Johnny Ipil-Seed News The quarterly newsletter of Trees for the Future
Winter 2010 Vol. XVIII, No. 3
Haiti: Creating Sustainable Food Security Solutions One of the primary focuses of Trees for the Future’s Thanks in large part to our partnership with the YÊlÊ (TREES) program is responding to issues of food secu- Haiti Foundation, TREES has created a team of ten lority. Haiti is a chronically food insecure country. Eighty cals including professional agroforesters and agronopercent of the population lives in the rural areas and are mists who are working directly with the farmers in their dependent upon the land for their livelihoods. However, fields. We have developed a major agriculture compoHaiti is the most environmentally degraded country in nent to our program in which farmers are being trained the Western Hemisphere. Less than two percent of the to develop more sustainable agriculture practices on forests remain and the majority of the land suffers from their farms, diversifying their crops, and integrating soil infertility. Not nearly enough food is produced to them with the planting of beneficial tree species. To feed the people and onemeet short term needs, third of the population TREES is also providing is considered food insethem with tools and local cure. Severe malnutrition seeds including beans, affects large portions of sorghum, melons, pepthe country and the repers and eggplant. Farmcent catastrophic events ers are extremely excited have made the situation because within three significantly worse. The months, they are already current cholera epidemic producing crops to meet is targeting the most vultheir families' immediate nerable in the society, the food requirements. malnourished. TREES is also working For almost ten years with farmers to develop TREES has been workmedium and long-term ing with farmers to bring strategies to produce TREES assistant trainer Luckson Benoit filling agriculture degraded lands back to seeds for community leaders to bring back to their villages sufficient amounts of productivity with the food on their land. The to help meet short term needs in our long term projects. planting of trees and defirst goal is to regenerveloping more sustainable agriculture practices. In the ate degraded fields. Therefore, farmers are planting fast past year, in response to the worsening situation, our growing, nitrogen fixing trees to increase soil fertility. program in Haiti has evolved dramatically to meet the They are planting deep rooted trees and establishing short-term food needs of the people while developing windbreaks to decrease soil erosion from rain and the long-term strategies to develop sustainable food pro- wind blowing the rich topsoil away. Farmers are alduction systems. ready experiencing higher agriculture yields on their Page 1 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVIII, No. 3
Continued, page 5
The 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, selfhelp 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. BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dr. John R. Moore - Chairman, Dr. Peter Falk - Vice Chairman, Mr. Oscar V. Gruspe - Finance Officer, Dave Deppner President, Mr. Bedru Sultan, Ms. Marilou Herman, Mr. Franz Stuppard, Mr. John Leary - Members, R. Grace Deppner - Recording Secretary (non-voting) ADVISORY COUNCIL Dr. Mizani Kristos - West African Development, Dr. James Brewbaker - University of Hawaii, Mr. William Campbell Seasoned Energy, Mr. Steve McCrea - Global Climate Change, FL, Dr. Malcolm Novins - George Mason University, Dr. Noel Vietmeyer - The Vetiver Institute, Mr. Sean Griffin - Forestry & GIS Specialist. STAFF Dave Deppner - Founder, Executive Director R. Grace Deppner - Founder, Associate Director Jeffrey Manuel - Membership Services Gorav Seth - International Programs Coordinator Josh Bogart - Central America Coordinator Ethan Budiansky - West Africa Coordinator Jeff Follett - South America Coordinator Francis Deppner - Southeast Asia Coordinator David Tye - East Africa Coordinator Gabe Buttram - Greener Africa Coordinator Catherine Bukowski - Training Program Coordinator
In This Newsletter p.1: Haiti: Creating Sustainable Food Security Solutions p.3: Opinion: Take A Look Around! p.4: Capacity Building in Ethiopia p.5: Haiti: Sustainable Food Security (continued) p.6: Uganda Scout Environment Cycling Campaign Providing Seed for Honduran Coffee Producers Supports Wildlife p.7: Long Term Investment in Wood and Wildlife Helping Train Peace Corps Volunteers in Ethiopia p.8: A Truly Remarkable Tree: Moringa oleifera p.10: Empowering Volunteers and Community Members in Ghana p.11: Planting Moringa Helps Provide Milk for School Children p.12: New Projects in Colombia TREES Responds to Cholera's Arrival to our Communities in Haiti p.13: Introducing Judy Peabody Don Bosco Makuyu Technical School, Kenya p.14: Extending Training Outreach in the Philippines p.15: In Brazil Every Year is Different
FIELD STAFF Louis Nkembi - Cameroon; Gerardo Santos Matta, Jose Hilario Osorio Giron, Guillermo Valle - Honduras; Sagapala Gangisetty, Manoj Bhatt, Aman Singh - India, Donal Perez - Nicaragua; Danny Zabala - Philippines; Omar Ndao, Karamba Diakhaby - Senegal; Kay Howe, Abdul Chamid - Indonesia; Fernanda Peixoto - Brazil; Paulino Damiano Mugendi, Dickson Omandi - Kenya; Mathius Lukwago - Uganda; Lovans Owusu-Takyi -Ghana; Robin Achah - Cameroon; Alexis Nitunga - Burundi; Timote Georges - Haiti; Mohamed Traore - Mali; Merkebu Garedew - Ethiopia; Juan Alberto - Colombia TREES FOR THE FUTURE The Loret Miller Ruppe Center for Sustainable Development P.O. Box 7027, Silver Spring, MD 20907 Toll Free: 1-800-643-0001: Ph: 301-565-0630 info@treesftf.org WWW.PLANT-TREES.ORG
Senegal - Omar and Abdou with young Jatropha seedlings. Senegal is widely promoting Jatropha cultivation for biodiesel production, so TREES is working with farmers to integrate Jatropha into tree planting projects along with a diverse mix of other species.
