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The research fund ETH for Development (ETH4D) of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich is financing a research project with arboRise. ForDev – the research institute for forest management in the context of development – will study the social impact of our work in Guinea during three field missions: both the visible effects and possible collateral damage or benefits. In this way, we want to discover new possibilities to strengthen the sustainability of our activities by better understanding which local socio-cultural characteristics can favour or prevent reforestation. ForDev has developed a specific and collaborative methodology to study stakeholder interactions in development projects related to forests, especially tropical forests.  This research by ETH4D is in line with arboRise’s commitment to adopt an ethical and people-friendly approach at all times.

Tree planting? let’s check some facts and figures: 100 days for 75,000 trees planted: in three months, our team convinced 75 families in 9 villages to collect and pellet 10,000 seeds each from one of their seed trees, and another 75 families to reforest and maintain 2 hectares of land.

In all, at least 150 people immediately benefited from the project, not to mention the involvement of numerous village and prefectural authorities who encouraged the population to plant trees. Because it is urgent!

750,000 pellets of seed have been sown on 150 hectares of land. Half of them are expected to germinate and half to survive the first three years. One hectare of rainforest has between 300 and 500 mature trees capable of reproducing. So in the long run our action should generate 75,000 diversified trees, useful to the population. Tree planting in Guinea is cost-effective: this reforestation campaign has costed CHF 32,000, i.e. about 45 cents per tree (in comparison, planting in a swiss city costs CHF 50 per tree, meaning 100 times more!).

We are now giving way to the rainy season, which will last until October, and then we will start a new reforestation campaign. Speaking of rains: more and more serious studies show that it is the forests that seed the clouds to make the rain come down – wonderful, isn’t it?

 

What a pleasure to see the first sprouting! The conditions are indeed ideal: it’s raining, it’s warm and the cattle are staying in the pen. It is up to the young tree to take advantage of these conditions to grow and survive parasites and fungal diseases. In our hyper-protected world, we forget that life is full of surprises and risks. Good luck, little shoot!

The sowing of seedballs is an opportunity to bring together the village growers for a little training. Indeed, it is more friendly and efficient to spread the seedballs all together. Under the instructions of our team leader, the villagers can progress in parallel lines. This way the seedballs are spread evenly over the whole field. Each seed has an equal chance to fall in its right place. The second advantage of sowing in lines is that it is easier to find the seedlings to clear when the tall grass has grown to human height.

Have fun at sowing seeds ! The villagers sow the fields with the seedballs: 5’000 seedballs per hectare to guarantee a beautiful and diverse forest.

Which tree species will germinate from each seedball? We will find out in 6 months, after the rainy season.

In some places we are testing the poquet technique: make a small hole to put the seedballs in. Sowing seeds in this way will protect them even better.

     

As you can see, the vegetation is green because the rains have already started. The grasses growing around the future plants are an advantage and a disadvantage: some young trees like the shade and protection of the wild grass, others need light and freedom. Natural selection will decide which tree will germinate where. Sowing seeds in rows will make it easier to clear the ground after the rainy season.

For tropical species the average germination rate under direct seeding is 38% and the establishment rate is 17% (Direct Seeding in Reforestation – A field performance review, p. 101). The seedball technique increases the germination rate to 50%. So 2500 seeds should germinate on each hectare, and we have sown 150 hectares!

The seed bombs are put to dry. There are seedballs in every corner of the village!

Why put them to dry under cover and not in the sun? Because the rainy season has started in Linko, which is good news for the seeds!

 

 

Back in the villages, the seeds are coated to make the famous seedballs. It’s very simple, you just have to mix clay powder with charcoal powder and a little water. Of course, the clay and charcoal must first be crushed to make a powder which is then sieved.

   

   

The result is a sticky paste into which a seed is inserted. Then you roll it between your hands to make a ball.

And then you let it dry in the sun.

It’s amazing, you can find seedballs coaters in every corner of the village!

Is the dosage secret? Not at all! It is an important principle of arboRise to experiment and share our experience, our successes and failures. The recipe is here, try it!

In order to strengthen biodiversity, we are making a large mixture of all the seeds of all the tree species. This happens in Linko, the capital of the sub-prefecture. The 10,000 seeds collected by each of the 75 families are collected in a free classroom, made available by the mayor of Linko.

Several women growers come to help our team.

Finally the seed mixture is put back into the bags for pelleting. The destination of each bag is noted so that no village is forgotten.

This stage is crowned by the official thanks of the Sub-Prefect and a photo of all those involved.

The biodiversity of tree species will make the forest more resilient to the dangers that threaten it (parasites, fires, livestock, etc.).

Under the eye of the village children, the women farmers bring in their harvest of seeds.

The seeds are counted and weighed,

and then put into bags for transport to Linko, the capital of the sub-prefecture.

arboRise’s principle is to fully involve the population concerned by the project. This way, they take ownership of the forest, their forest. In addition, the project creates enthusiasm, a collective energy in each village. This mobilisation is an important lever for change and a source of hope for the entire region.

Amazing how many positive and inspiring encounters we had at our stand at the Objectif Terre Festival! Thank you to all members who visited us and to all people who discovered us on this occasion. Your compliments and wishes for success give us a lot of energy.

 

Like the biodiversity of the trees which we plant in Guinea, the trees which have been drawn on our collective fresco show the diversity of our visitors:

What is most appealing about arboRise ? Our participatory approach and our natural organic reforestation methods.