The NACOFAG in collaboration with FAO-FFF Project and Survival Aid The Gambia.

The National Coordinating Organization for Farmers Associations The Gambia NACOFAG in collaboration with Survival Aid The Gambia and FAO - FFF Project facilited and supported by the All Gambia Forestry Platform (AGFP) and the National Consulting NACO is conducting a National Tree planting exercise in five Agricultural and Forest Regions of the Gambia (Kerr Jarga Jobe Jokadu in the NBR, Jellan Bakadagi CRRN, Sareh Madi Jendeh CRRS, Jarra Bureng LRR and Kafuta Community Forest WCR).

The aim of the exercise is for Farmers, NGOs and Forest Producer Organizations FFPOs to contribute in the regeneration of the lost Forest and biodiversity for use by the generations yet unborn. The impact of climate change, land degradation, weakness of the soil fertility, inadequate and poor rainfall system towards Crop and Forest products production, all due to the changing nature of our natural resources endowments. The beneciaries of the support is 2 members of Nacofag family farmers from NBR and CRRN while the rest are from the Community Forest Committees in CRRS, LRR and WCR.

NACOFAG management and leadership thanks both Survival Aid The Gambia and FAO FFF and NACO for the provision of 3000 seedlings of various species including Gmelina, Cashew, Oranges, Mangoes, Guavas, Pawpaw and Lime among others. A high level planting exercise will continue on Thursday at 9.00 at Kafuta Community Forest and on Friday at the Jarra Bureng Community Forest in LRR. The seedlings will also be provided to individual farmers and foresters at households for sustainable management towards the growth of the seedlings into woody and fruit trees. Thanks to all those institutions, individuals and committies participating in the process.

The Regional Forestry Officer in LRR Regional Forestry Office Lamin Sawaneh called on the participants to take good care of the planted seedlings, especially since a lot of money have been spent to raise the seedlings.

Addressing the participants at the end of the exercise, the Regional Forestry Officer responsible for CRR/South, Alagie Sanyang, applauded the fruitful collaboration between the agency and the department of forestry in environmental protection and management.

The initiative, he said, was in line with the forest policy objective of engaging the communities in forest resources management and also complementing the president’s call for planting one million trees annually throughout the country.

He also spoke at length on the role of the communities in reforestation exercise to regain the forest cover, which is very much vital to their livelihood as studies have indicated that over 90 per cent of the rural people in one way or the other derives their needs from the forest, especially through fuel wood.

The importance of trees to the farming communities cannot be overemphasized, he said, describing them as critical to the protection of soil against desiccation and erosion, as well as the improvement of soil nutrient, rainfall and temperature moderation.

He then thanked the participating communities for their cooperation and advice to them to protect the planted trees against bushfires and animals.