admina herculean task: Planting 500 million trees inside 15 years.
While the target was to plant 4 500 trees in 2010, we shocked ourselves even by exceeding that target by a wide margin. More than 6 000 trees, 1 500 trees above what we had aimed for, were planted during that gruelling walkathon. More than 80 percent of them survive to this day.
With such an achievement, Fote are now more embolden in their mission. More than 60 of our dedicated men and women participated in the inaugural journey which started in the City of Progress, as Gweru is popularly known, and climaxed in the capital, Harare – a distance in excess of 275 kilometres.
The journey is on again this year.
A few days from now, the walkathon will be entering its second phase. The countdown starts today as you can see from our banner. And for more information on the 2011 walkathon, keep watching this space. With the wealth of experience gained from last year, Fote can only promise a fun-filled event for both our corporate sponsors/partners and the walkers: It is going to be bigger than what we had last year in terms of organisation and the levels of interest.
As it is, registration is currently underway for those keen on embarking on this worthy cause. Indications are already pointing to an oversubscription. To avoid any disappointment, those interested should book early.
We are expecting a core group of 100 strong participants for the entire journey of about 265 kilometres. Of course, the numbers will swell, naturally, in between the stopovers as Zimbabweans from all walks of life join in to cheer up this core group of participants and helping them get the message across. This year, we are hoping to plant more or less the same number of trees along the way.
We are happy that tree planting has ceased to be an event for members of Fote; it has become part of their culture. That that extent, Fote are only too glad to spread this culture across all corners of Zimbabwe. On November 27, our walkers shall leave Harare heading to Mutare.
The journey will take them six days to complete, which means they will reach the mountainous city of Mutare on December 2, ahead of the National Tree Planting Day on December 3.
To make the journey less punishing for the walkers, it has been broken down into six stopovers as follows:
Harare-Broomley48km27 November
Bromley-Kushinga Phikelela39km28 November
Kushinga Phikelela- Headlands45km29 November
Headlands-Nyazura47km30 November
Nyazura-Riverside50km1 December
Riverside-Mutare36km2 December
In choosing Mutare as our destination this year, Fote considered the significance of this border town their tree planting initiatives.
Manicaland Province is home to most agro forest businesses and plantations. It also has its fair share of deforestation occasioned by veldt fires and tobacco curing activities by our farmers.
The objective behind the walkathon remains the same: We want to raise public awareness on a tragedy that is unfolding right under our noses. We are taking this campaign a step higher by demonstrating our commitment to this worthy cause along the way. Fote is happy that the corporate world has responded and continues to respond positively to this worthy cause. From the numbers we had last year, we have almost doubled the levels of support. The list includes Nyaradzo Holdings, Mimosa Mining, Zimbabwe Platinum Mines, CBZ Holdings, Savannah, Kingdom Financial Holdings, Road Angels, Old Mutual, Interfin Bank, Zimpost, Turnal, FAO, Afdis, African Sun, Lafarge Cement, RTG, SeedCo and Delta.
One might ask: Why are we having to forego the comforts of our homes between November 27 and December 2 to embark on this torturous exercise? The answer is quite simple and it lies in our communities. Just look around and see what has become of our forests and trees that used to beautify our suburbs, parks and roadsides.
Our situation as a country is quite desperate. Zimbabwe is losing 330 000 hectares of trees every year with estimates suggesting that the country may be transformed into a desert in 52 years if nothing is done to reverse this trend.
A hectare holds 1 600 trees and when one multiplies the number of trees per hectare with the land size, deforestation is taking place at the rate of 528 million trees per year.
Faced with frequent power cuts, millions of people across the country are increasingly turning to wood as an alternative energy source, to cook and heat their homes during the winter.
The country lost more than 20 percent of its forest cover between 1990 and 2005, an average loss of 312,900 hectares, according to statistics compiled by environment website Mongabay.
Still more alarming, the rate of forest loss accelerated by 16 percent between 2000 and 2005.
Compare this with only 500,000 trees that are being planted every year, Zimbabwe could become a desert in no time. For far too long, the nation has been unfair with the Forestry Commission. The parastatal had been made to shoulder the burden of tree planting on its own and yet it should be everyone’s responsibility.
With the budgetary constraints that are synonymous with the funding of public enterprises, particularly in the last 11 years when the country lurched into a serious economic crisis characterised by hyperinflation, it is actually a miracle that the Forestry Commission has achieved what it has achieved to date.
Had we shared this responsibility with the Forestry Commission much earlier, the situation could have been much better than what it is currently. But as they say, there is no need to cry over spilt milk.
The challenge now is for us all, regardless of race, tribe, colour, creed or religion, to start doing the right thing, not tomorrow or next week, but today.
As Fote we believe tree planting is everyone’s responsibility. Imagine how many trees we would plant in a year if every one of our 14 million people makes it a habit to plant just 10 trees a year.
Trees play a balancing act in the life equation. They provide us with clean air to breathe and act as long term carbon sinks. They are an energy source, provide us with healthy and tasty fruits, create employment at the same time providing habitation to many animals of the wild. Their contribution to this life is priceless. It is this background that influences our calling.- Fote.
About Fote
Fote comprise like-minded organisations – from the corporate world, government, non-governmental organisations and individuals – that came together in 2010 to support the idea of reforestation through a non-profit-making Trust Fund.
The organisation works with the Forestry Commission of Zimbabwe, along with other environmental organisations, with the support of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Management.
Online Reporter