TEXTSIZE
NEGASH TADESSE
Negash Tadesse is a forestry expert from the Wof-Washa area. He has been working with SUNARMA ever since it came to the area, and he has been working with trees his whole life. His passion for forestry started with just one tree - a eucalyptus seedling from a government nursery. Ever since that day, he has spent a lifetime working hard to protect the Wof-Washa Forest. Thanks to SUNARMA, he believes that the future's bright for the forest and its inhabitants.
This is Negash's story in his own words:
Ever since I was a boy, I have always known that I wanted to become a forester. I never even considered having another job - it's in my blood. When I was a boy my father worked with trees, selling wood for firewood and buildings to the people in our town.
I grew up in Menz, in the town of Mehal Meda. Although the town is not that developed and doesn't even get more than 6 hours of electricity in a day, to me it is still home. In Menz I have my friends and family, and people there make the most of what they have.
I had my first job in that area, going straight from school to work in a plantation. I liked the idea of working outside in the fresh air amongst the beauty of the forest where you can be surrounded by nature all the time. It has now been 29 years since I began to work as a forester.
I have been working with trees ever since I was a young man. When I was 22 years old, I got myself a tree. I went to a government-run nursery, and from there I got a eucalyptus tree seedling. I planted it at my house, and from there I helped it grow. Once it had grown big enough, I began to harvest it for wood, just like my father. In fact, my father is still selling wood from the same tree! This was the start of a lifetime's employment with trees.
From this, I went into working for the Ministry of Agriculture, but when I joined it was known as the Ministry of Wildlife. I never even tried for another job, as this was always what I'd wanted to do.
I have four children to support - two boys and two girls - and, sadly, my wife has passed away. However, I don't think I will marry again as my work makes it difficult; it's easier to be alone. As I like to tell myself, "respect your work". By telling myself this, I remind myself that you should always work as hard as you can all of your life.
I love my job, especially as it means that I can work outside. I love the Wof-Washa forest in particular - I have been there many times and I enjoy every part of it: the natural forest and even the man-made parts. If anyone goes to Wof-Washa, it will make them very happy because of its natural beauty. As for the jobs I do there, I help in the establishment of tree nurseries: planting seedlings and giving mature seedlings to farmers, ready for planting. The farmers are grateful for the seedlings they receive from us as they use the trees for firewood and can sell what they don't use.
However, I face many challenges in my work. The biggest problem I have is a lack of transport. The ministry has no car, and so I must usually walk or travel by mule to get to the more remote villages. However, sometimes I can use my motorcycle, for example during the dry season. I really enjoy using the bike - I've had the same one for the last 20 years!
In the future, it would be nice if the towns could become more developed, but it would be especially good if the size of the forest could be increased. The Wof-Washa forest could become much bigger if it is properly managed. It might even be possible one day to create a whole new forest in another area.
Through my work I feel I have helped a great deal. By planting trees and helping to conserve the soil, things have been changed for the better.
However, overall there is a big difference now from the way things used to be. Before, the land was fertile, but now it is heavily degraded. You used to be able to get 10 quintiles of food per hectare, but now that has fallen to as little as 4 quintiles per hectare. There is no treatment of the land, it is eroded and in some places there is no soil left at all. When I was young, most of the soil was good. Now there is no productivity.
Even the birds seem to have gone. You used to be able to see lots of birds, but now it is rare. Perhaps they have migrated, but I'm sure that people are to blame.
In fact, the root cause of all the problems in this area is the people who live here. For a long time they didn't manage their land or treat it well. Amongst the people here, there was no urge to conserve the land, only to use it. Of course the people know how to manage the land, but for a long time they failed to do anything. It is only now that they have started to plant trees and that progress is being made.
Everyone can see the negative changes that have been happening all around them, but they don't like to take the blame themselves. Even though they don't want to manage their land, at the end of the day it is their duty to do so. When pushed, they will accept this. They don't expect that anyone else will come from outside to help them, and yet some of them continue to neglect their land, instead choosing to search for new, untouched land.
SUNARMA is helping a great deal in preventing this. They are working well to ensure that the Wof-Washa forest is maintained. Through the mobilising of Youth Groups, SUNARMA has helped to make certain that the forest is stable and productive. The youths are given land that is degraded - their own land with which to work. They then turn these into plantation areas. In short, it is these Youth Groups which have been the main change in the area: they are planting trees and working carefully with the land.
In the areas where the Youth Groups have been working, the soil is better than it was and there are many more trees. Thanks to SUNARMA, there has been a lot of improvement in the area.
In the future, I hope to see Wof-Washa improved even more thanks to SUNARMA. I really appreciate the work they do here. However, I hope that in the future they will be able to expand their project, perhaps by planting apple trees in addition to the trees they are now planting. This is because apple trees are highland trees, which are beautiful and useful because they produce fruit. That said, though, the work SUNARMA has done here so far has been very good for Wof-Washa and so I'm sure that anything they do in the future will be equally good.
As for my own future, I just want to continue with the work I'm already doing, but I wouldn't mind having a new car!
I Wish to Make a Donation to Sunarma with Just Giving:
Sunarma is a charity registered in the UK (Charity number 1093680).