e-mail messages from over one hundred organizations asking help to begin projects. Our public information program gave presentations on VOA, local radio stations, and newspapers. We sponsored a conference about sustainable development at Howard University in June, followed by an open house in Silver Spring. Both were well attended. With the Ethiopian Students, we held public meetings in Maryland, Atlanta, Dallas and Houston. Also, our technicians made presentations before various schools and for civic groups. Financial: Your financial statement shows a deficit for the year of about $23,800. Two reasons for this: the program grew so quickly it was necessary to hire two new technicians and we did not allocate sufficient funding (2.8% of the budget for fund-raising), so end-of-the-year returns were disappointing. Two grants we expected did not materialize by year's end. Early returns for 2004 are better but we must increase fundraising activities or else reduce growth of the program in 2004. For the Year Ahead, increasing membership is a primary concern. We plan more extensive use of email to our membership and others interested in the program. This will also better provide needed technology to project leaders worldwide. We will expand the use of our website to gain new members and to better inform the public of ways they can help address the growing crisis to our environment.
Page 4 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XI, No. 1 Spring, 2004
- Dave and Grace Deppner The Founders
Trees for the Future, Inc. Preliminary Financial Report, 2003
Income: Individual Donations Corporate/Foundation Grants Miscellaneous Total Income
$136,989 93,616 47 230,652
Expenses: Salaries & Benefits: Salaries
$77,000 35,685 10,157 5,774 764 $129,380
International Tree Planting Program: On-site Expenses International Travel Project Materials Occasional Labor Research & Development Staff In-Country Exp. Public Information Program: Printing & Reproduction Telephone, Fax Postage Meetings & Workshops
Fundraising 2.8% Administrative 16.8%
$41,566 7,158 8,971 2,572 1,745 3,208 $65,220 $ 3,109 4,705 2,827 1,394 $12,035
Building: Debt Service Repairs & Maintenance Property Tax Utilities Liability Insurance Supplies
$14,734 3,698 2,837 2,270 1,394 437 $25,370
Office: Bookkeeping & Accounting Supplies & Materials Purchased Equipment Purchase & Repairs Bank Services Memberships/Subscriptions Licences & Permits
TOTAL EXPENSES
$230,653 254,214 ($ 23,759)
2003 Expenses
Consulting Fees Health Insurance Payroll Taxes Other Benefits
Fundraising
Summary: Total Income Total Expenses Income/Loss
$6,950 2,366 4,249 634 270 575 $15,044 $7,165 $254,214
Programrelated 80.4%
ASSETS Total Current Assets Inventory Total Building & Equipment TOTAL ASSETS
$ 47,625 500 182,454 $230,579
LIABILITIES Total Current Liabilities Long Term Liabilities Total Equity TOTAL LIABILITIES
$ 14,818 175,462 40,299 $230,579
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dr. John R. Moore Dr. Peter Falk Mr. Oscar Gruspe Mr. Dave Deppner Ms. Adelina San Miguel
Page 5 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XI, No. 1 Spring, 2004
Chairman Vice Chairman Treasurer President Member
Stateside Sustainable Living Book and B&B Promote Trees for Travel There's a renaissance underway in America and it has to do with a renewed vision for a more selfreliant, ecologically viable and thriving local economy that seeks to preserve -- if not restore -- the health of the land. Rural Renaissance: Renewing the Quest for the Good Life (New Society Publishers, 2004) by John Ivanko and Lisa Kivirist captures the American dream of country living for contemporary times and features as a resource the Trees for Travel program. Since becoming members four years ago, their small Bed & Breakfast, Inn Serendipity, has given Trees for Travel certificates to their guests. To date, Inn Serendipity, through the trees they have planted on behalf of their guests, will sequester about 2.5 million pounds of CO2 from the atmosphere over the next 30 years, off-setting much of the ecological impacts of their guests' travel. The Inn is also powered by 100-percent renewable energy. In Rural Renaissance, you'll join the authors on their quest to explore what sustainable living means in the 21st Century by: generating our own power; growing our own food; raising our own children; building our own structures (perhaps with straw bales); cultivating a "work-style" that is meaningful, green and often, entrepreneurial; restoring the health of our community, on which our own health depends. Inspired by the book, a new program,
the Rural Renaissance Network, has blossomed to empower the rural renaissance movement by providing howto information to individuals, families and communities wishing to support "right livelihood" and creative, healthy, ecologically mindful and socially responsible living in communities across North America. Included in Inn Serendipity, near Monroe, WI, the resources listing truly is a Global Cooling Business! will be Trees for the Future. Writes Bill McKibben, author of the book's Foreword: "Inn Serendipity need not be seen solely as a way station on the way to country living, a stop on the Underground Railroad smuggling old ad execs out of the rat race. It - and this book - should also be refuges where people can spend a few hours or a few days, refreshing themselves for the job of subtly remaking their lives no matter where they re going to live." Kivirist and Ivanko share their farm with their son, two llamas, free-range chickens and millions of ladybugs. For more info, visit www.ruralrenaissance.org or www.innserendipity.com.