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Opinion: Take A Look Around! As 2010 draws toward a close, when many of you read this, there may be snow outside your window. Every year about this time, my thoughts turn to places where it doesn’t snow. Despite the Copenhagen meeting, supposedly called to end the threat of climate change, despite the introduction of failed legislation in our own Congress to clean the air and to get away from a carbon energy based economy, we seem no closer to a workable plan to build this clean energy economy. Nor does there seem to be any cooperative effort between concerned nations toward reducing the carbon in our atmosphere, even though there is almost complete agreement that Carbon Dioxide and other “greenhouse gases” in our atmosphere are the primary cause of rising seas, of increasingly violent storms, and of the extended droughts that follow. Perhaps the reason for inaction is that we continue to look at these threats individually. We fail to see the close relationships between climate, energy and the destruction of the environment. We seem unable to understand that these three threats, together, cause the growing devastation of the world’s agricultural base, the disappearance of safe water supplies, the decline in food security, and the increase in poverty, and that in much of the world all of this leads to widespread human migration from rural areas to the strife of urban slums. And, as Wangari Maathai points out, more and more wars are being fought over natural resources. What has this to do with us? I think most of us are overlooking a tremendous opportunity not only to address an energy shortage and climate change, but also to help people in need. All of this results in bringing great benefit to our own environment—and to our economy. I think most of us understand that with all the oil we import, we’re draining off enough capital to keep our own economy stunted, and keeping almost 10% of our own people jobless (or at least very under-employed). This is capital that could be turned into “green” energy—and millions of jobs.
Much of that investment would, should, be at work right here at home. But we should also recognize its value as a great opportunity to help not only ourselves, but also the many millions of people who want to be our partners and our friends throughout the Developing World. I believe the reason we’re not looking at this opportunity is because, over the years, we have developed an “oil company mentality.” A mentality that thinks that if a product doesn’t come from deep within the earth, it’s not energy. That if it can’t be produced in large quantities on a closely-controlled site, it’s nothing we care to use. A mentality that, as was so clearly demonstrated in the Gulf this summer, believes that whatever problems may arise, we can always “throw money at it”. The coal and oil industries say the very idea of hundreds of thousands of small-scale families, completely on their own, each producing a few gallons of fuel per year, is not possible. And yet TREES projects are doing this, successfully, in several nations. That fuel is being used in these developing communities for a great number of energy needs. It’s sparking new ideas and new industries. Unfortunately, this new idea is not encouraging investors. But consider that without this production of green energy, a continuously growing number of people must rely on fossil fuels, imported at a huge cost into these impoverished lands, despite their ever-shrinking supply of hard currency. Instead, these people should be able to produce much of their needed fuel right at home, but until these countries have this ability, these faraway villages will continue to be in serious competition with us. Investors should also consider the many side benefits that we could be getting but are not: the tremendous tonnage of carbon stored as biomass, the protection of fragile uplands, the assured supply of safe drinking water, the reduced threat of flooding and all of the other environmental benefits that will be realized if we, as a country, are willing to take a good look around and see people who want to be our friends.
