THE TREE
The International Small Group and Tree Planting Program
VOLUME 1. ISSUE NO. 93 SEPTEMBER 2017
The TREE is a monthly newsletter Published by TIST Uganda, a project area of The International Small Group and Tree Planting Program.
MISSION STATEMENT:
TIST Uganda is a community initiative dedicated to empowering small groups of subsistence farmers to combat the devastating effects of deforestation, poverty and drought.
OBJECTIVE STATEMENT:
Combining sustainable development with carbon sequestration,TIST supports the reforestation efforts of over 25,000 subsistence farmers. Sales of carbon credits generate participant income while TIST today also addresses Agriculture, HIV/AIDS, Nutrition and Fuel Wood challenges.
ADDRESS:
TIST Uganda. Katungu Hill, Bushenyi Town, P.O. Box 232, Bushenyi, Uganda, East Africa. Website: www.tist.org, info@i4ei.org
IN THIS ISSUE:
• PLANT TREES TO REDUCE MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
• THE CARBON BUSINESS AND MARKET
• BENEFITS FROM TIST PROGRAM
• I AM A CHAMPION AND I LOVE MY JOB WITH TIST PROGRAM
A TREE WHAT FOR IN LIFE?
My name is tree I am so valuable and precious to you proud human beings and without me it would be a total disaster and you would live like you are in a furnace. If you under estimate my air cooling capacity you need to have a visit to the Sahara and you will regard me so highly but pangas don’t let me live. It is my leaves and twigs that fall off me and rot on the ground to provide more nutrients to the soil in which you grow crops to satisfy your hunger. So precious I am, I am so good at improving climate conditions, for it’s the vapor out of me that is condensed to provide rainfall and you will believe me that there is no life without water. If it is not there it is not worth living. Oh ,how precious I am ,where would you be if for once I decided not to emit the oxygen you all living things would die. I don’t stop at being so precious to you human beings, even to you the animal who feed on my leaves for life and you all the birds in the air, where would you perch and have your nests. 3 I am so precious and valuable to immeasurable standards. Somankind spares me fromaxes and your pangas. Plant me in large number for I will never stop rendering you my support for as long as you desire to live comfortably.
By Denis Agaba, Quantifier Bushenyi
TIST UGANDA IS A BLESSING
TIST is an agricultural, tree-planting, sustainable development and carbon credit program that the was developed in collaboration with subsistence farmers in 1999 in Tanzania ,Morogoro to help the farmers improve their livelihoods and food security by planting trees on degraded lands. TIST provides training and offers a small stipend to local farmers to help them meet their economic needs, The improved farming practices and 4 tree planting improve the farmers' and their villages' welfare by stabilizing the local food supply and by providing families with additional income from TIST tree benefits and payments. Through TIST program in Uganda ,we have been blessed in various ways like improved farming methods (Conservation Farming),we have been able to use less fire wood through introduction of energy saving cook stoves, also fruit and nut harvests have been able to provide income to most households ,nursery beds have been established through small group combined efforts and the sale of seedlings led to additional revenue to small group members, shade that protects crops and resting place for domestic animals. TIST has provided training, employment to many local residents and improvement to livelihood of subsistence farmers. TIST employs and trains local residents to use global information technology to track the trees’ growth. Using GPS technology and digital cameras, they visit project sites, count and photograph the trees and upload their data to the TIST website. Through leadership training, TIST program has been able to expand to new regions like Northern Uganda where clusters have been established.
By Hakim Bachwa
TAKING CARE OF TREE GROVES
WEEDING: Weeding tree groves is a good idea and necessary for the tree growth because when weeds and shrubs get too much in tree groves, they hinder trees from growing well and hence compete for nutrients and light. Weeding tree groves prevents stiff competition for nutrients
PRUNING: Pruning is the removal of excess branches from a tree. This helps a tree to grow well without many branches that consume nutrients. Pruning is mostly done in dry season when approaching rainy season and this helps in healing of trees where branches have been cut. 6 Always prune your trees at the right age and time getting help from qualified people.
THINNING: This is the cutting of most stunted trees in a grove so that there is enough spacing for the remaining trees to grow big and reduce competition for food among the trees. When trees in a grove are thinned, the rest of the trees grow welland become big in size. This is because some trees that would have competed for food are cut down to give space and enough food for other trees to grow well and survive.
By Agaba George, Trainer Kabale
PLANT TREES, GO GREEN, REDUCE AIR POLUTION.
Planting trees is life saving, vegetation becomes green, air is cleaned and air pollution is reduced. When we plant trees we save millions of lives because by planting trees oxygen is created through the growing trees and cobondioxide that is emitted in atmosphere is cleaned by being consumed by the trees that is being planted hence air pollution is reduced. 7 Air pollution threatens the health of humans and other living beings in our planet.
Air pollution is caused by the following
Air pollution in cities caused by vehicle exhaust fumes Another source of air pollution is from dust and dirt that goes up in the atmosphere Filters that are not changed regularly in your air conditioning units will accumulate dirt and cause the spread of pollutants in the air you breathe inside your home. Using household chemicals without adequate ventilation is a major source of indoor air pollution.
What can we do to combat the effects of air pollution?
Let’s plant trees, go green and reduce air pollution.
By Mugisha: Apex Agro Farm and Nurserybed.