News from the Ruppe Center With a grant from Horizon Organic Dairy, www. horizonorganic.com, who produces numerous organic dairy products right here in Maryland, we continue to make headway at the Ruppe Center. We are actively supporting well over 100 community projects in countries where we can not yet afford a full-time technician. We are slowly posting this project information on the website for you to see exactly what your donations are doing. We’re also visiting local schools and working with youth groups in preparation for Peace Corps week in March and Earth Day in April. Two recent visitors to the Ruppe Center include Lateef Ajenifuja, (left) partnering with TREES to build a program in his native Nigeria, and Suyapa Dominguez (right), Founder of EDUECO, long-time supporter of TREES Honduras. Page 6 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XI, No. 1 Spring, 2004
Opinion: Haiti’s Choice Plant Trees? Or Send In The Marines? Dear Friends, As I write, a coup attempt is ongoing in Haiti. Over the years, TREES has spent a lot of time and effort in that unhappy land. Now our friends there are calling us to share their fears. We've worked hard in Haiti. John and I each worked there for several weeks in 2003. As a partner to Peace Corps and UN volunteers, community leaders and other concerned groups, we're providing seeds, training and planning support to help people in Haiti plant more than a quarter million trees this year, despite the coup. We're doing this because the situation, environmental and economic, is truly desperate. Also because we've found the people of the rural communities see the handwriting on the wall and are making great sacrifices in the hope of giving their children a future - and it's only right that we should help them. We are especially rewarded by our projects in in Haiti. For some reason, our trees grow better, and faster there than in any other country. We don’t know what combination of soils and climate causes this but the results are welcome. Fruits are better, juicier, and more flavorful as well. Haitian tangerines are especially welcome in U.S. markets and Haitian limes are preferred in our soft drinks. But because leaders don’t care, we are losing this. How will this particular civil war end? Does it really matter? Whoever sits in the Presidential Palace has no concern for the people of these forgotten villages. They don't care, or understand, that as the mountains die, a whole way of life is dying as well. Despite the indifference of government toward protecting the natural resources, a great many people, including TREES, do care and are working to save this threatened land. There's another reason we make a special effort in Haiti: because Haiti is far and away the most deforested country in the Americas, it's no coincidence that it is also the most poverty-stricken. As the Coast Guard can tell you, Haiti is only about 600 miles from Miami Beach and every week families, husbands, wives and children, climb into small leaky boats, risking their lives in the slim hope they can make it to shore here - because there's nothing left for them in their own land. Haiti is just one example showing that a growing, worldwide, environmental crisis does not respect international borders. It affects all of us right here at home every day, in many ways. As the world loses its forests, an area the size of New England every year, we are also losing our diversity, our global food security, the world supply of potable water. Each year we see our energy resources further depleted while our weather and climate become more erratic and the oceans rise. Much of this threat can be averted by bringing trees, then forests, back to the world's degraded lands. That's why TREES is hard at work in more than 7,000 villages of Asia, Africa and the Americas helping people help themselves - and the environment. I hope you'll join with us so we can reach more of the communities asking our help. The need is real and, for the people of Haiti and other lands, time is growing very short. Please help. In Peace and Friendship,
Dave Deppner, Director ps: pps:
Every dollar you give plants at least ten trees in Haiti and other developing communities. For more information about our Haiti program, check out www.treesftf.org Page 7 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XI, No. 1 Spring, 2004
Loret Miller Ruppe Center P.O. Box 7027 Silver Spring, Maryland 20907
Address change ? Duplicate Mailing? Change as shown Remove from List Mail Changes or Call 800-643-0001
Our thanks to all of you for contributing so generously to make 2003 a great year. We especially want to thank the following: Douglas & Florence Bolton Family Foundation, C. Minor Barringer, Working Assets, Garry Trudeau & Jane Pauley, Bert Risch, Plant-It 2020, Michael Gizaw, Charles Merrill, Tryon Family Trust, PermaWorld, Charles Delmar Foundation, Lynn Heller, Mary Drazy, Joan Daschbach, Deborah Van Vechten, Harris & Eliza Kempner Foundation, Thanksgiving Coffee, The Glickenhouse Foundation, James Gottwald, Mark & Ruth Dundon, Stanislaus S. Liu, Renee & Norman Betz, Paulos W. Delkaso, Adis Tech,Inc., The Hendricks Institute, Miriam Jencks, Miriam Cable, Louise Mauran, Katherine Maxwell, Stirling Tomkins, Jr., In-House Ticketing, Sandra Legler, New England Biolabs, Kim Hughes, John & Chara Haas, Leah Helen May, Stuart & Mary McCarty, Harry McAndrew, Walker Management, Inc., Barbara Francisco, Andrew & Margaret Dircksen, Sandy Hain, Susan L Cooper, Richard Altmaier, Horizon Organic Dairy, Lola Horwitz, D. Wayne Howell and Steve Hopkins. - the staff
Johnny Ipil-Seed News is a quarterly newsletter of TREES FOR THE FUTURE, Inc., a non-
profit organization dedicated to helping people of the world’s poorest communities to begin environmentally beneficial, self-help projects. This newsletter is sent to all supporting members to inform them of recent events, plans, financial matters and how their support is helping people. If you wish to receive this newsletter, or would like more information, please contact:
TREES FOR THE FUTURE The Loret Miller Ruppe Center for Sustainable Development 9000 16th Street, P.O. Box 7027 Silver Spring, MD 20907 Toll Free: 1.800.643.0001 Ph: 301.565.0630 Fax: 1.301.565.5012
info@treesftf.org, www.treesftf.org Dr. John R. Moore, Chairman Dave and Grace Deppner, Founders Bedru Sultan, East Africa Program John Leary, Ruppe Center Coordinator Chris Wells, Asia Program Coordinator Sylvie Sagna Leary, Administrative Assistant Gabriel Mondragon, Asia/Pacific Program Jaime Bustillo, Central America Program Thara G. Blanco, Belize Program
Page 8 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XI, No. 1 Spring, 2004