Agriculture Celebrates National Tree Planting Day In Kenema

The ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security (MAFF) on Sunday 16^th June 2013 celebrated national tree planting day in Kenema city, eastern republic of Sierra Leone. (Photo: Director Planting Tree)

In his welcome address the District Forestry Officer, Kenema district, welcomed all for coming, adding that he was very happy for the turnout and that even though people were not adequately informed and called on, all were able to fully participate as they were cerebrating national tree planting day

In his opening remarks, the chairperson of the occasion who doubles as Chairperson Agriculture Committee, Kenema city council, Councilor Mohamed Sesay said the day is a big day and very important in the lives of Sierra Leoneans, more especially the people of Kenema city, adding that they were cerebrating national tree planting day which was supposed to be on June 5th but it was decided to be celebrated on June 15th because they wanted to involve the school going pupils. He said the temperature in the city has become hotter because of the continuing cutting of trees from forests without replanting and that the Ministry of Agriculture thought it fit that it will be good to replace trees that have be cut. This action will help in the environmental control and with the involvement of the school going pupils they learn, and in return, and they educate their parents about the importance of tree planting.

Delivering his statement, the project leader Gola Rain Forest National Park, Tamba Vandy, said they take the day very seriously as they are dealing with the forest, adding that stick gives life to human being and if the tree planting continues it will be good for Sierra Leoneans; he said tree planting is important because it will protect houses from the natural elements and the winds that blow and the change of climate is as a result of people cutting down trees without replanting. He called on all to engage in tree planting.

Representative of World Food Program (WFP) Marian Magba Kamara said that before this time WFP was only feeding school going pupils, but they are now trying to add value to local food grown in the country adding that Sierra Leone is very rich and that food from the country has more value than imported food, noting that the trees they are planting now will be a legacy to the children and she called on the pupils to learn from their parents when involved in agricultural activities.

Musu Rita Foray Koroma said she is very happy than any other person in the program because of the involvement of school going pupils and that trees are very important in the life of human beings and called upon the agriculture officer to extend the gesture to schools in the district

Delivering his key note address, the District Director of Agriculture, Mohamed A Bah, said the theme for this world environmental day celebration is ‘THINK, EAT, SAVE’ and that according to FAO every year 1.3 billion tones of food is wasted, which is equivalent to the same amount produced in the whole of the sub Saharan Africa. He said it is a struggle to provide us with enough resources to sustain 7 billion people (2050-9 billion) and that FAO estimated that a third of global food waste is an enormous drain on natural resources and a contributor to negative environmental impacts, and that planting trees has long been a better suggestion to better the earth, possibly even preceding the outcry and warning of global warning and H20 crisis. He said that there is desperate need for action against the ongoing destruction of natural resources.

Director Bah reiterated that trees act as carbon suckers, storing the gas in branches, trunks leaves, etc., and trees act as shade as a wind breaker. He said studies have shown that a single tree can soak as much as 48 ibs of CO₂ in a year and produce enough CO₂ to sustain two human beings and one human being can produce 2.3 tons of CO₂ per year, considering that a healthy tree stores about 13ibs of CO₂.

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