NEWS:

22 Jan, 2016


Students, Staff and community members planting trees during the exercise
LUANAR NRC Campus on Thursday engaged farmers from Mtema village in a tree planting exercise whereby 1200 trees were planted at the community’s forest.

This comes after President Mutharika officially launched the National Tree Planting season on 18th January 2015 at Masasa Primary ground in Ntcheu district.

Speaking at the ceremony, NRC Campus Principal, Professor Timothy Gondwe said this was part of the institution’s mandate of contributing to surrounding communities through outreach.

He said as an agricultural institution, NRC decided to take part in the tree planting exercise as part of regeneration of trees that has been depleted countrywide.

Professor Gondwe urged the community to take good care of the trees as well as to protect them so that they grow well.

“It is not a matter of planting trees but also to take care of them. We understand that because of climate change effects we are experiencing short rainy season and long dry spell and this makes it difficult for the trees to catch up and survive. Therefore irrigation should not only be on crops but also on the trees,” said Professor Gondwe.

He further said that students who normally go to the area for their practicals will assist the community in caring for these trees.

Member of Parliament for the area Hon. Lewis Peter Chankhwantha who was present at the ceremony, hailed LUANAR NRC Campus for engaging his community in the tree planting exercise saying issues of deforestation which a problem in the whole country did not spare his area.

“Deforestation which contributes to climate change is a problem in many areas including my area which NRC Campus together with the community has planted these trees. This is a great motivation to us and we will continue to plant trees,” said Hon. Chakhwantha.

He said he will soon meet traditional leaders in his constituency to encourage them to advocate to community members on the need of planting trees as well as caring and protecting them.

The District Forestry Officer, Mr Jipate Munyenyembe urged the communities to take good care of the trees saying that they should put protecting measures against bush fire as well animals.

Group Village Head (GVH) Mtema thanked NRC Campus for engaging them in the exercise.

He said as a community, they contributed 600 trees and vowed to put by laws in order to safeguard these trees.

Recently, Ministry of Natural Resources Energy and Mining through the Forestry Department announced that it intends to plant 60 million trees for the 2015/2016 national planting season in bid boost vegetation cover amid effects of climate change.

Written By: Patricia Nkhoma Ngwale