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Capacity Building in Ethiopia Since beginning our work in Ethiopia in 2003, Trees and skill building. In the morning, the participants were for the Future and our local partner Greener Ethiopia split into several groups to define and depict various have planted well over 10 million trees to reduce pres- agroforestry and sustainable land management systems sure on existing forests, to restore or enhance produc- that are most appropriate for Ethiopia, focusing on the tivity of the land, and to improve food security at the design and composition of each system. Each group household level. For a relatively small, grassroots proj- then presented their findings to everyone for discusect, working with limited resources and only a few full- sion. The afternoon was spent at TREES’/GE’s Kattime staff members, this is a remarkable achievement. bare nursery site, where participants learned about the TREES' program goes beyond simply planting trees importance of grafting for improved fruit production, though. We realize that if Ethiopians are to change the and were given a demonstration on three useful grafting current pattern of unsustainable land-use practices, it is techniques. important to understand which practices are particularSince an important component of the work that Trees ly problematic, to identify the most appropriate and ef- for the Future pursues is based on community interfective solutions to address and change these practices, action, participation and learning, the morning of the and to create and maintain synergies with all stakehold- third day was set aside for a presentation and discusers in order to extend these findings to as many land- sion on communication methodologies. This session users as possible. To be effective, this requires close collaboration with community participants, project partners and appropriate government agencies during every step of the process, from planning, to training, to implementation, through to monitoring and evaluation of project activities, challenges and accomplishments. With this in mind, TREES and GE organized and facilitated a three-day capacity building workshop on November 22-24, 2010. The event was held in Wolkite, one of their project areas in the Guraghe Zone. Along with GE, we brought our project coordinators and nursery managers to the workshop. We also invited many of our stakeholders who collaborate directly with the projects, including Development Agents and Subject Matter Specialists from the Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development, as well as some particularly motivated, small-holder farmers receiving support, and school teachers who are directly involved in the Green Clubs that they are establishing. Altogether, 33 people participated in the workshop. The three days were chalked full of various activities. On the first morning, after getting to know each other, participants shared their experiences from the past year, discussing the challenges, accomplishments, strengths and weaknesses of each project. Through group activities they shared stories and provided useful feedback for ways to improve the projects in the future. In the afternoon, they were presented with TREES’/GE’s goals Terekegn, TREES'/GE's technician in Konso, demonand objectives for the coming year, and given the op- strates grafting techniques during the technical portion portunity to comment and make suggestions. of a three-day stakeholders' training and workshop in Guraghe Zone, Ethiopia The second day was set aside for technical training Page 4 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVIII, No. 3
covered best practices and useful guidelines for adult learning and training facilitation. We then moved on to administrative activities that are fundamental to the program’s success, including record keeping, reporting and monitoring and evaluation. The last block of the workshop was devoted to developing an action plan for 2011. During this time, participants were grouped according to their project areas. After reviewing the project objectives for their areas, they began scheduling activities, identifying targets, and delineating roles and responsibilities for each stakeholder. At the end of the three days, participants were in high spirits. During evaluation, they expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to get together to meet others around the country who are undertaking similar work, to share experiences and to learn from one another. Though they are all working with Trees for the
Future and Greener Ethiopia, this is the first time many of them had met. Afterwards, they expressed that they feel like more of a team now, and are encouraged by the fact that they are all working collectively to protect and conserve Ethiopia. Most importantly, the participants expressed that this was a very useful and productive workshop. They are all confident in taking the skills they have learned and the experiences they have shared back with them to their communities and to their work. In 2011 each of these participants will play an important role in the implementation of TREES’/GE’s program. Having better-identified and defined our strengths, weaknesses, and a way forward, and after further developing the capacities of our technicians and stakeholders, we are confident that our Ethiopia program will see great success in 2011.
Haiti: Sustainable Food Security (continued from page 1) previously severely degraded lands that had often been abandoned. Another major goal is to work with farmers to diversify food production in their fields. In addition to diversifying their crops, many farmers are planting fruit trees in their fields and are learning how to graft improved varieties of mangoes and citrus. Within three to five years they can expect to harvest nutrient rich fruits such as mangos, citrus and guavas. Farmers are planting some trees such as Moringa oleifera, known in Creole as Benzolive, which can play a significant role in combating malnutrition. Within six months, the Moringa tree produces a steady supple of edible leaves which are rich in beta carotene, iron, protein and potassium. They can be used in sauces to help improve health, especially of infants and nursing mothers. Finally, over 80% of the Haitian population lives in poverty and of these over 50% are in abject poverty. Increasing the income of the farmers will help them and their families meet their health and nutrition needs. TREES is working with the farmers to develop income generating activities such as producing surpluses in crop and fruit yields to sell in the market, growing fuelwood and construction materials, and raising livestock. With the added income, families can diversify their diets and purchase needed medicines. In 2010 alone, Trees for the Future assisted Haitian farmers in planting over two million trees. Over 300
farmers took part in the tree planting and sustainable agriculture programs and 500 families directly benefited from our work in Haiti. While our success in Haiti has been very encouraging, it still affects a small portion of the population and the overall need of the country. We are asking our members to continue supporting our efforts in Haiti so that we can reach the thousands of families asking for our assistance in regions throughout the country. So far, our program has impacted many lives, but our work is far from over.
TREES agriculture program provides farmers with seeds of corn, beans, sorghum, melons and eggplant.
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Uganda Scout Environment Cycling Campaign The Uganda Scout Association has established a Cycle for Peace and Environment Campaign aimed at promoting tree planting throughout Uganda. The Uganda Scouts Cycling Group bikes to different parts of Uganda to distribute tree seeds, conduct workshops, and educate local communities on the importance of tree planting. Trees for the Future has provided funds to the Uganda Counts Cycling Program for the purchase of tools at sites where they are planting trees and educating communities. Trees for the Future also supplied tree seeds
Ugandan Scout, Ronald Bwire and several children plant trees at Misori Village near Entebber, Uganda. The Uganda Scouts Cycling Program travels throughout Uganda planting trees and educating communities on their importance to the local environment.
