Give Fruit and a Greener Environment (South Sudan)

Tree Planting Project
Approximately, 50,000 Ecycalptus tree seedlings were raised in 10 tree nurseries for planting out at the end of 2009 and beginning of 2010. However, due to the global financial crisis, as stated in the introduction, it was necessary to reduce the number of nurseries that HOPE Ofiriha supported. It was decided that a maximum of 6 tree nurseries could be supported, and support would have to be withdrawn from those nurseries which were a long distance away and difficult to reach.

Volunteer’s levels for the environmental project were also looked at and reductions made. HOPE Ofiriha now recruits 2 volunteer mangers, 4 coordinators (formerly supervisors) and local environmental staff, down to a total of 22 volunteers.

Fruit Tree Growing Project
During the second year of the fruit tree project, HOPE Ofiriha recruited a former Government agricultural extension worker as a volunteer who had considerable knowledge of budding and grafting.

It was decided that it was not viable for all the nurseries to have fruit trees, and so 10 fruit tree nurseries were established in key strategic areas, and an orchard of mother trees was planted near each other of these nurseries.

During the plantation season at the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010, improved fruit trees which had been budded in the first year of the project were planted out.

At Omilling local greenhouse was constructed using semi-permanent materials and nursery volunteer workers” were trained to bud. Additionally, an orchard of mother trees was planted.

More budwood was purchased from National Crops Research Institute (Uganda), brought to Omilling, and a large number of lemon seedlings were budded. These seedlings were raised in the greenhouse and then given to individual farmers and community tree nurseries.

Virus-resistant banana suckers were bought and a plantation of 250 banana trees was established at Omilling.

It is planted that the suckers from these banana trees will be “loaned” to selected farmers to establish their own plantation, and repayment of these “loan” will be made in suckers from their trees so that other farmers can set up plantations. So far, 270 fruit seedlings from pawpaw, Indian mango, jack, passion, sugarcane, yellow banana and avocado have been planted out.

Links:

• HO Facebook page
• HO twitter account
• Fruit tree project page