By Sarjo Jarju
In their quest to combating climate change and desertification, a Foni-based Community Association, the Bulock Kapongha Youth Development Association (BKYDA) has disclosed plans to organize its fourth (4th) edition of Annual Tree Planting Exercise, slated for 31st August, 2019.
The tree planting exercise, which will be conducted at the Foni Bulock Community Forest in West Coast Region (WCR), is directed at improving the community livelihood and wildlife conservation.
For the past (consecutive) years, the BKYDA, in collaboration with the Global Youth Innovation Network Gambia Chapter (GYIN Gambia Chapter), Department of Forestry (DoF), the National Agricultural Land and Water Management Development Project (Nema-Chosso), has been planting trees to save their environment.
The idea stemmed from a joint-Work Plan developed in 2017 by the Bulock Kapongha Youth Development Association and GYIN Gambia, to commemorate International Youth Day (IYD), which is celebrated on 12th August, annually.
The initiative is to engage youth into agriculture, and consequently, see farming as business.
As part of celebrations marking the day (IYD), GYIN Gambia and BKYDA mobilize youth across the country to participate in the activity.
The event, to both GYIN Gambia and BKYDA, is under the banner “Tesitoo” in English Self-Help Initiative.
In an interview with Mansa Banko Online, the Vice President of the BKYDA, who is currently overseeing the Association’s Presidency, Ms. Isatou Badjie said the annual exercise would bring together members of the association and residents of the community to plant over 4000 trees {seedlings}.
“Fruit trees will also be planted to enable local people to benefit from Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP),” she said.
The VP opined that, “If the initiative goes successful, it has the potential of positively impacting on the living conditions of the entire inhabitants of Bulock.”The population, she continued, would derive economic benefits from the forest products directly and indirectly.
In addition, the tree planting exercise would see the creation of a bee-keeping center that would help in pollination of crops as research has proven that bee-pollinated trees could produce more fruits than others.
Badjie is positive that the bee-keeping centre could create decent jobs for women and youth through their engagement in the production, processing and marketing of honey products.
She thanked the partners of the previous tree-planting exercise such as the National Agricultural Land and Water Management Development Project (Nema), the Global Youth Innovation Network Gambia Chapter, Department of Forestry as well as Green Up Gambia for sponsoring the exercise and implore on them to make this year a memorable event.
VP Badjie’s Association is currently benefiting from the National Agricultural Land and Water Management Development Project (Nema) Youth Garden Scheme.
“With the youth garden, we’re now consuming fresh vegetables,” she vouched of the benefits accrued.