and conducted a workshop to train members of the Cycling Program on tree nursery management and agroforestry techniques. The Cycling Team Scouts have facilitated weekend workshops in different districts in Uganda, including: Entebbe, Luwero, Sironko, Gulu and Wakiso. During these workshops, they participate in tree planting and community sensitization on the importance of planting trees and improving the local environment. This campaign is aimed at creating awareness—the world over— about the rate at which the worlds’ forests are being destroyed, and encouraging efforts to rededicate people to reverse the situation. The Cycling Campaign is also in the process of raising funds to do a cycling trip to Sweden in July 2011, a 16,000 kilometer trip, to participate in the 22nd World Scout Jamboree. The route will take the Scouts from Uganda to Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, Libya, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Sweden. As the Cycling Group passes through many of these countries, they will call attention to the importance of tree planting and environmental conservation. The Uganda Scouts Cycling Group have cycled to Bushenyi, Misori, Entebbe, Nairobi, Kenya, as well as Gulu, Luwero, Sironko and Lira. This campaign is geared toward Uganda scouts celebrating 100 years of scouting (2015), where every scout in Uganda will be encouraged to plant 100 trees every year from 2011-2015.
Providing Seed for Honduran Coffee Producers Supports Wildlife We have seen a major increase in project requests to species that is adaptable to coffee production systems. plant timber species in coffee systems in 2010. In col- Due to its thin crown, it takes advantage of small holes laboration with our partners, we have been discussing in the forest canopy, while providing nectar for bees ways to improve upon this system, and have decided to and seeds for small mammals. We currently have a request for more than 50,000 work more with trees which are multi-use, and provide seeds of Juglans, and more than 5,000 seeds of Guarea, additional benefits besides timber. One exceptional multi-use species is Juglans olan- but because the production season is in the months of chana, which provides a nut for human or animal con- November and December, we are requesting funds now sumption. Also, if some of these nuts are left in the to buy seed from local farmers who have such trees on coffee plantations, the local wildlife will take great ad- their land. Through this program we are also giving vantage of them. people a reason to protect their adult trees, as they are Other multi-use species are in the Guarea genus, a potential source of income. We hope to expand this whose seeds provide a smorgasbord for wild birds (tou- program to utilize seeds of other species which provide cans, parrots, wild pigeons) and for a variety of rodents similar benefits, wherever we can find good genetic (agoutis, squirrels, etc). Magnolia yoroconte is another stock. Page 6 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVIII, No. 3
Long Term Investment in Wood and Wildlife Guarea spp are known in Honduras by their common names of "marapolan", "carbon", and "cola de pava". These species improve the soil of coffee fields by pulling nutrients from deep within the soil and depositing them on the soil surface when they drop their leaves and branches. These nutrients are then absorbed by coffee plants which grow better quality coffee beans. In addition, Guarea spp provide timber which is commonly accepted as a replacement for mahogany. People in the United States often hear about bird friendly, shade-grown, and other certified coffee. The Guarea spp is an important species for these certifications. Guarea seeds are used by two different groups of animals. Large birds, including several species of toucans, parrots, wild pigeons, and even the endangered quetzal, eat an oily substance from around the seeds. The seeds are then dropped to the forest floor where they are picked up by many species of rodents, including squirrels, and members of the genera Dasyprocta and Cuniculus—both of which are considered threatened. By planting Guarea spp, farmers participating in TREES projects can develop alternative incomes while also providing crucial habitat for threatened and endangered species.
Helping Train Peace Corps Volunteers in Ethiopia Thirty-three U.S. Peace Corps Trainees have arrived in order to restore degraded land and provide useful in Ethiopia to become the country’s first group of Con- tree-based products for communities wishing to imservation and Natural Resource Management Volun- prove their livelihoods. teers. In December they will have completed ten weeks Soon, they will begin planting trees alongside their of language, cultural and technical training, and will be new friends and neighbors. During this time, TREES sworn-in as Peace Corps Volunteers. will continue to offer its support, and provide on-site TREES’ Ethiopia Program Coordinator Gabriel But- technical assistance, seeds and other planting materitram was recently invited to their training site to give als to help ensure the success and sustainability of their a two day training session on agroforestry practices, projects. and nursery development and management to the volunteers, and Peace Corps staff members. During the session they discussed ways to address the country's pressing environmental and humanitarian issues through planting trees and managing natural resources more sustainably. The trainees were also given the chance to build both potted and bare-root seedling beds. At the end of the two days, the trainees were enthusiastically discussing agroforestry project ideas, and eagerly awaiting their assignments. These volunteers have made a great commitment and will soon be assigned to communities around the country where they will live and work for the next two years. By early The first group of Conservation and Natural Resource Management next year, the majority of them will be starting tree nurseries with their Trainees arrived for their training with Peace Corps. Trees for the Future counterparts and community groups, facilitated a 2 day workshop on agroforestry and nursery management. Page 7 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVIII, No. 3
