- Trees For Zambia - A project by Greenpop (www.greenpop.org) Concept Note For three weeks in July 2012, Greenpop is hosting a reforestation project in Livingstone, Zambia; the country with the second highest deforestation rate in the world. We will plant 5,000 to 10,000 indigenous and fruit trees, and host valuable educational sessions for children and subsistence farmers. This will be the start of an ongoing campaign to make Zambia a greener and more sustainable place.
Contents 1. Background and Problem 1.1 Implications of Deforestation 1.2 The Cause of Deforestation 2. Project Objectives 3. Planned Activities 3.1 Planting Trees 3.2 Conservation Education at Schools 3.3 Promotion of Conservation Farming Methods 3.4 Establishment of a Micro-Nursery Enterprise 3.5 Conference on Conservation Issues 4. Partners on the Ground 5. Sustainability of the Project 6. About Greenpop
1. Background and Problem Zambia has seen rampant deforestation in recent decades. According to the Food And Agriculture Organisation (FOA), the country now suffers the second highest deforestation per capita in the world. The Livingstone area is one of the worst affected areas. The Forestry Department puts the rate of deforestation in the Livingstone area at 5% annually and believes it has a bearing on local temperature and rainfall. According to a paper by the Zambian National Heritage Conservation Commission, this is also likely to affect the Mosi-oa-Tunya World Heritage Site. The Falls are in an area experiencing notable impacts of climate change and variability. The 2005/2006 rainfall season recorded a notable flood disaster over the Kazungula district, a district upstream the Zambezi, where thousands of families has to be evacuated to higher grounds. 1.1 Implications of Deforestation The deforestation and consequent climate change result in a change in the local ecosystem, a loss of biodiversity, and increased incidence of both drought and flooding. It also means a decline in food security due to a reduction of agricultural yields and the loss of forest resources, such as wild fruits. Additionally, women have to walk further to find wood, resulting in less productivity and the fact that children are being left alone at home. 1.2 The Cause of Deforestation There are two main causes of deforestation; tree cutting for timber and charcoal, and poor soil management through traditional farming methods. Tree cutting: Since electricity is expensive in Zambia, it is not available to many people. Charcoal is therefore the primary power source for all domestic heating and cooking. Wood and charcoal make up approximately 70% of Zambia's national energy demand, and the country is losing approximately 8,000 hectares of forest a year. In the Southern Province, of which Livingstone is the capital, households relying primarily on wood will consume about 60-80kg of firewood per week and between one and two 25kg bags of charcoal a month. In the wet season this doubles or triples. Those households reliant on charcoal will consume in the region of three to five 25kg bags in a month, depending on the cold. Households with electricity still consume charcoal and consume one or two bags a month. On average, wood users will consume approximately 3.64 tons of wood a year and 450kg of charcoal. Charcoal users will go through about 1,2 tons a year and electricity users supplementing their electricity about 450kg of charcoal. Poor soil management: Continuous ploughing, the practice of slash and burn, maize mono-cropping and excessive use of acidifying fertilisers have led to land degradation and the abandonment of thousands of hectares of farm land in Zambia. Exploitive farming systems such as these are unsustainable and lead to soil erosion, loss of soil structure and soil micro-organisms, acidification, oxidation of organic matter and compaction. This land degradation leads to desertification. In addition, since farmers are forced to abandon their land after their yields fail, they move into forest areas and cut down trees to start new farms.
2. Project Objectives In July 2012, Greenpop is hosting Trees for Zambia; a project with the following aims: 1. To plant 5000 or more indigenous and fruit trees in the Victoria Falls World Heritage Site, Dambwa Forest, a rural village on the outskirts of Livingstone, at subsistence farms, and at local schools and community centres. This will start a reforestation process that allows for new growth and regeneration of rich soil content. 2. To develop a culture of planting trees and understanding the value of ecosystems within communities through conservation education 3. To educate children on their natural environment, and improve their food security by planting fruit trees at underprivileged schools 4. To promote conservation farming methods in the local community that will reduce erosion and soil degradation, and create more cost-efficient farms 5. To start a micro-nursery enterprise with local subsistence farmers, which will provide them with an additional income source 6. To create an exciting and stimulating program of practical work, lectures and workshops for international volunteers, through which they can educate themselves and be actively involved in environmental issues 3. Planned Activities 3.1 Planting Trees We will be planting between 5,000 and 10,000 trees in and around Livingstone. The trees will be planted by community members, school children, Greenpop staff, and international volunteers over a period of three weeks. We will plant at the following locations: 1000 indigenous trees in the Victoria Falls Heritage Site 1000 to 1500 indigenous trees in a forest concession area called Dambwa Forest 1000 to 1500 indigenous and fruit trees at twenty selected schools 1000 to 1500 indigenous trees in Mukuni Village, a rural village on the outskirts of Livingstone 1000 or more trees at subsistence farms in and around Livingstone. We have 58 species of trees available to us that are already being grown at our nursery partner in Livingstone (Zambezi Nkuku), and we will determine which trees go where in coordination with a South African horticulturalist, a Zambian tree nursery manager, and relevant local authorities. The final list of trees will be confirmed by January 2012. Already confirmed is that Faidherbia Albida trees will be planted in agricultural fields with subsistence farmers. Faidherbia Albida is a very deep rooting indigenous leguminous tree that has the unusual habit of shedding its leaves during the rains. It does not shade or compete with crops and, when mature, supplies the equivalent of 300kg of complete fertiliser and 250kg of lime per hectare to the soil each season in organic form.
