The quarterly newsletter of Trees for the Future
Summer 2008 Vol. XVI, No. 2
Bees for the Future Honeybees are fascinating insects and one of the most spectacular social animals in the world. Honey, wax, royal jelly and propolis are all valuable byproducts of the honey bee, whose main function, pollination of fruits and vegetables, has an incalculable value to humanity.. Honey is valued everywhere. It contains carbohydrates, proteins, water, essential oils, vitamins and minerals. It sweetens food and is used in cultural ceremonies. Eating honey or using it as an ointment is part of many traditional ceremonies such as birth, marriage, and funeral. In Ethiopia, honey wine is brewed especially for weddings. In Masai communities of East Africa, honey is used to pay dowry. For centuries, honey has been used as a medicine, typically as a treatment of ulcers, burns and wounds. Studies suggest that the use of natural honey has the potential to reduce 7% of total cholesterol level and 6% of total blood sugar. Honey can be collected from wild sources, or from managed bee colonies foraging in forests or among cultivated plants. The exploitation of honey, if done properly, does not harm the environment. It can foster both farm productivity and biodiversity conservation, as sustainable honey production requires good land management, plenty of bee forage, and an absence of toxic chemicals. Tree crops can be well integrated into
an apicultural system, providing economic and environmental benefits to the participating communities Honeybees & the World Food Supply Honeybees are the most important agricultural crop pollinator in the world. Bees’ food resources-nectar, pollen and honeydew- have little direct economic use for humans. However, bees pollinate plants and trees that constitute about 25% of the human diet. In North America alone, honey bees pollinate over 90 different agricultural crops. The relative importance of pollination service varies from crop to crop. Some crops, such as sunflowers, clover, beans, almonds, and melons are completely dependent on bees. Crops such as cowpea, sesame, peaches, soybeans, and orange, although not complete-
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Johnny Ipil-Seed News is a quarterly newsletter of TREES FOR THE FUTURE, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people of the world’s poorest communities to begin environmentally beneficial, self-help projects. This newsletter is printed using wind energy on recycled paper with soy-based ink and is sent to all supporting members to inform them of recent events, plans, financial matters and how their support is helping people.
Opinion:Defiance!
The recent SCAA Conference in Minneapolis was in may ways a convergence of agricultural leaders from many parts of the Developing World where BOARD OF DIRECTORS coffee is an important Dr. John R. Moore - Chairman, Dr. Peter Falk - Vice Chairman, export. Mr. Oscar V. Gruspe - Finance Officer, Dave Deppner President, Mr. Bedru Sultan, Ms. Marilou Herman, Mr. Franz The country being honored Stuppard - Members, R. Grace Deppner - Recording Secretary this year is Ethiopia, the (non-voting) home of coffee and where, with our partner, Greener ADVISORY COUNCIL Ethiopia, we presently have some 6,200,000 seedlings Mr. Franz N. Stuppard - Advisor on Haiti, Dr. Mizani Kristos West African Development, Dr. James Brewbaker - University waiting for the rainy season to be transplanted. of Hawaii, Mr. William Campbell - Seasoned Energy, Mr. Steve Hundreds of Ethiopian Americans attended the event McCrea - Global Climate Change, FL, Dr. Malcolm Novins and were re-united with their friends from back home. George Mason University, Dr. Noel Vietmeyer - The Vetiver So it wasn’t surprising when they started something Institute, Mr. Sean Griffin - Forestry & GIS Specialist, Mr. John that has become known as the “Minneapolis Leary - Advisor on Senegal Doctrine”, which begins: Ethiopia says NO!!! STAFF It wasn’t long until exhibitors and delegates from Dave Deppner - Founder, Executive Director Kenya, from Burundi, from other nations, joined in: R. Grace Deppner - Founder, Associate Director We also say NO!!! NO to what? Quite a few things as Maryann Manuel - Membership Services a matter of fact. Gorav Seth - Ruppe Center Coordinator Josh Bogart - Central America Coordinator NO to the international gangsterism masquerading as Ethan Budianski - West Africa Coordinator “globalization” – and to all the ways it has found to Jeff Follett - South America Coordinator bring grief to the poverty-stricken peoples of these Francis Deppner - Southeast Asia Coordinator developing nations: David Tye - East Africa Coordinator NO to international price-rigging of food and farm Brandy Lellou - Grants Program Coordinator Tebabu Assefa - Media/Education Coordinator supplies Jennifer Carter - TREE PALS Coordinator NO to the hoarding of food that makes this possible. Gabe Buttram - Business Partner Coordinator NO to poisoning our lands with chemical fertilizers and pesticides. FIELD TECHNICIANS NO to corporate land-grabbing and – Jean Bosco - Burundi, Louis Nkembi - Cameroon, Dr. Yigezu Shimeles - Ethiopia, Dr. Pascal Woldomariam - Ethiopia, NO to the political and corporate greed that makes it Guillermo Valle - Honduras, Subramanian Periyasamy - India, possible Sagapala Gangisetty - India, Donal Perez - Nicaragua, Gabby NO to starving children begging in the streets Mondragon - Philippines, Danny Zabala - Philippines, Theresa And NO to a lot of other actions that have driven peoCahilig - Philippines, Omar Ndao - Senegal ple to the plight they find themselves in today. For To receive this newsletter or for more information, contact: example, NO to the so-called international “developTREES FOR THE FUTURE ment programs” and the local officials that welcome The Loret Miller Ruppe Center the extra money these impractical and costly projects for Sustainable Development bring with them, which become loans in inflated dolP.O. Box 7027 lars that must be repaid even when the projects prove Silver Spring, MD 20907 Toll Free: 1-800-643-0001 disastrous. Ph: 301-565-0630 And NO also to the greedy officials who look the info@treesftf.org other way when these giant corporations, attempting to WWW.PLANT-TREES.ORG grab land for “plantations”, strip away the natural resources on which local resiPage 2 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVI, No. 2