A Truly Remarkable Tree: Moringa oleifera Moringa oleifera, a remarkable tree that grows in most of the countries in which Trees for the Future operates, is known by many names: ‘shiferaw’ in Ethiopia, ‘murungai’ in India, ‘malunggay’ in The Philippines, or ‘marango’ in Latin America. Moringa oleifera’s unique and valuable qualities make it a powerful tool in fighting poverty and malnutrition, and we think that you may find it interesting to learn more about this wonderful tree and how it is being used across so many of our programs. Originally native to India and areas of the Middle-East, Moringa oleifera is one of thirteen species in the genus Moringa and is the species used most extensively in TREES' programs. This species is well adapted to drought, but can also grow in humid areas. It can rapidly grow to over 30 feet, but will vigorously grow back when coppiced to harvest leaves. The pods, the leaves, and the roots are edible, and are major components of the diet in some countries. With proper management, leaves can be harvested every 4 months and edible pods every 12 months. Other useful products of the Moringa tree include: flowers used for beekeeping, thick fiber used for ropes and textiles, and natural medicines including antibiotics and fungicides. In southern Ethiopia Moringa is often referred to as the 'cabbage tree.' It thrives in the arid, mountainous home of the Konso people, where it has long been depended on for its leaves, which are cooked like cabbage, and are used as a primary source of food where other vegetables can be difficult to grow. In Konso, Moringa trees are found around nearly every homestead, where they also provide shade from the hot sun. Appreciation for Moringa is quickly spreading across Ethiopia, in no small part through the work of Trees for the Future, as we are promoting its use and planting it by the tens of thousands in the majority of our projects. In southern Brazil, Moringa is the cornerstone for several projects focused on improving nutrition. Participants are harvesting Moringa leaves at least twice per year to make a dry leaf-powder that can be added to other foods to increase nutritional content. One hundred grams of Moringa powder supplies as much vitamin C as an orange, as much calcium as a glass of milk, and as much protein as one egg. This has a profound impact on the health of
Moringa stand in Honduras (left) and in Haiti (right). In Haiti, Mrs. Jones feeds her children soup made from Moringa leaves every morning to improve their nutrition.
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children and mothers, and therefore Moringa is being grown on several school properties for use in the cafeteria. Also edible are the peas contained in its long seed pods, as well as an oil which is extracted for cooking and is used on salads. "Benzolive", as Moringa is referred to in Creole, is playing an increasingly important role in combating the serious malnutrition which afflicts a large portion of the Haitian population. Women cook the leaves in soups or add them to salads to feed to their children. Pregnant and lactating mothers have said that Moringa leaves increase the health of their newborn children, and increase their supply of breast milk. In other cases, people consume the leaves to treat anemia. TREES programs in Haiti are helping to expand the knowledge and availability of Moringa to new communities. In Honduras, Moringa is not well known for human consumption, but Trees for the Future is encouraging participants to use it to provide fodder to boost dairy output in a program aimed at providing school children with milk (see article on page 11). When used as cattle feed, Moringa provides a generous supply of edible leaves that can increase livestock meat and dairy yields. This cut-and-carry system helps protect fragile lands by offering a profitable alternative to the detrimental effects of overgrazing. With its fast growth rate, Moringa is being employed in Nicaragua as a nurse tree to provide a quick source of shade in arid environments which are in the initial stages of being reforested. Moringa can withstand the harsh conditions and creates a favorable micro-climate for other species to take root, thus jump starting the process of regenerative succession which leads to the reestablishment of forests. In Senegal, Moringa leaves are pounded with groundnut (peanut) and chilies to make a highly nutritious "leaf sauce" that is eaten with rice; thus providing vitamins and protein to balance out the diet. In India, it is the pods that are most highly valued, as these are a popular ingredient in South Indian curries. Whether cooked, dried, or eaten raw, Moringa’s leaves provide essential nutrition for people around the world. As you can see from the examples above, it is an important component in our fight against poverty and malnutrition. You can expect to hear more about this amazing tree as we continue to incorporate it into our projects.
