Let's move together

Hello Green Friends,
 For more on our beautiful green relationship, let's meet at www.greennigeria.wordpress.com
Love you loads. Lets paint the planet Green Again.
Ugochi Anyaka

Saving for our Children

Met him in Amucha, Imo State

This boy is just 2 years old. When I see children , I often wonder what their world would be like in many years to come. Would they have resources for themselves? Especially with the way we waste and abuse the inheritances we should be leaving them?

Children in Somali are already starving to death. Countless more around the world including Nigeria, cannot find clean water, their homes are submerged and swallowed up. Water flooding, sand dunes advancing, erosion swallowing, sun scotching and so many more. The changing and now unfair climate. Is that the environment we have left for them?

I keep wondering. What kind of earth are we leaving for our children?

Ada Ori ukwu anu

From Kinat, Plateau State

Don’t just save money for your children , save earth for all the Children.

It is in the Little Life-Style Changes

Reduce, Re-use, Recycle

Eroding homes and Farmland

A few months back, I promised I would share the full story of my trip to erosion plagued Amucha, Imo State. Here it is.

 In the few past decades, no fewer than 35 families in Amucha Community, Njaba in Imo State, Nigeria, have had to move to new homes. Not because they wanted a change, but because huge gullies of up to 120 metres deep and 40 meters wide – formed by heavy rainfall and erosion – have swallowed up homes and farmlands.

Desmond Nworji is a lecturer who was born and raised in Amcha. He says his village environment has been turned upside down. “It (erosion) has actually caused a lot of damage to our village,” he laments. “In fact, my father’s house is the first that went into the gully. We bought the place we are presently residing, where we built our house, from the neighbouring kindreds.” 

Other villagers like Humphrey Njiagwu says there is no way they can make a living now on the degraded land. “We don’t live there because of the erosion. We don’t have land to farm, and we don’t have where to build. The places destroyed are where our children should have lived. We are refugees. This is not our land,” Njiagwu discloses.

But it was once a fertile area, he recalls. “Before the Nigerian civil war, we had a big river where we go to catch fish because I am a good fisherman. Then, there was nothing like erosion. Now those rivers that we used to go and catch fish have almost dried up, and you hardly see those fish now. We discovered that there’s now a lot of changes in climate in this our place. Even some of the fruits, the right time they produce are no longer the time .We used to plant on our farms very well, and yield was good. But, all of a sudden, it started getting eroded. You can see how the ones we planted now look scanty and empty.

“It has affected agriculture, because many times when you plant the erosion will wash away what you have planted. It has affected agriculture seriously. Things have changed. This isn’t how it used to be two or three months into the beginning of the year. When the harmattan is still had, nothing works except it rains. Farmers have cleared their lands but they are still waiting for the rain. And the sun is extreme.”

Many of those in the community believe the erosion – and change in weather patterns – was brought by the gods as some form of a punishment to community dwellers.

Celestine Ndukwu used to work for the local government office. “Traditionally here, people believe that one man ate a python, what we call eke njab. In the entire area, it is a big taboo to eat such a snake. So nature reacted. Njaba, the god of that area, reacted by bringing about that erosion. He brought about a curse by the deity and that curse was erosion, to punish us all,” says Ndukwu.

But others insist that the problems are as a result of a combination of natural and man-made factors. Boniface Emenalo, who used to be a leader with the Amucha Development Organisation, emphasises that when colleges tried to develop some areas years ago, some local forest was destroyed. “Those forests control erosion, and as a result there was no break again when the rain falls so that encouraged erosion. So floods from neighbouring villages like Okwudo, Nkume, Eziachi now flow freely down to Amucha,” he states.

Speaking in a similar vein, Nnaemeka  Ikegwuonu who works with small holder farmers in the state, suggests, “I believe there is a direct connection between the erosion menace and climate change. This is because the intensity of the rainfall has increased. And with the intensity of the rainfall comes a lot of rainfall run off. And because there is a lot of rainfall run-off more than we used to see before, it means that a lot of the soil is being washed away. And that is why we are seeing this erosion menace in several communities.”