dents depend for their very lives. more holistic, approaches to restoring trees and stabilThe “Minnesota Doctrine” has a long and, we think ity to the world’s degraded lands. justifiable list of the grievances of the world’s rural A good bit of the technology employed comes from poor. Heading the list of their needs is something that, looking backward over the centuries when there was a for most of them, was long taken for granted: FOOD far closer relationship between people and the forests SECURITY. Over the years, for most communities, that surrounded them. For example chemical fertilizthis was not a major concern. Well, it is now. And when ers, which so many consider indispensable to agriculthe food is gone, or people think it’s gone, we now ture today, have not been around all that long – fortuhave riots in the streets. nately, we believe. Before that, crops grew well in a It should be no surprise that the global situation has system now called “organic”. Our FOREST GARDEN come to this. The real question is: why have we, in the program is, of necessity, organic – because the particimore affluent world, not joined our voices with theirs? pants have no access, and little money, to do otherwise Are we truly that much better off? Is our own future even if they wanted to. Still, year by year, their crops that secure? Are we a part of the solution – or are we increase as we all get smarter - together. part of the problem? The same may well be true of energy: can it be grown It was, after all, our dollars that made possible a pro- on trees? Would this then be a strong incentive for peogram of supposed “energy independence” whereby ple to bring back sustainably-managed forests to the giant corporations, despite excellent advice against the world’s degraded and abandoned lands? Not so many idea, detailing the possible “unintended conse- years ago, small towns across our Midwest had “gas quences”, decided to take a food staple – corn – and houses”. When Lincoln entertained, the White House turn it into something we can burn in our cars. And the was lit by gas derived from wood. The technology has price of bread and milk has since doubled here at since been greatly improved. home while people throughout Central America conIs this “22nd Century thinking”? No, we’re finding tend with the cost of their main foodstuff –again corn ourselves way behind the curve on new technologies – which has also more than doubled. already being developed. In fact, we have now brought And it might be added that, in producing these on a new technician to help TREES catch up. As bumper crops of corn, we have done serious damage to TREES concentrates more and more on environmental our own lands and water resources. The nitrogen and education in the villages we serve, we’re getting offers phosphorous running off corn fields here in Maryland to provide us with many new technical breakthroughs: is quickly poisoning the Chesapeake Bay. bicycles that generate electricity, and balloons tethered It’s our own energy industry that discourages the 1000 feet above these rural communities, each generatdevelopment of safe and sustainable alternative ing enough electricity to light a small village. We hope sources of energy. It wasn’t so long ago that we trem- soon for electrically-powered motorbikes to make our bled at the thought of $100-a-barrel oil. Now our gov- field representatives far more mobile. We’re integraternment is stockpiling it at $125 a barrel. With the ing energy-producing plants into our projects – and energy czars earning $40 billion+ per year while finding ways to make charcoal of exportable quality as accepting billions more in government grants for main- a sustainable, environmentally beneficial, energy comtaining the status quo, should we not wonder if they modity. really are trying to find and develop sustainable alterWe certainly hope, and believe, this is a world far difnatives” Do they really have our best interests at heart? ferent from what the children of these rural villages To all of this, your TREES program recognizes the will grow up in – and that they should have a good look reality taking place in the streets and in the fields of the at it, and start thinking about it, now. We greatly appreDeveloping World. We know that restoring FOOD and ciate the support you are providing to this program. We WATER SECURITY, and developing ENERGY need your ideas as well – while there is still time. SECURITY are vital to the welfare of every person on this planet. We believe that it is not only possible but that, in fact, the simple but practical technology is being rapidly developed and that acceptance is growing even faster. Our own sort of defiance is the development of more acceptable, Page 3 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVI, No. 2
