I made much adoo about the tree planting project for Taiama farm in advance of my trip. There was some justification for that effort. Trees produce fruit, fruit produces income, income produces empowerment. In addition to the production of fruit, some of the trees are there for their soil enhancement properties, and still others (in addition to that) are to be consumed by humans and animals for much improved nutrition and production. The concept of alley farming between rows of these soil improving trees is going to be promoted, thus fulfilling the vision of Taiama farm being a model of modern agriculture for the region. The most important part of the tree planting effort is not in the fruit produced, the fodder created for animals, the improved nutrition that the Moringa trees bring, or the modern agricultural practices displayed. The true value in planting trees is the investment in the future.
By planting a vegetable seed, the planter is looking at the season for relief from hunger and for short term income. By planting a tree, the planter is putting his hope in a few years down the road, and into the next generation. I can see how difficult that might be for the people of Sierra Leone who lost half a generation to a Civil War that they had no hand in starting. Can another Civil War be that far away? Can an investment in trees payoff before some other devestation is laid on the land and the people? Only time will tell, but we must make every effort to lift up a down trodden nation so that it will see that it has value, it has vitality, it has hope. The planting of a tree is a tangible manifestation of hope. Good Lord willing, that hope will come to fruition.
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