Dr. Damian Asawalam is a soil scientist at the Michael Opkara University of Agriculture, Umudike. He once worked in Amucha. He agrees that deforestation is a major cause of the erosion. His words: “We have seen in the course of our work that this level of erosion is principally controlled by water. What has happened was that, in the past, we didn’t experience this because there was vegetation cover for a greater part of the area. There is a lot of deforestation taking place. The intensity with which people are cropping their farm increased and these activities removed the cover that is covering the soil. Now annually as rain falls and drops on this, they loosen the soil and with a result that a greater part of the soil are now exposed in many areas.”

According to the village chief, Eze Ofoegbu, the government headed by Alhaji Shehu Shagari constructed drains in 1983 but abandoned the project mid-way. The drainage helped a little but the heavy floods broke down most of the ditches and nothing has been done by subsequent governments, he notes, adding that the villagers had tried to stop the erosion themselves.

“They threw in bamboo trees, and carried out a clean-up so the water stops flooding our homes, yet it did not stop. When the flooding and the erosion increased, we planted an avalanche of trees, Indian bamboos and even cashew trees as well as oil bean trees were planted within the areas to help control the erosion.”

As a way out, Nnaemeka  Ikegwuonu suggests  that communities should adopt new farming techniques to adapt to the changes and ensure their livelihood is secure.

“One of the ways that small farmers and rural communities can use in controlling erosion is terrace farming. It is a form of agriculture whereby farmers can cultivate agricultural beds on sloppy areas. Farmers can make a bed of three to four feet in width and 10 to 30 feet in length. They can now start cultivating vegetables on this bed.

The second one is the cultivation of veteva grass. Veteva grass is a fast-growing grass like the elephant grass. It does a simple thing: it stabilises the soil. So when the rainfall run-off tries to wash off the top soil and makes it bare, the veteva grass holds the soil and helps in stabilising it.

The third one is the construction of simple waterways in sloppy areas and channeling it into an underground tank. This is called rain water harvesting. So the level of rainfall run off during the season, we can save the water and use it to dry season vegetable cultivation. These are the three ways farmers can use to control soil erosion at the first instance while they lobby for government attention to build bigger water channels.”

These new farming methods may well prove a lifeline – as, there are people like Mary Nworji a mother of five, who has no choice but to stay in the land most affected by the erosion. She says the erosion took most of her farm land yet she stays in the house very close to a gully and almost getting swallowed up because she could afford a buy land and a build a new house.

“Before the erosion came, this used to our road, when everyone lived here. When it now started, others moved upland, we are among the few left. We cannot afford a land to build and move. We still live here. Lots of times, the flood entered our home, carried away our properties and destroyed things. I don’t have an alternative,” she discloses, close to tears.

The ecological challenges notwithstanding, the villagers are still very much into farming and every new home comes with drainage to create a path for the heavy floods. Ironically, they also have to cut trees to clear new areas to build when they relocate. The villagers expressed their fears further.

“Of course, I am afraid. If it gets closer, we relocate. If not, I will be grateful to God. This much is enough. If we have the wherewithal, if we have an alternative to leave this environment completely, it is better. We need government presence to stem it, to eradicate it completely. As it is now, government does not show presence again. So, I am not comfortable in this place at all. There is nothing I can do. But if I have a choice, all of us can move out of this place,” one of them prayed.

We hope that the Lord God, as well as the government, answers the Amucha Community dwellers’ prayers.

Culture meets Fashion and my Passion.

Peace

It was of great pleasure to me when I met Lydia and Malvin to discuss Taruwa and I was asked to be a contributor. I of course said yes and begun a battle with my mind on what my corner should be about. I am an eco-journalist. In the past year, I have communicated various development issues but with special focus on climate change and the environment. I knew I wanted to write something along this line but this is TARUWA, how would I manage to tell monthly environmental stories on a magazine that talks about Culture, without getting my audience bored. I figured I should bring together our culture, climate, environment and sustainable living.

