Visit to a tree nursery

Jimmy Okello, Radio Apac, Uganda

Mr. Ogwal Amute, Apac Town Council, Apac Town, Uganda

LOCAL TRADITIONAL MUSIC STARTS THEN FADES OUT.

Many farmers in the village find themselves lacking money to buy essential items, such as medicines, or paraffin for lanterns and fruits. Tree planting offers farmers a way out of this problem. Farmers can plant incomegenerating trees in their gardens, compounds and fields in the same way they grow the usual food crops. Mr. Ogwal Amute of Apac Town council has been growing trees in Apac town, Uganda, for over eight years now and he knows the benefits of growing these trees – for fuel, food, medicine and building purposes. Stay with me because we are going to visit Mr. Ogwal Amute at his nursery bed and he will tell us more about how to grow trees for money.

FADE IN MUSIC AND FADE OUT FOLLOWED BY SOUND OF MOTORCYCLE RUNNING, STOPPING AND HOOTING.

Hello over here – is there someone at home?

“Karibu,” you’re welcome. Come in and sit down my son. To what do I owe this visit from you?

Mr. Ogwal, my name is Jimmy Okello; I work at the radio station. We are curious to know how you have successfully managed to plant trees for a long time and prosper as well out of it. Kindly introduce yourself to our listeners and tell us briefly what you do here.

My name is Ogwal, the son of Amute. That is why I am called Ogwal Amute. I am forty-eight years old. I call this place New Age Africa Chemica. We plant trees for traditional medicine use, for fruits, as well as trees that provide building material and fuel wood.

Why did you decide to do this kind of work?

As a boy I did not have the ambitions to be a tree planter. My father was a soldier so I grew up in the barracks wanting to become a soldier. At school my teachers counseled me to take up science subjects. I studied chemistry, botany and zoology at the university. During my internship while studying in Rakai district I came across many herbalists in Rakai making traditional medicines from trees and fruits and making a living out of it. So when I came back home I decided to do the same, without any regret. Oranges, tangerines and lemons are what we are focusing on because that is what I grow in the town for money.

It must be very expensive to start a project like this. Where did you get the money to start this project?

Firstly I did not pay anyone to show me the trees. I went and asked the tree planters in Rakai to show me the important trees, and they did so willingly.

How do you grow these seeds?

Come, let us go outside to see the trees and I’ll show you.

SHORT TRADITIONAL MUSIC BREAK.

We are now standing in the nursery bed of trees at the New Age Africa Chemica plots. Mr. Ogwal, go on and tell us how they grow.

Orange, tangerine and lemon seeds – I grow all of these in polythene bags filled with good soil. Line these up under the bigger trees that offer some shade or at the back of your hut that is sheltered from the severe sunshine. If you cannot buy the polythene bags, look around restaurants and homes or shops for empty milk packets, empty juice sachets, empty plastic mineral water and juice bottles or empty liquor sachets from the bars. All those you can get for free. After planting the seeds, water them regularly in the evening and in the morning.

So when do you transplant the seedlings to the field?

Once the trees grow to the height of your shin they are ready to be transplanted. If you are shorter that I am you better use a foot ruler because you might transplant too early. When the trees are one foot high they are ready to be transplanted.

If you have someone to help with watering, you can transplant anytime and water the fruit trees regularly. Otherwise you wait for the beginning of the rainy season. Remember to protect the young trees from animals such as goats and pigs by placing dry thorn tree branches around the fruit plants.

Can you plant trees together with other crops?

Oranges and tangerines grow very well with crops such as beans, millet, maize, groundnut, and sorghum. Tubers can grow well with oranges but the problem is that when it comes to harvest tubers, such as cassava, you have to be careful not to damage the roots of the orange tree.

Remember that planting one tree will not help you because the children will eat all the fruit from that tree. They will become healthy but you will not have any remaining for sale. My recommendation is that in order to benefit from the trees, you must plant a minimum of twenty trees.

Well we have had a look at the trees. Let’s go back now and sit under one of the tree shades.

SHORT TRADITIONAL MUSIC BREAK.

Welcome back from the nursery – have a seat. Have a glass of passion fruit juice; it is made from the harvest of the passion fruit crop in the gardens we just left.

Thank you very much the juice is delicious. Is it easy to sell the fruits?

Oh yes! The restaurant and homes in town are always looking for fruits to make juice for their customers. Not many people grow fruit trees so there is a big market in the town as well as in the village. Middlemen from the big city also come here to buy fruits to supply to the markets and hotels in the big city of Kampala. Maybe we can export it someday for better money.

How have you benefited from planting these trees?

I have managed to pay school fees for my children from selling my fruits. I have got money to build two houses now. Other trees, such as the eucalyptus variety, I have used to build my houses. Many customers also come to buy trees from me – for example shade trees for their compounds, trees for fencing, and medicinal trees.

What message do you have for people in the community – to encourage them to undertake fruit tree planting?

Tree planting can be very profitable. Trees can also be good for providing shade to your homes and creating a healthy environment. Other trees keep away mosquitoes hence helping to prevent malaria.

Thank you very much Mr. Ogwal Amute.

TRADITIONAL MUSIC BREAK.

Listeners we have had a visit to New Age Africa Chemica, a tree planting venture of Mr. Ogwal Amute in Apac Town. He has shown us how to grow lucrative orange, tangerine, lemon and passion fruit trees in our homes and gardens and where we can sell them to get money. Tree growing can contribute to poverty reduction in your homes so take up the initiative to grow more trees. Remember Mr. Ogwal Amute is at hand to assist your startup, or get in touch with me, Jimmy Okello, at Radio Apac (92.9FM), for more information.

TRADITIONAL MUSIC AND SIGN OFF.