Bees for the Future (cont’d from page 1) ly dependent on the bee, have substantially increased oped to empower communities in developing counyields when pollinated by bees. The monetary value of tries, we recommend that communities include trees these pollination service amounts to $14 billion in the for bee forage as part of windbreaks, forest gardens United States alone. and alley cropping practices. One tree can provide as Unfortunately, deforestation, the much nectar and pollen as hunuse of genetically modified crops dreds of smaller plants. The greater The collapse of honey and insecticides, herbicides, and the habitat diversity, the higher the bee colonies here in benefit attained. pesticides have reduced honeybee populations worldwide. Poor land These techniques help increase the North America and in management further reduces their diversity and abundance of crop Europe must be of habitat. The collapse of honeybee pollinators, and will help crop procolonies here in North America and in addition to direct ecogreat concern to every- duction, in Europe must be of great concern nomic benefits. They also provide to everybody involved in agricul- body involved in agri- habitat for wildlife and other beneture – and to the rest of us as well. insects, such as predators and culture – and to the ficial While a number of possible reasons parasites of pests. Integrating rest of us as well. have been mentioned, we find it honey production with agroforestry noteworthy that this is taking place projects by growing multipurpose in parts of the world where chemical farm products – bee forage trees on farmers’ lands ensures a sustainable pesticides and fertilizers – have been heavily applied supply of nectar and pollen. This not only provides for many years while in parts of the world where these habitat and food for honeybees, but also diversifies products have been unavailable to the great majority of farmers’ income. Some of the trees we are planting that farmers, the bee populations continue to thrive. provide good bee forage include Leucaena, Calliandra, The bee population loss has reached a critical stage. Grevillea, and Tree lucerne This phenomenon, whose cause has not been fully isoIncorporating sound agroforestry practices also helps lated, is termed "Colony Collapse Disorder" (CCD). If crop pollination by helping reduce winds, making it urgent action is not taken, CCD has the potential to easier for pollinators to fly and visit flowers. Less wind cause $15 billion in direct crop losses and $75 billion creates slightly elevated temperatures around plantin indirect losses, illustrating it’s impact on internation- ings, which increases the time that pollinators can be al agricultural markets. For example, the price of active. Over all, our tree planting program through honey increased by 30% compared to last year on the agroforestry is benefiting communities in developing US market. Some countries, like Turkey, have turned countries and helping sustain the bee population. from a honey exporting country into a honey importing country. Even China, the leading honey export country, Support for Beekeeping in Ethiopia reduced its exports to fulfill its domestic needs. Due to the importance of beekeeping to sustainable In general, the loss of the honeybee population under- development, we are developing small-scale beekeepscores the critical link that bees play in bringing crops, ing enterprises in local communities. In Ethiopia, we fruits, and vegetables to market. With such high lev- have started beekeeping projects with our partners els of loss of honey bees due to habitat destruction, dis- Harmony Farms and the Oromia Coffee Cooperative in ease, pests and other factors, it is not only a bee crisis Ethiopia to supplement our tree planting program. but more importantly a pollination crisis that severely Ethiopia is considered a potential giant for honey prohurts agri-business and world food supply. duction in Africa due to its diverse habitat and flora. Bees are almost always present in the wild. Equipment Honey bees and sustainable agriculture can be made from materials at hand, which creates Trees for the Future recognizes the importance of bee great opportunities for people who have no access to pollination in meeting various community needs. In financial capital. our Agroforestry Training Manual, which was devel- Currently honey production and commercialization in Page 4 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVI, No. 2
Bees for the Future (cont’d from page 4) Ethiopia is mainly based on traditional methods, using hives made from logs, bark and clay, which are hung on trees to attract swarms of local bees. Production and commercialization from these traditional hives is low. The use of modern box hives could yield more than twice as much honey. We are actively involved in planting many varieties of bee forage, and in supplying modern hives. We have planted more than one-half million flowering plants and distributed hundreds of hives. Harmony has 1000 hives and is increasing this to 25,000, and Oromia will soon have 100,000 hives. Beekeeping also supports many different sectors within society including village and urban traders, carpenters, tailors, and those who make and sell tools and containers. However, the added value is not fully exploited mainly due to low price and limited marketing channels. In order to have better access to markets and get better prices for honey, a constant supply of quality product is needed. Currently, this is one of the major bottlenecks to creating a better market in Ethiopia. High quality standards and regular supplies can only be met through improved production harvesting techniques, post harvest handling, storage and processing. In this regard, our local partTraditional Beehive in Ethiopia ners are building capacity in Ethiopia to overcome such problems. We are reaching out to as many communities as possible to help families make a responsible living by launching small-scale beekeeping enterprises. Editor’s Note: We are pleased to introduce Mohamed Chilalo (pictured on the right) who has been working hard as an intern doing research here. He brings two points of view, one from his homeland in Ethiopia and the other from his technical education and research experience. Mohamed has considerable experience in beekeeping, both using traditional (log) hives and more modern systems and so we are most happy he took on this assignment.