Moringa oleifera is grown by people around the world for its outstanding qualities. (left - Kenya, right - Ethiopia)
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Empowering Volunteers and Community Members in Ghana The TREES Ghana program has been highlighted cal training with the new Peace Corps Environment and recently in two Ghanian news websites: GhanaWeb Alternative Livelihoods volunteers at the Kumasi Insti(www.ghanaweb.com) and Business Ghana 9 (www. tute of Tropical Agriculture (KITA) where Mr. Owusubusinessghana.com), for tree planting efforts with local Takyi is involved with the institute’s management and schools. The program promotes forming environmen- classes. KITA is one of TREES strongest partners in tal groups under the name Tree Pals for school nursery Ghana. KITA students are introduced to TREES during projects. TREES donated 5,000 seedlings each, to eight their first year of studies. They are given our training schools at Chiraa, in the Brong Ahafo Region, to enable manual as an introduction to agroforestry and are prothem to raise tree nurseries. The donation was made at vided with small plots of land to practice the techniques a workshop which attracted about 328 pupils and 16 they learn. This allows the students to gain practical exteachers. This workshop was aimed to educate the par- perience they can use when they graduate. The students are encouraged to read our manual ticipants about the importance of tree and take the exam for certification. So planting, agroforestry and school gardening to enhance food security and Armed with tech- many students participated this year that we have now devised a system environmental conversation.. nical expertise and where KITA professors will particiAlso in Chiraa, TREES has been developing a partnership with the Japractical experi- pate in grading the exams and provide feedback to quicken the response. pan International Cooperation Agency ence, the KITA Armed with technical expertise and (JICA), which sends volunteers to students are given practical experience, the KITA studeveloping countries for two years in a program similar to the U.S. Peace seeds to start com- dents are given seeds to start community or school nurseries in their home Corps program. TREES will be supmunity or school villages when they are on breaks in porting two JICA volunteers, Naomi Ishida and Shoko Mori, to launch a nurseries in their between semesters. This often turns into an important experience in the tree planting and school gardening inihome villages students’ education. Students gain two tiative with schools to plant 100 seedadvantages; first they have the opporlings in each academic facility. In adtunity to show their community new dition to helping JICA volunteers, two new Peace Corps groups in Education and Water and things and what they are studying in school, and second Sanitation are being welcomed by TREES Ghana to they gain the experience of being a leader in the comsupport community nurseries. The community coun- munity and practicing what they have learned about terparts of the volunteers were provided with watering sustainable agriculture to make a positive impact in their local schools and with village farmers. cans and seeds to start community nurseries for 2011. These experiences help the students to better underIn addition to helping JICA volunteers and their communities, TREES continues to strengthen its relation- stand their subject material and equip them to excel in ship with Peace Corps Ghana. The new group of 27 their year of national service after they graduate. One Education volunteers and their community partners such KITA graduate student that actively participated received training in agroforestry technologies, nursery in TREES programs, Michael Boney, recently acquired establishment and maintenance, seed treatment, garden- the job of Field Projects Supervisor with the Ghana Rubing skills and tree species identification. Lovans Owu- ber Estates Company Limited at Takoradi. Boney studsu-Takyi, the Ghana program coordinator, supplied the ied the long-distance training program manual, passed counterparts with watering cans and tree seeds to en- his exam and received his certificate while studying courage the volunteers to start Tree Pals environmental at KITA. After he graduated, he participated in a year groups in the schools where they worked, to facilitate of National Youth Service where recent graduates are teaching children about the environment and sustain- placed in communities to help with development. He was stationed at Sarponso Junior high school together able agricultural practices. Mr. Owusu-Takyi also participated in a more techni- with George Ansah (TREES Ghana program coordinaPage 10 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVIII, No. 3
tor assistant) where they both taught. They constructed a nursery of 15,000 seedlings and planted 1,800 trees in the school compound. They distributed 3,000 seedlings of Moringa to the students to plant in their homes and family farms. They also set up a school garden for the students. Boney did a project for TREES in his hometown at Jasikan in the Volta region as well. We has established two nurseries in this region, where he worked with two Tree Pals schools to transplant 500 seedlings. Boney expressed to Mr. OwusuTakyi that during his interview, many of the questions asked were centered along the work he was doing with TREES. He believes that the report he Members of the Kokoben Tree Pals club are dedicated to making their gave of his hard work with his proj- school compound more green. They transplant new seedlings in the areas ects TREES supported, coupled with where seedlings did not survive from a planting earlier in the year. his TREES certificate, made him the preferred choice. The TREES long-distance training program has received about 260 participants in 2010, which is a large increase from the approximately 175 in 2009. The program is constantly evolving and improving to meet the needs of our expanding projects. The example of Michael Boney shows that the training program can often have long-lasting effects and benefits for our participants due not only to teaching them about sustainable agriculture practices, but also by encouraging them to become future leaders in positions where they can make a positive impact. Boney has expressed interest in starting tree nurseries in the new community where he is stationed with the Rubber Estates Company, and to continue to teach his new coworkers and others about incorporating agroforestry practices into their farms.
Planting Moringa Helps Provide Milk for School Children In Honduras, the Healthy Schools Program works with more than 5,000 schools in the poorest parts of the country. In 2010 Healthy Schools started a project called “glass of milk,” which is designed to provide 200 ml of milk to students in kindergarten daily. Through this project the national government supplies money to local school districts so they can buy milk from local farmers, thereby keeping the money in the local economy. Many of the farmers involved in the project raised a fear that in the dry season their milk production will fall off due to lack of high quality forage. The staff at Healthy Schools brought this problem to the local staff at Trees for the Future, and it was decided to try a program where all involved would benefit. Healthy
Schools has therefore begun planting 40,000 Moringa oleifera seedlings on school properties. Leaves from these plants will be harvested by students and sold to cattle farmers as a feed supplement, and the resulting income will be used for school activities. In this way farmers will be able to maintain milk production through the dry season, the schools will be able to gain income for activities with students, and the students will receive their supply of milk. Moringa was chosen for its acceptance by cows, the high quality of its fodder, as well as its fast growth rate, which will allow for initial cuttings by February of 2011. In the coming years these forage trees plots will be diversified with other tree species to increase the sustainability of the system.
