Nefisa, 22, and Meseret, 26, were not aware the climate was in crisis, until they joined a greening project three years ago.
They could tell the weather patterns were more erratic every year, but they didn’t know what was happening or if they could do anything about it.
Nefisa and Meseret live in Tulu Moye, a farming community about 100km from Addis Ababa – Ethiopia’s capital.
In Tulu Moye, vast swathes of land as far as the eye can see are without a single tree or have little tree cover. People chopped them down for firewood and building supplies, but without considering the cost to the environment.
The people here depend on rain-fed agriculture to grow wheat, which is the country’s staple food crop and an important source of income. If the rains were adequate, farmers would harvest wheat (which takes three months to mature) up to three times a year.
Right now, due to poor rainfall, yields come only once in twelve months.
“Last year there was no rain for 10 months and we had planted potatoes,” says Meseret.
“They stayed in the ground without rain for two months. Before that, rain came unexpectedly and destroyed our crops. I have that experience. The funny thing is I had not heard about the climate crisis,” he says.
Nefisa and Meseret are now part of an environmental project in Tulu Moye working to reverse the declining tree cover in this part of Ethiopia, as well as educate other young people on how they can earn a living by protecting the environment.
Green business
This initiative is a partnership between SOS Children’s Villages Ethiopia and the local Government. It started in 2020.
Agricultural experts from the district agricultural office trained 140 young people on land preparation, sowing, transplanting, and grafting to ensure seedlings grow into healthy trees.
To set up the nursery, they received farming tools and various seed varieties including coffee, papaya, mango, and avocado.
Every day, with rakes, pruning shears, and watering cans, Nefisa and Meseret meticulously nurture the seedlings, which are carefully planted in shaded areas.
Fifteen young people work in this nursery site. Some come in the morning and others in the afternoon. The group works together when preparing nursery beds before sowing for a new season. Working in shifts frees up Nefisa to take care of her two young children, and for Meseret to tend to his wheat farm.
“I had no experience or training in anything before SOS Children's Villages. I was a stay-at-home mother. I only went to sell wheat in the market. I wasn't interested in the environment because I didn't know about it. I didn't think about it. But after I came here, I learnt a lot on how to protect my surroundings and have adopted this by planting trees at home.”
“I got involved in this project because I was curious about the relationship between trees and the environment, and I wanted to see it practically,” says Meseret.
“Now I know trees are important for the environment because they clean the air, attract rain, create shade, and maintain the ecosystem. I’m a farmer, I have farming knowledge, but the project made the link for me between rain, the environment, and agriculture. I didn’t know this before.
“I didn’t even plant trees in my compound before – fruit trees or any other. Now I have about 5,000 seedlings in my compound.”
In the first year, the green entrepreneurs sowed 9,880 seedlings. They sold over 3,000 and made 53,750 Ethiopia birrs (923 Euro). With the growing shift in attitudes about the environment, they hope to sell 10,000 seedlings this year.
The green project is also converting fallow land into eco-gardens in six primary schools in Tulu Moye, and its also helping create awareness on best practices in water conservation.
Combating climate crisis
Ethiopia has a national campaign to plant trees every summer – June to July – to improve tree coverage in the country and combat the climate crisis. The three-year-old green project offers a great boost to this initiative.
The United Nations Environment Programmes estimates Ethiopia’s tree coverage drastically fell to 4% in the 2000s from 35% a century ago.
Researchers have found that tree restoration is one of the best and cheapest ways to tackle the climate crisis.
As trees grow, they absorb and store carbon dioxide – a major driver of global warming. Tree planting programmes effectively remove emissions pumped into the atmosphere by human activities.
“The community is really affected by the changing seasons,” says Meseret. “When there is a tree, there is rain. When there is no rain, the community cannot produce any food and will starve.
“If there’s no trees, there will be no animals, no insects, and no birds. Our existence depends on the trees because they attract rain, and then the community produces food through farming. With no rain there can be no food production.”
Nefisa says trees not only benefit nature but are a vital source of nutritious food and income for the families in the community.
“The community is already impacted by our project in many ways,” says Nefisa. “They’ve started planting fruit trees in their compound. They will harvest the nutritious fruits when the trees mature and feed their growing children.
“When they plant more trees, the agriculture in this area will improve because we will get enough rain. The community is already asking to buy coffee trees, paw paw, avocado, and mango.”
Nefisa and Meseret have become tree-planting advocates. They’re educating members of the community about the climate crisis and encouraging them to do their part for the environment.
“My neighbours visited my compound and saw how green it was and started planting trees in their homes,” says Meseret. “And when I take the seedlings to the market, I explain to customers why they should plant trees. I share the knowledge SOS Children’s Villages has taught me, how to tend to the trees and their importance to the environment.”