Modern wooden hives, which are being distributed by our partner Harmony Farms, on a hillside near our training center in Qatbare. This design costs less because it is made entirely from local materials, and it has a significantly increased yield over polyurethane hives. Page 5 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVI, No. 2
Indigenous Agroforestry Practices in Nicaragua This April Joshua Bogart, TREES Central America Hylocereus spp.) but also grow Jocotes (hog plums, Program Coordinator, spent 5 days in Nicaragua visit- Spondias purpurea), Tamarind (Tamarindus indica), ing project sites and providing technical support with Avacado (Persea americana), coconut, pineapple, and Donal Perez, our in-country field representative. They mammon (Melicoccus bijugatus). Along with these met with many communities and organizations that are Fruit species, the residents of the area also encourage interested and motivated to implement reforestation several timber and forage species such as Albizzia sp, and agroforestry programs. Here is Enterolobium cyclocarpum, and an excerpt from his report, which The system of “gar- Brosimum sp. People also grow basic addresses local agroforestry practices and vegetables. This indigedening” that we saw grains in the region. nous use of agroforestry gives us conOn the 24th we visited the commu- was very similar to the siderable opportunity in the region nity of Arenal, visiting the sites were idea of a forest garden, both as an opening in that the people Donal is working on starting nursare already open to cultivating trees with a high layer of eries. We went to the schools where which is often a hard first step, and to Donal has been giving workshops, coconut, an understo- document how the trees are used as where we used the time to talk about ry of avocado, papaya, reference in other project areas. the type of agriculture that is pracin the zone demonstrated a tamarind, etc, then lotPeople ticed in the zone and talk to them of interest in the theme of reforabout how to fit more trees into their vegetables and flowers. estation, and how selected species production methods. Donal explained can fit into the production system of that they were unable to start nurseries early because the area. We are finding that there is work in various they only get water in these communities 12 hours areas, from education work in the schools to planting once every 8 days. of windbreaks in the north of the country. With the relThe people in this region already are practicing a vari- atively widespread use of agroforestry systems, there ety of agroforestry. Donal has a very intimate knowl- is a lot of potential for empowering people to get more edge of this system, as he grew up in this area.The sys- uses from what they already have. For example I saw tem of “gardening” that we saw was very similar to the a lot of Neem and Moringa, and from the conversaidea of a forest garden, with a high layer of coconut, tions that I had it seems that these are some of the an understory of avocado, papaya, tamarind, etc, then species which are being underutilized. vegetables and flowers. It would be interesting to docNicaragua, one of the poorest countries in Central ument this and maybe experiment to give more uses to America, is at major risk for severe environmental this system. The main crop is Pitia (Dragon fruit, degradation. Our work has never been more necessary.
An alley of Jocote (Spondias purpurea) (left) Nursery site for passiflora quadrangularis (right) Page 6 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVI, No. 2
Specialty Coffee Association of America Conference 2008 The Annual Conference of the SCAA (Specialty Greener Ethiopia and Ethiopian Airlines. Because Coffee Association of America) was held this year in many Ethiopian-Americans attended the convention, Minneapolis in early May. This year the Coffee and because the coffee companies wanted to learn Industry honored Ethiopia where coffee was first dis- more about the program, we stayed plenty busy. We all covered some 3,000 years ago and which today were impressed with how excited people from the cofremains a major exporter of highly prized coffee beans. fee industry – growers, roasters, importers, and retailTrees for the Future, Greener Ethiopia, Ethiopia ers – are about sustainable production. Our team conAirlines, and Andarge Asfaw traveled to Minneapolis, sisted of Tebabu Assefa, Bedru Sultan, Dave Deppner, Minnesota to explain ways that tree planting can bene- Nate Dreyfus, Jennifer Carter, Winta Teferi, Jeff fit coffee growing communities around the world while Follett, Alex Muzo of Ethiopian Airlines and Andarge also improving the quality of coffee in people’s cups. Asfaw, a famed photographer from here in Silver The SCAA has become much more concerned in Spring. All through the three day convention, people recent years about the issue of sustainability. One rea- crowded into our booths. son is that consumers today are much better informed We met with growers from several countries who about how good coffee is produced, and they see the asked if we could help them develop shade-grown cofrelationship between coffee, which was always a forest fee programs. Most important, we established a new plant until very recently, and shade trees which bring partnership with Tedessa Mekena, President of the nutrients back to the soil and flavor to the cup. Oromia Coffee Group, which is three cooperatives This relationship has grown more important in recent joined together to form an organization of some times as concern grows about climate change and the 340,000 family-members. With them, we will develop public understands that a combination of coffee and programs that produce a wide range of fruit, vegetaother crops, grown in the shade of deep-rooted legumi- bles, and honey in addition to coffee – all to be grown nous trees will remove a great amount of carbon from in a Forest Garden concept. the atmosphere every year. Jason Long, President of the Sustainability Committee of SCAA, has been a good friend of TREES over