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New Projects in Colombia Eight months ago, Cristina Velez contacted South gram's initial success was finding a capable technician America Program Officer Jeff Follett about starting named Juan Alberto. His dedication to teaching agroagroforestry projects in Colombia. After spending time forestry skills, and his constant contact with the five pursuing her education in Canada, Cristina returned to project communities has been essential in the beginning her home country of stages of the training Colombia. Despite the program. In the five demands of her fullmonths since it began, time job, she devoted it has already graduher “spare time” to ated 60 people from developing an agrothe agroforestry trainforestry program near ing course, has started Urrao. Cristina chose five community nursUrrao not only because eries, and has distribit is near to her homeuted 50,000 seeds and town, but also because seedlings. In addition, of the rate of forest loss Juan Alberto has startin the area. Despite the ed worm composting fact that forests cover projects—which helps about 60 percent of the to further improve soil area—due to a lack of conditions—in each of economic opportunithe communities. TREES' works to restore and protect the environment by reties—people continue The communities turning trees to degraded lands to unsustainably harvest were initially skeptical trees. For many people, selling trees is the only source of our efforts because they have so often seen orgaof available income. In addition, many families rely on nizations come to town and not follow through with wood for cooking-fuel. All of this leads to greater de- their promises. Your support and the hard work of the forestation rates. As a result, streams and other water Colombian team has allowed us to overcome the comsources have been contaminated by pollutants, soil ero- munities' initial concerns. We are excited about our sion has increased, and springs are drying up due to achievements to date and would like to thank you for lowering ground water levels. your contribution to these efforts. With your help, we In response, Cristina and Jeff developed a program will be able to continue to work with Juan Alberto and plan to start projects in the area. The key to the pro- these five communities in 2011.
TREES Responds to Cholera's Arrival to our Communities in Haiti Sadly, on November 10, we got news that the first person connected with the TREES program died of cholera. He was a farmer in Mapou, Gonaïves, a local leader and a strong participant in the Yélé-Vert program—a partnership between TREES and Yélé Haiti. He was deeply involved in the central nursery serving farmers in Gonaïves. In response to this desperate situation brought on by the recent cholera outbreak, we are collaborating with the Ýélé Foundation, and Partners in Health to provide training to the farmers on sanitation and cholera prevention and treatment. We will also be providing farm-
ers with hand soap and chlorine tabs. We are currently establishing a partnership with another organization to provide chlorinators to the communities in order to purify drinking water. Following the January earthquake, we collaborated with local partners in Haiti to get medical supplies to many of the communities desperate for assistance. We also received one-thousand boxes of emergency milk formula from Viva SA, a local dairy company. The milk was provided to school children in our project areas in order to combat severe malnutrition. We are grateful to Yélé Haiti for providing storage space for the supplies.
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Introducing Judy Peabody Judy Peabody has been enthusiastically volunteering homes,” she says. in the TREES office since fall 2008. For a few hours Since moving from Washington State to Washington every week she is hard at work packaging seeds, up- DC in 1960, she has worked as a homemaker, junior loading pictures to the TREES flickr account, and or- high school math teacher, and a landscape designer. She ganizing the seed finds a natural consupply. She was first nection between her introduced to Trees interest in landscape for the Future when a design, and sustainfriend gave her a tree able agrifarming. In planting certificate her spare time Judy for Christmas. enjoys drawing bo“I was inspired by tanical illustrations, the TREES program growing organic and wanted to be invegetables, and monvolved,” she says. itoring at the SmithWhen sealing a soinan Institution. package of tree seeds Thank you, Judy, she imagines them from the thousands growing in a nursof rural villages who ery, “thousands of benefit from the little plants ready tree seeds that have to be transplanted Judy hard at work sealing bags of seeds of many tree species soon passed through your to be planted around the world. into their permanent hands.
