Farmers plant 1000 trees to protect water catchment area

A new farming group in Moungo Division, Littoral Region Cameroon has planted 1000 Acacia trees along their water catchment to protect and increase the supply of water.

The new group; Group de Plantation Soptowa (GPST) planted these trees recently in Melong II. Supported by US Charity Trees for the Future, this move is intended to provide water for some over 500 inhabitants living in this neighborhood.


The people in Melong II joined the tree planting program in 2014, when the Coordinator supported by the Technician for Littoral met them, introduced and explained the whole concept of agroforestry to them. During the workshop on nursery establishment, the importance of agroforestry and tree planting were well explained to this group with emphasis on alley cropping and protection of watersheds.


After planting over 4000 trees in their farms, they were advised by the Agroforestry Coordinator to also plant these trees around their water catchments in a bid to maintain the water table. The people who readily embraced the idea of protecting water then went on to plant 1000 trees along their water catchment. After this activity, the people expressed joy to the Cameroon Program of Trees for the Future for giving them a solution to the precarious water situation in their community.

One of the Farmers, Tagni Pierre said this would be an opportunity for them to have continuous flow of water especially in the spring where they fetch drinking water.


"We are always suffering from water shortage given that the corporations in charge of supplying our community water always fail to ensure consistent flow. Sometimes we go for weeks with no water to bathe, wash our clothes and drink. We are hopeful that with these trees this water catchment will provide us with constant water," he explained.


He continued by saying that when the technology must have produced good results, they would extend to new sites.