the years. Not long ago, we planted some 85,000 trees in the mountains above Lake Yojoa in Honduras, which annually remove more carbon dioxide than is emitted from the operations of Jason’s company, Café Imports. Jason called TREES late last year and asked if we were interested in planting enough trees to offset the total emissions caused by this year’s Conference and, if so, would we make a “carbon calculation” to determine how many trees that would be so the SCAA could provide a grant to plant those trees. We did the arithmetic and determined that it would require planting 350,000 trees – at a cost of $35,000.00. The trees would be planted in Tanzania, where much of the coffee is grown, which is also very close to the Gombe Stream National Park, which is a refuge for Chimpanzees. In this way, the trees could perform an additional service by protecting the park. Dave Deppner and Tedessa Mekena of the Oromia Coffee Jason provided us with a booth at the Group exchanging information and ideas for the coming year Convention, which we worked into two booths and shared with our partners, Page 7 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVI, No. 2
Ethiopian Airlines: Flying Green At the request of companies concerned about how to reduce their “carbon footprint”, we often calculate their emissions and how many trees need to be planted to “offset” those emissions so that a company (or maybe a family) can become “green.” We did this for the SCAA Coffee Convention held this year in Minnesota. We calculated air travel, automobile travel (including taxis), we included hotel rooms for 7,500 people and heating/ cooling that monster of a Convention Center. It required planting a lot of trees – about 350,000 of them - to offset the projected 8,800 tons of carbon dioxide the event would produce. What did surprise us was that way over half of the emissions were caused by airplane travel. Travel by automobiles/taxis was a distant second. Emissions generated from the convention center and 7,500 hotel rooms were a comparatively minor part of the problem. Air travel, now including charges for snack lunches and for stowing luggage, is costing all of us a lot more than we once thought it did. We’re sure you’ll be pleased to know that there is one major airline, an African airline, that sees the concern and is working to make a difference. It’s Ethiopian Airlines.
Late last year, Ethiopian Airlines learned of our program in the Guraghe Zone. They decided to join as a partner with TREES and our other friends, Greener Ethiopia and, now our newest partner, the Oromia Coffee Group. Since then they have provided free air travel for our technicians heading to various assignments throughout Africa. Their help has made it possible to plant an additional 300,000 trees and more in Ethiopia and elsewhere in Africa. This support gained the airline a great amount of respect, recognition, and new business, not only in Ethiopia but in the many countries they serve. Encouraged by this, they are now planning to take an active role in the tree planting programs already started. Presently they are the host airline for the Sullivan Foundation conference on the environment, which is now meeting in Arusha, Tanzania. There are some 250 delegates and TREES will be represented by Ethan Budiansky who has been coordinating our Africa programs. Now Ethiopian Airlines has announced that from now on, they will plant one tree for every passenger they carry. They are also informing passengers that they can also be a part of the program by voluntarily adding a small amount that will be used to plant even more trees. The idea has been well received. Ethiopian Airlines calculates that they will be planting more than 2,500,000 trees per year, plus what their passengers are adding. That means that within a year these trees will be taking some 60,000 tons of carbon dioxide out of the air and that will grow by the number of passengers they carry, year after year. Within just a few years, EA will be flying green – zero carbon emissions. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all the airlines thought like that?
Caption:The DC-3, which in World War II was often called the “Gooney Bird” was the first passenger plane in Africa in the late 1930’s. As soon as the new, fuel efficient, Boing 787’s are ready to fly, this will be the ship Ethiopian Airlines flies to carry people between Africa, Europe and North America. Page 8 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVI, No. 2
Introducing David Tye David Tye is our new East Africa Regional Program Coordinator. He will be based in Tanzania to help facilitate projects and establish contacts throughout the region. David is originally from Scottsdale, Arizona, and studied Environmental Biology at Northern Arizona University. David served in the Peace Corps as an Environment Volunteer in Tanzania from 2001-2003, where he focused on agriculture, agroforestry, and natural resources management. His time in Tanzania as a volunteer helped him to understand the importance of incorporating financial incentives into any conservation program. Following his time in Peace Corps, David moved to Washington, DC and worked as a program associate for a small international development company, where he learned project backstopping and the office side of implementing international development projects. He also started studying International Development at American University focusing on rural development and agroforestry. In 2007, David traveled to Kenya and Tanzania to conDavid in front of an Albizia schimperana he duct research on why small-holder farmers generally planted while serving in Peace Corps do not adopt agroforestry techniques for his Masters Thesis. Last summer, he also worked with the Tanzanian Department of Forestry and learned how local government officials implement development projects in Tanzania. David is excited to work with Trees for the Future because of their commitment to working with local communities to improve the lives of rural farmers in countries throughout the world.