3.2 Conservation Education at Schools We will be planting indigenous and fruit trees at twenty selected primary and high schools around Livingstone. Our aim is not just to green the schools and provide children with healthy food, we will also be teaching children about their natural environment in general, and the importance of trees in particular. The children will play an active role in planting the trees, and through a creative educational programme, we will teach them how to identify different trees, how to look after trees, and why trees are essential to a healthy living environment. We will also explain to children about climate change and adaptation. This will be done through fun games, plays, and quizzes. The educational programme is being put together with the assistance of an educational expert in South Africa. In collaboration with the Department of Education in Livingstone, we will start sending worksheets to the schools in January 2012, so that the teachers and children will start to get familiar with the topics. 3.3 Promotion of Conservation Farming Methods We will be promoting the use of conservation farming methods, in an effort to encourage subsistence farmers to move away from traditional farming methods that cause soil degradation and deforestation. We will host three half-day workshops for small-scale farmers in the Livingstone area. Up to 50 farmers can sign up for each workshop, at which they will be given a free lunch. The workshops will be hosted at demonstration plots that we will set up beforehand. Through these workshops, we will teach farmers about the following conservation farming methods: Residue retention Reduced tillage Dry season land preparation and early planting Rainwater harvesting Precise application of seeds and nutrients Crop diversification and rotation Use of Faidherbia Albida, a deep rooting indigenous tree, as a natural fertiliser. Farmers will be shown how to collect seeds for the Faidherbia Albida, and how to plant and grow the trees. The use of these methods will help to reverse land degradation, bring soil back to life, enhance household food security, increase the resilience of crops to droughts, enable sedentary farming, and eliminate the need for families to migrate and cut down forests. 3.4 Establishment of a Micro-Nursery Enterprise With the help of the Ministry of Agriculture and local chiefs, we will identify twenty subsistence farmers in the Livingstone area with whom we will set up micro-nurseries on their farms. Once the trees these farmers grow are tall enough, we will buy them from them and plant them as part of our on-going reforestation and conservation education efforts in the area. The farmers will be selected by June, and during our Trees for Zambia project in July, we will host a full-day workshop through which we will teach these farmers the following:
How to identify and collect seeds How to make compost How to plant the seeds How to grow the trees through different watering techniques What the requirements are for the trees to be bought back by Greenpop These workshops will be designed and hosted by a local tree nursery manager, a South African horticulturalist, and a conservation consultant who works with these methods around Africa. They will be assisted by international volunteers. After the workshops, we will sign contracts with the farmers, guaranteeing them that we will buy a certain amount of trees from them once they are healthy and tall enough. The farmers will be monitored and assisted throughout the year. Not only will this enterprise give the farmers a considerable extra income, the trees will also be able to help enhance their agricultural yields by enriching the soil on the farms. 3.5 Conference on Conservation Issues Up to a hundred international volunteers will be assisting us with all aspects of the project. Besides providing these volunteers with practical experience, we are also offering them the chance to learn about conservation issues through workshops and lectures on issues such as deforestation, climate change, and wildlife conservation. These workshops and lectures will be held by a number of experts in the field of conservation, a UNDP ambassador, and representatives from local NGOs. 4. Partners on the Ground Greenpop is working in association with the following local operators/authorities: Zambian Ministry of Agriculture Zambian Ministry of Forestry National Heritage Conservation Commission Zambia Environmental Management Agency United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Zambezi Nkuku, a Livingstone-based tree nursery and chicken farm 5. Sustainability of the Project After our initial three-week project in July 2012, we will establish a permanent base in Livingstone so that we can continue our greening and educational efforts. Our longterm aims are to: 1. organise a similar large-scale planting and conservation education action conference on an annual basis 2. establish an on-going small-scale project, through which we continually plant trees, educate children on conservation issues, promote conservation farming methods, and monitor and further develop our micro-nursery enterprise
6. About Greenpop Greenpop is a social enterprise that plants trees, sets up creative ways of sustaining trees through community involvement and spreads environmental education in sub- Saharan Africa. Our objectives are to uplift communities, plant trees in deforested areas, green under-greened urban areas, spread environmental awareness, combat climate change and inspire a green movement by making greening enjoyable. Greenpop started in September 2010 and has since planted over 8000 trees in over 120 beneficiary schools, crèches, orphanages, old-age homes, community centres as well as deforested areas. Creative tree-care programmes have been implemented and children, community members and volunteers are getting their hands dirty, learning a lot and loving it. We recently won the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Western Cape Provincial Government competition for Social Enterprises in South Africa, as well as a LeadSA competition run by Cape Talk in association with the Dischem Foundation. We have also just been shortlisted for an Enviropeadia award in 2 categories in South Africa. Greenpop is inspired by the exciting projects we have coming up and the bright green future we see for Southern Africa. For more information, or to discuss supporting Trees for Zambia, please email zambia@greenpop.org or call +27 (0)78 161 5708. Green regards, The Greenpop Team