Taruwa means the ‘Gathering’ in Hausa. I also figured I should stick to the name of my radio show Green Angle. We would monthly have fun in the moonlight, telling tales of how our environment used to be, how we can make little local changes to make global impact and save our only planet. Welcome to Green Angle, a Taruwa of environmental conscious friends and lovers of culture.

I would start by telling about my 1^st experience visiting the Emirate in Kano State. I had gone to Kano along side the president of Fight Against Desert Encroachment in Africa, Dr Newton Jibunoh and other staff members. The Emir, Alhaji Ado Bayero  is the Board chairman of FADE .The visit is in preparation for the World Environment Day WED, June 5,2011. I had gone to see the people of the desert, who have over the years lost their livelihood to the ever advancing desert, turning their homes and farm land to sand dunes. I had gone to speak with these locals, to hear and  tell their stories the best way I can. Fade works to fight desertification and is behind the several Expeditions across the Sahara. Dr. Newton Jibunoh. Nigerian is a soil scientist and Engineer who has crossed the Sahara Desert on solitary expeditions 3 times at ages 27, 62 and 70 and is preparing for a forth expedition. Wondering who sent him and what he is looking for?  His experiences from the expeditions has inspired a life project to bring attention to the expanding Sahara Desert and the shrinking lakes of Africa as a result of climate change. Story for another day.

Dr Newton Jibunoh and I

Anyway, this day, I wake up early, had my prayers, took my bath and got dressed in a simple chiffon top and jeans. Then Mobola Atobatele (I love the sound of her last name,a Yoruba name meaning "we have been Kings before we were made Kings), a FADE staff comes back into the room to say "Fatima says we can't dress like that to the palace". I am mortified, not just because this is the only clothing that did not need ironing, since the PHCN probably doesn’t deliver power to Kano, but because I did not come with any long gown or skirt that was fit. I forgot to ask for a dress code before leaving Abuja...my bad. I tried on a short gown on a jean, strike a pose before Fatima and she goes....."that won't work". I practically turn my well arranged box upside down trying to find an outfit Palace worthy. Palace worthy means I must respect the culture of the land and beliefs of the Islamic religion. A woman must be properly covered.

Mobola and Fatima(Fashion Police Chair)

Losing hope of my dream of entering the great palace of the Emir of Kano today, my eyes hit a perfect long satin dress with short but huge sleeves. "Hmmmm that's my palace worthy dress." I put it on, with a skinny jean and added a black bold belt, to create a perfect outfit, then  head to the Fashion Police Chair, Fatima and strike my best pose.  She says, "Good, good, good". I smile and say, "My night wear to the rescue". Fatima laughs and says "who cares". And I reply, "Who knows". (this night wear could have been designed as an evening wear).

Pictures in the Palace

Ready for the palace, they set out on our mission. At the palace, I kept screaming out my signature greeting “Asalamalekun”, “Peace of Allah be upon you” one of the few words I have learnt all these years in Abuja

Entering the palace, I noticed it was a culture of cleanliness. The spaces were neatly kept and there were trees all around to sink the carbon. If  everyone in Kano had followed the footsteps of the Emirate in keeping their surrounding clean, planting and nurturing their trees, the desert would not have become this dangerous. The desert people would still have their homes and farmland intact. The trees would have been wind breakers.

Staying in harmony with nature has always been our culture. What happened to us? Why did we embrace the lie that development must be a fight against nature. It’s not yet late to do something. We can still develop sustainably. The best time to plant a tree was 20years ago. The 2^nd best time is now.

Even though we kept getting glances as we walked in and out of the palace, I knew no one IDied my night wear. Who cares any way. I am just glad I was palace ready and on a quest to fight desertification, climate change and ultimately save our planet. We can tame the forest, one tree at a time. Let your culture and way of life reflect your love and appreciation of our environment. Today, culture met fashion and my passion.