TREES Opening East Africa Regional Office This July, David Tye will be heading to Moshi, training seminars in agroforestry. During this work, Tanzania to establish the Trees for the Future East we will identify local coordinators who will assist Africa Regional Office. By establishing a permanent David in implementing these projects. Within eight regional office, we will be able to provide stronger in months, we hope to identify one country coordinator country technical support, and we will be able to work for each country in the region. Coordinator will hanmore closely with our partners in Kenya, Tanzania, dle much of the project implementation and training. Uganda, and Ethiopia. At our East Africa Regional Office, we will also be David will be working with local non-profit organiza- establishing a training center that can be used to contions, communities, and concerned farmers to imple- duct training sessions. We will be developing a onement agroforestry and natural resource management acre forest garden next to the Regional Office, which projects over a large swath of Eastern Africa. Moshi is will be used as a demonstration plot for interested well situated for this purpose, as as it is located about farmers. halfway between Nairobi and Dar es Salaam on the The strong regional presence afforded by this office Tanzanian-Kenyan Highway, and is only 30 minutes will enable us to work closely with the local and counby minibus from Kilimanjaro International Airport. try coordinators to expand the East Africa Program, Over the next year, we will be working closely with helping more families to plant millions more trees. our partners to establish tree nurseries and to provide Page 9 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVI, No. 2
Philippines Update:Stormy Weather Weather throughout South and Southeast Asia so far this year has been especially hard on the people of both the lowlands and the mountains. Whether this is due to Climate Change or not, dry seasons are not as dry and nobody seems quite sure just when the planting season should begin. People in the Irrawaddi delta of Myanmar, once called Burma, have suffered greatly from a massive cyclone that destroyed rice crops, food and water supplies, and left more than 1,500,000 people destitute. The population has little shelter, nothing to eat, and only muddy water to drink, even though many thousands of tons of relief goods stand only a short distance away off shore, unable to move because of government prohibitions. A series of major typhoons has hit the Philippines, starting in February. Rice crops there have been pounded into the mud by the heavy rains and flooding. In the uplands, mostly unprotected by tree cover, landslides are taking a big toll on human life. And this is only May! The hurricane Trees Field Reps Danny Zabala and Phil Casupanan and typhoon season does not even start until standing on a mountainside that is being reforested next month! with seeds of about nine species that look promising The weather has been especially hard on our seed proand he promises regular reports of how effective they duction trees in the Philippines.. We now have seed are. trees of very high quality of five different species but Another request came from Joel Lee and the Lee heavy rains destroyed more than half of our early seed Family, who have started the Cebu Permaculture crop and winds broke off the branches of many trees in Initiative in Cebu City where again, most of the surthe lowlands – some of ours have not much left except rounding hills have been completely denuded. The a shattered trunk about four feet high. Still, by this time Forest Garden idea especially appeals to them as this next year these will have grown back into real trees, allows people in the project an assured supply of producing seeds again – that’s the kinds of hearty trees healthy food at the same time it protects the city – and your program is growing. the city’s water supply. The Lee Family offer their Despite the hard times, or perhaps because of them, place in the city as headquarters for our program in the more groups than ever before are joining the program. southern Philippines and an area of 40 hectares (100 For instance, the day I’m writing this we got a call acres) to be developed as a very big Forest Garden – from a well known Filipino inventor, Alfonso Puyat, big enough to produce the food and energy needs of at who has land in the mountain city of Baguio, much of least a dozen families. which is on slopes of 50 degrees or more. He sees the We were surprised to hear from a friend from long deforestation there – and what heavy rains can do on ago, Elmer Sayer on the north coast of the big island – these unprotected slopes. He offers his large area of Mindanao – whose organization is still working hard land there as a demonstration of how the planting of and is now busy attempting to reforest a 700 hectare deep-rooted, leguminous trees can prevent these landsite with about 1,200,000 trees. slides. We’re supplying him Page 10 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVI, No. 2
Stormy Weather (cont’d from p 10) That’s how your program can grow when you have good people like Elmer involved. Our main program remains in Zambales Province north of Manila and along the South China Sea. We now have a team of three people on the job and they are developing partnerships with 22 towns of the Province. Even there, our seed trees along the coast have mostly been shattered this winter season but the local groups have been able to harvest well over a million seeds. We found that the trees growing inland are in far better shape and that local leaders were busy harvesting – and immediately planting – the seeds. The local organizations look to establish a training center to teach people about the Forest Garden idea, while also distributing seeds and training materials one that is easily accessible to all 22 towns of the Province. The mayor of Botolan town, Roger Yap, has long been a good friend to the project. He is offering us use of a center high in the mountains where most of the trees are being transplanted and is also looking for a site where this permanent center can be established. Meanwhile, the Antique project has acquired two sites for demonstration of the Forest Garden. At one site our local partner, the Marilou Cares Foundation, has even built a bahay kubo (a small house made of
Amor Deloso, Governor of Zambales, & Dave Deppner discussing sustainable charcoal bamboo and nipa palm leaves) which will be the program office there. Both will become seedling nurseries, distributing seeds and seedlings to communities throughout that province. As more groups join in, the Philippine program will be able to plant more than two million trees in 2009.
