UGANDA’S M.B FIGHTING DESERTIFICATION, UNVEILED A: Cut one plant thirty Campaign.
By: Abubakar Sematimba
Ismael Kintu is a Ugandan farmer a Micro biologist graduate of International University of Africa, Sudan where he spent 7years of his life receiving a live taste of desertification.
Our reporter Abubakar Sematimba gave a courtesy visit to Kintu's farm in Gombe- Butamba District, some 55 Kilo meters from the Capital Kampala, where he had a chance to hear, how this man has reacted to the world call of saving nature for future generations.
After completing his studies, Kintu came back to Uganda where he found a country going through the same problem of desertification similar to what he witnessed in the Desert of Sudan.
Hectares of land and natural forests in Uganda were being destroyed at a very high speed, yet the effort to make, reafforestation was at a low pace, and not existing at all in some areas.
By 2009 Kintu picked the interest in replanting all tree species that could be available both wood and fruit trees, and he decided to start the campaign with his home village.
'I went for short courses in tree nursery preparation, and management, then I started planting my own trees, and giving seedlings to the community at an affordable price' Kintu recalls.
Butambala Generally is famous for growing Ginger and another addictive plantation called 'Mayirungi' in local language, chewed by many people in Uganda, especially long distance Truck and Bus drivers, who claim that this substance keeps them awake for long hours while driving.
According to Kintu he is working on a long term campaign of changing the minds of his people, from growing less valued plantations and crops to high valued ones.
Thus, he decided to start up some thing from the experience he acquired in Sudan; ultimately the community will emulate his efforts and do the same by God's will.
So far Kintu has 5 hectares of Eucalyptus, 3acres of Pine and also food trees on small scale.
He has embarked on a task of poverty alleviation, sensitizing the community, and educating the masses on how they can move from subsistence to commercialized farming using a small piece of land.
This can only be reached at, by providing people with seedlings and other technical education through organized workshops, the task that Kintu has initiated in his home area, though on a slow pace, due to limited resources at his disposal.
Kintu has a dream of planting 10,000 trees of pine, 100,000 Eucalyptus, 5000 grafted Mangoes and 5000 grafted oranges in a period of five to ten years from now.
'I appeal to you the reader and every body down there far in the villages of Africa to embark on a campaign I have dubbed 'Cut one plant thirty ', Kintu reveals.
Appeal to the Governments
Kintu appeals to the Governments the world over, Uganda Government in particular to sensitize the masses on the dangers of cutting the trees, and according to him this campaign has to start from the grass roots at a village level.
After being sensitized the community should be part and parcel of the campaign.
He disclosed to us how a British NGO promised to help him with trained experts, especially in the area of grafting, to raising tree species from seeds to seedlings, as many seeds require a special attention and care.
Watering these plantations also has remained one of the major problems that give kintu sleepless nights, because of the scarcity of rain water; therefore he is urgently looking for mechanized way of getting water.
He thus appeals to individuals, corporate and any other National or international organizations like FAO to come in and extend a helping hand in both finance and technical personnel to his established KIBIBI SURE LIMITED COMPANY.
Kintu can be reached at +256782611394 or +256751611394.
E-mail:[email protected]