Nyamasheke District Launches Massive Agroforestry Initiative to Combat Erosion by 2030

The leadership of Nyamasheke District has announced a plan to tackle the problem of soil erosion and landslides by planting over one million trees every year, with the goal of having all arable land integrated with agroforestry by 2030.

Nyamasheke is one of the districts characterized by steep hills, often affected by soil erosion and landslides, which have destroyed land and claimed lives, including six people in Kilimbi sector in 2022.

To address this issue, the district has committed to planting over a million trees annually, and the previously planted trees are already showing positive results.

Bernadette Mukandekezi, a resident of Bushekeli sector, shared her experience with IGIHE, stating that she planted 200 trees in her farmland. She noted that before planting the trees, soil erosion used to strip her land of fertility, making fertilizers ineffective.

She said, “For those who think agroforestry depletes soil fertility, I can assure you that this belief is unfounded. In fact, the fallen leaves from these trees enrich the soil, significantly boosting agricultural productivity.”

Agroforestry has been a long-standing initiative, dating back to 2006. Last year, the district intensified the efforts after seeing impressive results in areas where trees had been planted.

Currently, every village (Umudugudu) is cultivating tree seedlings that will be planted during the rainy season to ensure they grow well.

Albert Sengambi, the head of agriculture and livestock in Nyamasheke District, stated that they aim to integrate trees into all arable land by 2030.

He said, “This initiative is aimed at combating soil erosion and improving soil fertility, as agroforestry stops erosion entirely where trees are planted. The leaves from these trees also provide natural fertilizer.”

To achieve this, every village will produce 15,000 seedlings per year, which will be distributed to residents free of charge for planting on their farms.

Nyamasheke District has around 56,000 hectares of arable land, and in the 2023-2024 fiscal year, trees have been planted on 600 hectares.