Dave and Grace Deppner showing off our 4 year old leucaena seed production trees Page 11 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVI, No. 2
India - Expanding to the North Our work in India has been growing rapidly over the past year as more people are finding out about our program and how it can help improve their livelihoods while protecting the environment. Thanks to this, we now have more people, better seeds, and more trees being planted than ever before. In 2007, we brought on Sagapala Gangisetty as our second field representative, which has expanded our work into Andhra Pradesh, a cotton producing region where farmers are being hit hard by prolonged droughts and skyrocketing prices for agrochemicals. Gangisetty and his Green Tree Foundation are showing these communities that alternatives exist that protect the environment while providing for the community. Subramanian Periswamy, 300 km to the south in Tiruvannamalai, is working on a project to reforest Mount Arunachala, a sacred pilgrimage spot that is visited by millions of pilgrims annually. He is also training and collaborating with many other NGOs and community leaders in the region, leading to new projects and new alliances. Thanks to Subramanian, Gangisetty, and all of our other partners in the area, not only will we be planting hundreds of thousands of trees, but our agroforestry training manual has been translated into the local languages of Telugu and Tamil, which are spoken by over 150 million speakers. This is helping us to reach new people and start new projects. Trees technician Gorav Seth will be travelling to India in August to provide in-country technical assistance and support. We will have a detailed update on the progress for you this fall.
Our field representative Subrmanian Periswamy with Mount Aruanchala in the background
Two year old trees (top), and monkeys playing in a large ficus tree (bottom)
Page 12 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVI, No. 2
Introducing Gabriel Buttram, Business Partnership Coordinator Gabe Buttram recently joined out team as our Business Partnership Coordinator. He became interested in conservation and development while completing an undergraduate degree in Construction Management at Northern Arizona University where, through his research and work with Habitat for Humanity, he concentrated on energy and cost efficient construction methods. He also volunteered with local conservation groups to protect the natural lands where he enjoyed spending his free time. Throughout the second half of his undergraduate education, Gabe became set on the idea of working in a developing country to share his knowledge and experiences with others who might be able to use them. Soon after finishing school, Peace Corps provided him with the chance to do just that. For two years, Gabe served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Lesotho, Africa. While there he spent much of his time working with a small development and conservation project in the rural highlands where he lived. The goals set by this project, implemented by CARE Lesotho-South Africa, were to improve livelihoods through the promotion of agroforestry and sustainable agriculture, tree nursery devel-
opment, and small business development. This, as is so often the case, was an incredible and life-changing experience for Gabe. He realized during Peace Corps that livelihood security and conservation in the developing world was something he wanted to spend his life working towards. After Peace Corps, Gabe attended a Dual Master’s Degree Program in Natural Resources and Sustainable Development. Through this program, he was able to spend two semesters studying international affairs and global environmental policy at American University, and another two semesters studying more pragmatic elements of natural resource management at the UN University for Peace in Costa Rica. He also had the opportunity to work with a forestry conservation organization, researching and studying the effects of market mechanisms to control deforestation and mitigate climate change. Gabe has recently graduated from this program and is now very happy to be on board with Trees for the Future. He feels this is a wonderful place to continue working toward the improvement of livelihoods and the protection of our environment.
Off to Brazil In January, we brought Jeff on board to start a new regional program in South America. Having served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Suriname, Jeff is familiar with the region. Over the past 4 months, Jeff has been working with all of our contacts in the region to develop a strong program and to introduce TREES to more organizations in the region. Jeff will be spending 3 weeks in June in Brazil, meeting with leaders of 7 local organizations, and will be providing technical support to farmers in the northeast of the country, a region that is suffering from irregular and declining rainfall. He will be working with our local partner, Fernanda Peixoto. They have already translated our agroforestry training manual into Portugese, and are going to be conducting training sessions and workshops during this trip. Jeff has also been working with other countries in South America, including Bolivia, Venezuela, and Columbia. Page 13 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVI, No. 2