Don Bosco Makuyu Technical School, Kenya Maranga, Kenya, where most farmers are coffee project has been very successful and the students were growers, the Don Bosco Makuyu Technical School of- able to raise over 1,000 seedlings which they planted fers apprenticeships in various fields and it caters to near their homes. Paulino Damiano, the Kenya Program Coordinator students from poor families who cannot afford to pay for Trees for the Future, organized secondary school fees. The school a one-day workshop on nursery eshelps encourage students who tablishment and management. Studon’t have many other opportunities to develop valuable skills, dents were impressed upon learning about the various benefits of including adopting better agriculMoringa oleifera trees, including tural practices and environmental nutritional and medicinal qualities management. for use by people and so each deTrees for the Future has been incided to plant at least ten Moringa vited by the institute’s principal, seedlings at their homes, in order Mr. Darmian Formosa, to work with the school’s Agricultural to help meet the daily needs of their families. Additionally, these stuClub on tree planting activities. dents are learning the importance Students established a tree nursery of planting not only Moringa trees at the technical college site, where on farms and near homesteads, but they raised Moringa oleifera, Leucaena leucocephala, Sesbania ses- 4K Club students at Don Bosco Makuyu of various different agroforestry tree species. ban, and other tree seedlings. The filling polythene tubes with soil. Page 13 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVIII, No. 3
Extending Training Outreach in The Philippines This planting season has been very hectic for our partners in the Philippines after much rain fell in the form of typhoons which were followed by 6 months of no rain at all. Despite these adverse weather conditions, TREES Philippines, our main partner there, was able to plant 200,000 trees, more than twice as many as last year. Our group in Zambales has worked extensively with local individuals, organizations, and the government to gain more notoriety and assistance in their tree planting efforts. It wasn’t hard to convince people to join them, as last years typhoons caused flooding that destroyed homes, businesses and government buildings, and have permanently displaced many families. The loss of tree cover on the nearby mountains has taken away the soils' ability to absorb water, which contributed to the rivers' overflow. Last years floods broke a dike, causing the evacuation of all those residing in the lowlands. Some of those displaced by last years floods have relocated near our out-planting sites and have volunteered as forest guards who keep watch and put out wildfires in the dry season, as well as help with transplanting seedlings from nurseries to different sites during the rainy season. The local government has donated the use of a building near our sites to hold meetings, training sessions,
and demonstrations for local schools, organizations, and others interested in supporting tree planting efforts in the uplands of Zamables. Interest is catching on, as over 2,000 people attended a recent function. These training and information sessions attract people from other towns and villages, who take the knowledge and experience they have gained and start projects of their own, and in turn train others in their community. Our group there has created what they refer to as the “Zambales Model,” which is based on Trees for the Future’s Forest Garden Concept. It incorporates raising cash crops and livestock beneath a canopy of fast growing, multi purpose trees. When done sustainably, this can provide food, shelter and income. These techniques are especially important, as most of the villagers in the surrounding communities rely on firewood as a source of heat energy. Through training sessions, we are able to show them that they can sustainably harvest firewood by cutting only a few branches rather than cutting down an entire tree. New sites are being created all of the time by locals who have accepted that trees need to be planted and that diversification in the crops they plant is necessary, as the start and end of the seasons are becoming less and less predictable.
Volunteers from local grade schools and universities enthusiastically assist with transplanting seedlings at the Ino-sari farm site. Loobunga, Zambales, Philippines.
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In Brazil Every Year is Different In four trips to Brazil, South America Program Officer Jeff Follett had never seen the extent of how dry conditions can become within our project area. When he was recently there some areas had not seen a drop of water for over 120 days. Initially, Jeff thought it was cloudy when he arrived, yet later realized that it was simply smoke and soot hovering in the air. Each evening as the moon rose, it was a brilliant shade of red due to its glow shimmering through the smoke and ash. In stark contrast, recent storms have brought above normal precipitation, thus leading to difficulties in maintaining nurseries and protecting seedlings. This is the context in which we work: continued variability. Every year for the past three years we have faced completely different weather conditions in our efforts to address conservation issues and low agricultural production. Despite the challenges, our team has continued to build local agroforestry knowledge through workshops and site visits. This year alone, in Brazil, we have: • Conducted 35 training workshops that reached nearly 300 producers. • Distributed over 500,000 tree seeds. • Transplanted 190,000 tree seedlings. • Visited nearly 60% of project participants on their land. • Publicly posted hundreds of pictures, stories, and GPS points about our work there, to guarantee transparency. We also had the pleasure of conducing site visits with Danielle Weiss, the program manager of Planeterra, our 2009 program donor. In addition, individual donors,
Scott Vineberg and Mari Larangeira visited Brazil Coordinator Fernanda Peixoto, and toured many of our project sites. Our visitors’ positive feedback provides verification of the great work that is being done, and encourages the wonderful team we have working on the program. While in Brazil, Jeff visited Luiza and Azerildo’s project that we have been following closely in our publications since 2008. At that time, Luiza and Azerildo started a nursery of leucaena and moringa trees to feed and shade their cows. The moringa has not grown very well due to constant ant attacks, but the leucaena has done very well, and Luiza cuts the leaves to supplement her cows' diet. After feeding the cows leucaena, she had the milk tested and found that the protein level was actually too high in the milk. This was because Luiza did not decrease the protein meal that she was feeding her cows. It means that in the future, when Luiza has enough leucaena, she will be able to replace the expensive protein meal with leucaena fodder. In 2011 we will continue to focus on increasing and diversifying farmers’ production, and conserving water and soil. We now have three year’s of experience and trust built in the communities, have a dedicated group of well-trained individuals, and have a local technician team that provides daily assistance to project participants, but only with your continued support in 2011 will we be able sustain projects with farmers like Luiza and Azerildo. Thank you from Fernanda, Jeff, and the rest of the TREES Brazil team.
Pictures from southern Brazil showing (from left to right); a destroyed sugar cane field on Elsa's property, Vitoria by her moringa plot, Jose Leao's live fence, the dry conditions in the area, and Luiza and Azerildo's leucaena plot.
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