CIBITOKE March 14th (ABP) – The 2018-2019 tree planting season ends in a few days in Cibitoke (northwest), according to the provincial official of the Burundi Authority for Environmental Protection (OBPE), Mr. Fidèle Nzigamiye, who said he will monitor the preparation of the next campaign which will begin with the installation of nurseries in June.
As part of the national project called “Ewe Burundi urambaye,” reforestation activities were more successful in Cibitoke where they are observed through forest trees planted although many eucalyptus plants were coming from Bujumbura-Rural, bamboos for the protection of the banks of Ruhwa and Rusizi rivers (on the borders with neighboring countries), many agro-forestry trees planted by the people supported by different partners, and fruit trees.
Among the partners of the Cibitoke province, the Program of institutional and operational support to the agricultural sector of Burundi (PAIOSA) was involved in the planting of nearly three million forest seedlings in Mabayi, Mugina, Murwi and Rugombo communes for protection of watersheds, also with the aim of securing hydro-agricultural structures in the irrigated area of Cibitoke. According to the OBPE manager, the programs financed by International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), including PAIVA-B, PRODEFI, PROPAO and PNSADR-IM, have produced and set up thousands of agro-forestry trees, forage plants and fruit trees. INADES-Formation supported targeted households in the planting of native trees and agro-forestry, while NGO ZOA supervised households targeted to plant agro-forestry trees.
Thus, to better prepare for the 2019-2020 tree planting campaign, communes are already sensitized to make their nurseries and provincial forecasts envisage a nursery per village, in the good continuation of the “Ewe Burundi urambaye” project, according to an administrative source. Beginning in April 2019, stakeholder identification, nursery sites and other needs will be discussed before the launch of the next season, which begins with the installation of these nurseries and other works, according to a source of BPEAE.
Note that in the context of environmental protection, there is a program underway to eliminate trees that consume much water, such as eucalyptus and others, to replace them with an indigenous band in the marshes, and near the water sources, as revealed. It is worth noting that the inhabitants of Cibitoke have already understood the interest of the reforestation project called “Ewe Burundi urambaye”, a fact that can be observed by their numerous participation in the community works related to reforestation and their adherence to the program of planting various, forestry, agro-forestry trees, forage plants and fruit trees, according to different sources.