TREE PALS! Bringing Kids Together For Trees This Febuary,, Jennifer Carter, a long-time friend of tree nursery. Overnight, a stewardship program was Trees for the Future, approached us with an idea to organized by elementary students, kindergarten chilhelp empower local schoolchildren to respond to the dren were bringing trash to their teachers, and high daunting concerns of climate change by participating school classes requested to stage a debate on carbon in proactive experiences in their local environment. It offsets. There was so much activity that the school seemed to us an ideal time to reactivate TREE PALS, a placed the TREE PALS program on their website as a program we launched in the permanent part of their cur90’s that links schools ricula! By May, the around the world in environsaplings, thanks to the caremental activities so that stuful attention of young envidents may share in correronmentalists, had grown to spondence. over 30 cm in height, and Jennifer approached they will soon be out-plantTREES because she knew ed to benefit the local comthat we recognize the need munity. for youth participation in These students, and the response to global climate two thousand others change. After watching a Jennifer encountered on this documentary on current amazing trip to Ethiopia environmental events, her became “TREE PALS” as 16 year old son was beginthey sat responding to letning to wonder what his life ters written to them by chilwould be like in what dren in Washington DC and seemed a world filled with suburban Maryland. disaster. Acting on impulse, In June, Jennifer will travshe wrote down the idea of el to Central America where planting seeds as a way to TREE PALS will incorpoBethlehem, a student at the Future Talent dispel fear and inspire stu- Academy in Addis Ababa, with a tree seedling rate the Forest Garden into dents to nurture their envischool plantings and, ronment and drove to the Trees for the Future office the together with teachers and parents, add a nutritional following day. component to the program. It is hoped that the Forest In March, she began by researching current trends in Garden, a diverse planting of leguminous trees, fruit environmental education and consulted with local trees, and vegetables, will serve to demonstrate the teachers to create a comprehensive list full of multi- impact the Forest Garden can have on overall health disciplinary activities that would hopefully initiate and educational achievement. enthusiasm among corresponding students. By the end of this year the TREE PALS program will By April we were ready to go to Ethiopia to launch have launched a dialog between thousands of students our pilot program with schools that had expressed an from East Africa and Central America with students in interest in TREE PALS. Working with a range of part- North America based on shared experiences in their ner schools from urban Addis Ababa to the rural areas local environment. TREE PALS makes it clear that of the Guraghe Region (about 3 hours south) provided each tree planted and each flower watered has a posithe program with a wide range of student experiences. tive impact on the health of their new TREE PAL. Like all Trees for the Future projects, TREE PALS is Get involved! Become a member of the growing community-driven and was taking shape according to TREE PALS community! Email TREE PALS the the interests and concerns of the students, teachers, Coordinator Jennifer Carter at jennifer@treesftf.org and parents involved. At the Future Talent Academy in for information on school participation and sponsorAddis Ababa, I invited each child to plant seeds to ships. establish the first TREE PALS Page 14 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVI, No. 2
Quotes from Tree Pals Participants Dear Students of Miss Jennifer, Hi! My name is Yeraeifirae Sileshi. I am going to tell you about my main point.It is about planting trees. It is like this. The first day Miss Jennifer got to our class and told us about what are we going to do and what you guys have done. The next week I joined her project and started planting trees. We taught the lower grades how to plant and take care of the plants. My another point is asking you some questions.What have you done about the "Green School"? Do you just plant trees or do you take care of them after the planting?Is your school green? If you guys were Earth what will you say to children? Answer me your questions by your next mail. Thank you, Yeraeifirae Dear Students of Grade 6 in West Brook School, Hi...You know the Global Warming is ging to occur in our planet Earth. You know that Miss Jennifer came to our school and gave us seeds to plant. We planted almost all seeds in our school and we took some seeds and plant seeds in our house. We saw your pictures. Miss Jennifer took our pictures. You may see them. We have to clean our environment and plant seedlings. So I guess you did marvelous things to protect our mother land Earth too. Thank you! Hemen
Greetings from Ethiopia, I'm Barcot. You've probably heard of Global Warming. I just wanted to know what your school is doing to save the Earth! In our school, we planted seeds and help take care of them. Peace-out, Barcot
Page 15 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVI, No. 2
More Things About Forest Gardens
Inside
Congress is at last taking up the issue of climate change with a strategy known as “Cap and Trade” which might possibly cut back American carbon emissions, but does nothing to reduce the nearly 400 parts per million of carbon already in the atmosphere. At the same time the desperately poor of many developing nations are already rioting in the streets, or are close to it, because there is no food – none they can afford anyway. Meanwhile food, and the fertilizer to make food grow, are stacked in locked warehouses. Around the world, the price of food has increased over 70% in the past two years. Growing crops and trees is the only practical way to take carbon out of the atmosphere. Growing them together, the idea of the Forest Garden, means more E-Newsletter food, better food, plus clean water, sustainably proEvery month, Trees for the Future sends out an educed on less land and without the need for costly and newsletter. Sign-up by going under “Join the dangerous chemical inputs. Mailing List” on www.plant-trees.org and entering And taking far more carbon from the air at a much your email address. lower cost per ton. Thanks to your help, these Forest Trees for the Future is part of the Aid to Africa Gardens are being started now in several countries. Early results are most encouraging. We’ll keep you Federation Our Combined Federal Campaign informed. Number is 10715
p. 1 Bees for the Future p. 2 Opinion - Defiance! p. 6 Agroforestry in Nicaragua p. 7 SCAA Conference p. 8 Ethiopian Airlines - Flying Green p. 9 Introducing David Tye p. 9 TREES East Africa Regional Office p.10 Philippines - Stormy Weather p.12 India -Expanding to the North p.13 Introducing Gabriel Buttram p.14 Tree Pals - Bringing Kids Together
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