Trees For The Future

This year I took over a project, Trees for the Future, from a volunteer who left for America. I organized the project this year because the volunteer’s replacement was new and still learning the language and culture. It turned out to be a great experience and what I enjoyed the most this past year. While the project took up a lot of my time because we worked in four villages, three of which were between 7-10km away from my village, it was worth it. I had fun and I learned a lot.

The project encouraged farmers to plant trees to help combat deforestation and soil degradation. The main focus was to teach farmers to include trees with current agriculture practices. I held village meetings where we discussed the environmental degradation, and strategies to fix the problems. We discussed different trees for soil improvement, income generation, fence building, and fruit. Gambians in general want a field cleared of all trees. They think a place that is completely bare whether it be their courtyards or fields is better. We introduced the idea that a developed field and compound incorporates trees for fruit, shade, and beauty. We drew pictures as examples and discussed different ideas.

Some meetings went really well. People were really interested in the material and were asking a lot of questions. Other meetings left a lot to be desired with no one saying anything. It was a challenge because some of the meetings I had to conduct in local language (Pulaar), but I was surprised how much I could say and understand. Other times, I would speak in English and a counterpart would translate to Wolof, another local spoken language.

The other part of the project involved tree nurseries. A person was selected in each village to be in charge of the project in the village. They grew the tree seedlings. When the rains came in August, they gave the trees away to villagers to plant in their fields. We spent a lot of time working with the nursery manager to plant and care for the seedlings. We also discussed the tree uses and correct planting spacing so the nursery manager could explain to other villagers when he gave the trees away.

At the end of the rainy season, we planted over 6,000 trees with over 15 varieties. Another volunteer is taking over the project for next year and making sure the trees are protected from the livestock since during the dry season livestock is left roaming free.