Nelly Bassily | September 17, 2012
Farmers grow trees for many reasons. While the farmers in this week’s story from Burundi grow trees to sell as firewood or lumber, others grow trees for fruit or nuts, to improve soil fertility and prevent soil erosion, or even for profit as part of government reforestation efforts.
Some of the reasons that farmers grow trees are discussed in the following stories from past editions of FRW:
Burkina Faso: Bonuses boost farmers’ reforestation efforts (FRW 174, October 2011).
Southern Africa: Tree is a ‘fertilizer factory in the field’ (FRW 82, September 2009).
Uganda: Beekeeping and tree planting go hand in hand (FRW 43, November 2008).
There are also a number of scripts on trees and forestry in Farm Radio International’s archive, here: http://farmradio.org/english/radio-scripts/forestry.asp
Do farmers in your area grow trees, either as a crop, or as a means to protect their crops? What are the traditional reasons for growing trees? Are there any new trends in local farmers’ tree growing practices? With a little research, you may find an interesting local news story (or more) on this topic!