TreeAid by Jane Thurnell-Read

2005 August

Developed by farmers in Burkina Faso, the Zai technique is extremely effective in increasing soil fertility and improving crop yields in highly degraded soils. 10cm deep holes are dug and filled with an organic mulch (crop residue or manure) during the dry season. This stimulates termite activity, which increases water infiltration when the rains arrive. Rainfall runoff is reduced and soil moisture and fertility increased. So why am I telling you about this? I believe that the world will not achieve lasting peace and happiness while many people lead lives where they have to struggle on a daily basis to survive.

I commit 12% of the profit from my business to worthwhile endeavours. At the moment one of the projects I'm supporting is run by Tree Aid in Burkina Faso, West Africa, and that's were the termites come in, because Tree Aid is supporting this technique to help reclaim land for farming.

In the 6 project villages, in the Barsalogho region of Burkina Faso, famine and poor health are a real threat. The area suffers from an acute lack of forest resources, inadequate water supplies and increasing decline of agricultural and animal production. There is a serious lack of income-generating possibilities in the area.

Trees provide the local community with essential needs including food, timber, housing materials and income. Trees have a great cultural significance and play a part in all cultural ceremonies such as births, weddings, funerals and initiation ceremonies.

The project I'm giving money to is suporting: the training of 500 individuals in marketing the training of 6 individuals in forestry management the training of 30 individuals in agricultural production the training of 6 individuals in seedling production the growing of 60,000 seedlings raised in 3 private nurseries the growing of 11,250 seedlings planted in community woodlots the growing of 25,000 seedlings planted by families and individuals the establishment 2,700 m of live fencing (thorny trees to keep out animals).

Around 200 families and 1,200 individuals from 6 villages will gain from this Tree Aid project. Women will especially benefit from the project, receiving training and benefiting from income generating activities. The benefits will also be felt by the wider community, in particular the elderly and children. Pastoralists, the landless and one-member households will also benefit through access to resources from the communal areas. Here's a project offering detailed, tangible goals and you can help too by donating to Tree Aid. Click here to go to their website and learn more. You will find information there on how to make a donation by credit card, or by a UK bank cheque. Tree Aid was established as a charity on 1987 by a group of UK foresters in response to the chronic poverty and environmental crisis in Africa. It works where people need trees most: in the poorest villages in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, northern Ghana and Mali where 90% depend on trees for basic survival needs.

I am also supporting a homeopathy project in Botswana. Click here for more information on that.