As concern for the global environment increases, Bóthar are promoting gifts that grow – trees.
Trees form an integral part of all Bóthar livestock projects and form a central part of Bóthar’s commitment to providing holistic approach to agricultural development and towards finding a sustainable solution to hunger and poverty.
Whether in Africa, Asia or South America, all Bóthar livestock projects are integrated and include development and care of farmland side-by- side with animal husbandry.
Bóthar strives to replenish depleted forest areas and teach communities the benefits of cultivating one of nature’s greatest gifts.
During dry periods, when feed for livestock is scarce, trees continue to produce fodder. A farmer who has a continuous supply of nutritious fodder will have healthier animals year round, while a farmer whose animals are well fed only during the rainy season will ‘go back’ a bit during the dry season causing milk yield to be affected.
Benefits of Trees
The benefits of trees are multi fold. In the majority of Bóthar projects the recipient family will not receive their animal until they have planted a minimum of 100 trees saplings.
- Firewood; Deforestation is taking place at an alarming rate in much of the developing world. The primary reason for this is that the people need fire wood to cook their food. Training the recipient farmers to plant trees will enable them to supply their own firewood and to stop the practice of cutting down the forests. As we all know, deforestation is one of the primary causes of soil erosion and climate change.
- Fodder; Farmers are taught to grow trees and bushes which are high in protein and are used as animal fodder.
- Wind Breaks; Bóthar trees are often used for wind breaks. This is both to prevent soil erosion and make living conditions more comfortable for the animals so they will be more productive.
- Nitrogen Fixing and Carbon Absorbing; The farmers are trained to plant trees which naturally put nitrogen back into the soil while simultaneously absorbing carbon from the air and helping to deplete pollution levels.
- Prevent soil erosion; Properly planted trees will do enormous good in a region that is threatened by soil erosion because of climatic conditions. The trees, with their roots, bind the soil together and keep it in place. Without the trees the soil would blow away with time.
- Fencing; While doing all the above, the trees can also be used as a form of natural fencing to contain livestock or to note boundaries.
The holistic approach that Bóthar take with it’s livestock micro enterprise farming programme is, in many cases, as dependent on the presence of trees as it is on the presence of the stock themselves. The stock in turn will contribute to the development of the trees with their manure. This environmentally friendly, holistic approach to farming is self sustaining and ensures that the recipient farmers can feed their families, share with others and care for the earth in a natural way.
What types of trees
There are hundreds of varieties of tree which are beneficial in many ways. However, in Africa the following are varieties of fodder trees which beneficiaries plant with other pastures for feeding their animals and, at the same time, for environmental protection.
- Calliandra (Calliandra calothyrsus)
- Leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala and grandifora)
- Sesibania (Sesbania sesban)
- Glicidia (Gliricidia sepium)
- Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan)
The above fodder trees grow faster, supply nutritious often protein rich fodder for livestock, add nitrogen to the soil and help in soil and water conservation.
However, there other pasture legumes (any type of peas and beans) that beneficiaries establish for animal feeding and environment protection as well and these include:
- Desmodium
- Lablab
- Mucuna
These legumes also increase the total fodder yield. They help add nitrogen to the soil and make the feed more nutritious as they contain more proteins than Elephant (Napier) grass.
In addition beneficiaries also grow other multi-purpose trees which provide a supply of good quality poles and timber for building. They may also be used as source of feed for animals. They also protect the soil from erosion if planted along contours, hill tops, slopes, bottom lands. Some of these trees are a source of fruits and other foods. They also provide fire wood on the farm, which reduces the pressure exerted on the natural vegetation.
Timber tree species
- Markhamia
- Podocarpus
- Maesopsis
- Grevillea
Fruit trees
- Jack Fruit
- Avocado
- Mango
- Oranges
- Guava