TIST MAZINGIRA BORA Trees for life – conserve your environment Monthly Newsletter February 2005 1 Participants of the Nanyuki TIST seminar in a group photo TIST SMALL GROUPS PROGRAM IS OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED IN KENYA The initial program of TIST – The International Small Groups and Tree Planting Program was developed in 1999 through the collaboration of Clean Air Action Corporation, Mission Teams from the United States of America and 40 small groups. Members of the 40 groups in Mpwapwa, Tanzania joined to implement the TIST program between January and March 2000. Training of small group leaders and trainers began in earnest and the first Habari Moto Moto monthly newsletter was distributed to small groups in Mpwapwa / Kongwa area. TIST programs phase II began in January 2001 with 472 new small groups joining. During this phase additional training and tree planting training was made. Nurseries were established and groups started practicing good seedling care and conservation farming. Between January and Mpango wa kwanza wa TIST – The International Small Groups and Tree Planting Program ulianzishwa mwaka wa 1999 kupitia ushirikiano wa Clean Air Action Corporation, vikundi vya wamishonari kutoka Merekani na vikundi arubaini vidogo vidogo. Washiriki wa vikundi kutoka Mpwapwa, Tanzania waliungana kutekeleza mpango huo kati ya Januari na Mechi 2000 Mafunzo ya wawezeshaji wa vikundi na wawezeshaji wa mafunzo ulianza mara moja na toleo la kwanza la jarida la Habari Moto Moto likasambazwa kwa vikundi huko Mpwapwa na Kongwa. Awamu ya pili ya ilianza na vikundi vidogo 472 vikajiunga na TIST.
Mafunzo ya ziada yalitiliwa mkazo na upanzi wa miti ukaanzishwa. Sehemu za upanzi wa miche zilitengwa na vikundi vikadumisha utunzi bora wa miche na kilimo hai. TIST MAZINGIRA BORA Trees for life – conserve your environment Monthly Newsletter February 2005 2 September 2002 over 900,000 TIST trees were planted in Mpwapwa and Kongwa Districts of Tanzania. Its during the same period that TIST programs were launched in villages near Chennai, India. The first TIST activities were began in Uganda and Kenya between July and October 2003. By January 2005 the first TIST small groups from Kenya were registered on website. To date 4.8 million TIST live trees have been reported on website. TIST Kenya Chapter was officially launched on 21st February 2005 at a seminar held in Nanyuki at Christ The King Catholic Church. Eighty participants carefully selected from local CBOs in Meru Central, Meru North, Laikipia and Naru Moru area around Mt. Kenya converged at the Christ The King Catholic Church for the seminar that was slated to take 6 days. The objective of the seminar was to launch the TIST program in Kenya, train trainers and help the participants prepare their 40 days action plans for implementing the TIST program in Mt. Kenya region.
After going through thorough training the participants were able to identify specific needs of their communities and prepare achievable and realistic time – bound, observable, quantifiable and measurable action plans. There was song dance and cerebration from the participants as the seminar came a successful finale on 26h February 2005. BEST SPECIES OF TREES TO PLANT IN OUR LOCAL FARMS (FOR THE NEXT SIX MONTHS) - Grevillia robusta (mukima) - Cordia African (Muringa) Vitex kinensis – Meru Oak Mexican green ash (miria) Kati ya Januari na Septemba 2002 miti zaidi ya 900,000 ilipandwa Mpwapwa na Kongwa. Wakati huo huo Mpango wa TIST ulianzishwa kwenye vijiji via Chennai, India. Miradi ya kwanza ya TIST ilianzishwa Uganda na Kenya kati ya Julai na Oktoba 2003. Kufikia Januari 2005 vikudi vya kwanza vidogo vidogo vya Kenya vilikuwa vimeorodheshwa kwenye mtandao wa internet. Hadi sasa miti 4.8 milioni imetangazwa kwenye mtandao. Mpango wa TIST wa Kenya ulianzishwa rasmi tarehe 21 Februari 2005 katika warsha huko Nanyuki kwenye ukumbi wa Christ The King Catholic Church. Washiriki themanini waliochaguliwa kutoka kwa mashirika ya mashinani ya wilaya ya Meru ya kati, Meru kaskazini, laikipia na Naru Moru, Walikusanyika katika Ukumbi wa Christ the King Catholic Church kwa warsha ya siku sita. Lengo la warsha hiyo ilikuwa ni kuanzisha mpango wa TIST Kenya, kuwahamazisha wawezeshaji na kuwawezesha washiriki kutayarisha ratiba ya mipango yao ya siku 40 za kwanza za TIST katika eneo la Mt Kenya. Baada ya kukamilisha warsha washiriki waliweza kutambua mahitaji halisi ya jumuiya zao na kutayarisha mipango kamili inayopimika, inayoonekana na inayoweza kutekelezwa. Kulikuwa na nyimbo shangwe na vigelegele kutoka kwa washiriki wakati warsha ilopokamilika kwa mafanikio tarehe 26 februari 2005. THE BEST SPECIES FOR PLANTING IN GOVERNMENT FORESTS - Olea africana – Olive tree (Mutero) - Markhamia lutea - Vitex kenensis – Meru oak 3 - Prunus Africana (muiria) ↔ - Casuarina equistifolia - Jonuperus procera (Mutarakwa) ♦ - Croton megalocapus (mukinduri) Chart Good for intercropping
↔ Good for shade ♣ Good for firewood ♦ Good for timber ♥ Good for fodder BEST FARMING PRACTICES The TIST participants came up with some of the practices that would best suit the farming communities around them. These methods are: Zero tillage, crop rotation, agro-forestry and Drip Irrigation. These farming methods have been tested and proven and they will surely go a long way in improving farming. Some of the most obvious benefits will be ; (i) Higher yields (ii) Improvement in soil texture and fertility (iii) Better and more economic utilization of the scarce water resources.` - Warbugia ugadenses (muthiga) - Mvule - Croton megalocapus (mukinduri) - Cabbage tree - Acrocapus flaximifolius - Ocotea usambarensis – Camphor - Trichria roka (murori) - Newtonia buchanii - Podocuppus artifolia - Fig tree (mugumo) - Cape chestnut UKULIMA BORA Katika warsha ya TIST washiriki walizindua mbinu kadha za ukulima bora zinazofaa kutumika kwenye mazingira yao. Hizi mbinu nikama vile zero tillage , kubadilisha mimea, kupanda mimea ya chakula pamoja na miti na kunyunyizia mashamba maji. Mbinu hizi zimejaribiwa na kuthibitishwa kuwa ni sawa nazikitumika zitanufaisha wakulima. Manufaa yanayoweza kupatikana kutokana na matumizi ya mbinu hizi nikama vile: (i) Mavuno mengi (ii) rutuba nzuri ilionawiri (iii) matumizi bora ya maji. TIST ACTIVITIES FOR THE NEXT 40 DAYS MIRADI YA TIST KWA SIKU ARUBAINI ZIJAZO - Train trainers and quantifiers - Introduce the TIST program to the wider Mt.Kenya region and beyond. - Start TIST small groups in the Mt Kenya region - Start AIDS eradication campaign - Registration of existing TIST small groups Kufunza wawezeshaji na wenye kuhesabu na kuk- Kuwahamazisha wawezeshaji - Kuanzisha miradi ya TIST katike eneo la Mt. Kenya. - Kuanzisha vikundi vidogo vidogo katika eneo la Mt. Kenya. - Kuanzisha kampeni ya kuangamiza Ukimwi. - Uandikishaji wa vikundi via TIST vilivyomo.