adminTHE old axiom “trees are life”, may sound a little hackneyed and trite in this age, but a Bulawayo man might have just given it the proverbial new lease of life.
Mr Khei Masuku (47) of Mzilikazi high-density suburb in Bulawayo has made it his life’s mission to plant trees, setting a personal target of planting one million trees every year. The quest may appear too far fetched, but not for a man with a passion, zeal and dedication as raw as Mr Masuku’s. He is exuberantly confident of attaining his target, of course with the necessary support from the relevant stakeholders.
Mr Masuku claims to have so far planted over 20 000 trees in and around Bulawayo since 2009, while operating from the backyard of his Mzilikazi home. He says he could have planted more trees had he had enough space to pursue his passion, space which he hopes the powers that be will provide him.
Some of the areas where Mr Masuku has planted trees of varying species include Nguboyenja Police Station, Barbourfields Police Station, Lozikeyi Primary School and Lobengula Primary School, to name just a few. Having gone only up to Form Two with his education and a humble holder of the Zimbabwe Junior Certificate (ZJC), Mr Masuku has no further formal training in forestry conservation. It is only his rare passion for the environment which has been the main driving force behind an endeavour from which he derives no profit.
The unassuming soft-spoken father of six employed by a Hwange-based supermarket as a supervisor in the fruits and vegetable section uses his spare time to pursue his tree planting passion with assistance from his wife and children.
His objective, he told Sunday News last week, is to help mitigate the effects of climate change as well as alleviate poverty and hunger.
“Trees are life; that is an undisputable fact. They are life in every way you can think of. Basic science tells us that we get oxygen from trees. Fruit trees provide us with food just as much as trees also provide food for animals. The main objective is to reduce the effects of climate change and help eradicate poverty and hunger through planting trees. My research shows me that poverty, hunger and malnutrition can be eradicated by planting citrus trees. The target is to plant one million trees by the end of next year and I believe with the necessary support I will achieve that goal. I have the seeds of various species of trees but my biggest challenge is land where I can run a bigger nursery of the trees,” he said.
Mr Masuku specialises in citrus and indigenous fruit trees, which he believes if planted at a large scale may go a long way in improving the lives of people in impoverished communities. Climate change expert Dr Nkulumo Zinyengere, concurred with Mr Masuku on the importance of planting trees in mitigating the effects of climate change and improving the quality of people’s lives.
“One of the most gainful and holistic ways of tackling climate change while contributing to public health is through planting trees. I am in no way suggesting that tree planting or good environmental stewardship can replace the provision of basic services such as primary health care, nutrition programmes, and adequate water supply and sanitation. I believe that completely ignoring the value of a healthy planet on human health and well-being is potentially calamitous,” he said.
Mr Masuku’s passion for the environment dates back to 1987 as a teenager herding cattle in Gokwe’s Manoti area, where footprints of his budding love for the environment still exist to this day. A giant baobab tree that he planted there has since become such an iconic figure in the area so much that it is now used as a drop-off point by travellers and an important coordinate or feature when giving directions to visitors to the area.
“I have always loved planting trees. It has been my hobby since I was a little boy. I spent most of my boyhood herding cattle for a living after the death of my parents which forced me to drop out of school. My passion for the environment started during those days as a herd boy and I think the fact that I spent most of my time in the bush herding cattle made me appreciate nature and the environment better,” he explained.
Mr Masuku later trekked to South Africa around the early 1990s in search of greener pastures and as if by design he got his first and only job across the Limpopo at a commercial farm which specialised in planting trees for export. There, his passion was nurtured and reinforced into an irresistible force that literarily keeps him ticking today.
“After my experience in South Africa I felt a similar project could be carried out back home. So when I came back home in 2000 I tried to sell the idea to Government of having commercial tree farms but I was not successful. I decided to start working on my own and operated from the backyard of my house where I run a small nursery of trees of various species. I have been given support by the Forestry Commission who have helped me with planting pockets. That has to some extent made my work easy,” he said.
Mr Masuku is appealing for a bigger space to carry out his work, space he says if provided will see him achieving his target of planting one million trees every year. His main objective, he explained, is to establish community nurseries and orchards as well as household orchards, vehicles he hopes will help fight hunger in communities and households.
“The space that I’m using now is too small and does not allow me to nurse as many seedlings to allow me to achieve the target of one million trees yearly. I’m appealing to Government and Bulawayo City Council to assist me with a piece of land where I can run a nursery for the trees which I will give to residents and organisations for free. My main objective and motivation is to see trees being planted and communities benefiting from the trees. I have been producing trees for free since 2009 and giving them to various institutions. I have enough seed to produce trees for everyone in Zimbabwe. All I need is the space.”
He urged Zimbabwean farmers to take a cue from their South African counterparts who have turned to commercial production of trees such as Moringa which is famed for its medicinal properties. Mr Masuku argued that Zimbabwe had the best climate for Moringa tree production pointing out that the country was losing out on potential revenue from exportation of the tree which is in high demand abroad.
“In South Africa they now have industries where they process trees and plants for export. That is something we can do as a country and that is another way trees can be a source of livelihood to people through creating employment,” he argued.
Dr Zinyengere noted the overwhelming benefits of tree planting, commending Mr Masuku for his initiative.
“If we had more people like Mr Masuku then the world would be a better place. The environmental and social benefits of tree planting especially to poor communities make a campaign around tree planting very attractive. Imagine carbon dioxide absorption, improving air quality, providing energy, medicine, building material, among other such benefits,” he said.
Zimbabwe loses about 330 000 hectares of natural forests annually due to deforestation which has led to loss of more than 21 percent of Zimbabwe’s forest cover over the past two decades. The Forestry Commission makes frantic efforts to promote tree planting and each year sets a tree planting target. For the 2013 to 2014 tree planting season the target was 10 million trees and the target was surpassed by two million trees. The target for the 2014 to 2015 tree planting season is 12, 5 million trees.
Zimbabwe has also set the first Saturday of every December as the national tree planting day to promote tree planting among citizens.
Online Reporter