Sustainable Agricultural Practices (SAP) Project was implemented in Moiben from 2018-2021. Moiben is well known for its massive plantation of wheat and maize as well as isolated potential track of uncultivated land that suits afforestation and agroforestry. SAP project worked to strengthen the land use systems in the community. This led to incorporation of tree planting as a sustainable agricultural practice; one way towards poverty eradication as well as combating the dire effect of climate change on global agriculture.
During the implementation period of SAP Project, 200 marginalized families in four farms (villages in Moiben-Sesia, Tachasis, Simotwo and Manyatta) grew 20,000 tree seedlings. Each participant managed to grow 100 seedlings in his or her piece of land. The seedlings included species of Eucalyptus, cypress, grevillea, bottle brush and pine.
Trees offer a number of natural ecosystem services which are naturally beneficial to individuals, families, community and entire mother earth. Some of these ecosystem services included:
- Trees will provide timber, wood fuel and alternative source of financial income from sale of wood and wood products.
- Trees also produce oxygen gas during photosynthesis which is the only gas that supports life on earth.
- Trees and forests capture (sequester) Carbon (IV) Oxide gas which is the main gas that leads to global warming and hence climate change in the entire globe.
- Trees and other plants provide forages, nectar and beehive construction timber for honey bees. This will support bee keeping value chain that is targeted by the project in Moiben.
- Forests and trees are water catchment areas hence playing a bigger role in hydrological circle and rainfall patterns of a region.
Newly planted tree in the tropics can remove up to 50 kilograms of CO2 from the atmosphere each year during its active growth period of 20–50 years. Therefore, only 18,000 trees will be sequestering 900,000 KG of Carbon (IV) Oxide gas every year.
