BEFORE
AFTER
BUSH FIRE
Most of bush fires appears by mistakes from the farmers who try to clean up their farms by burning dry logs, which has been cut down and dried, at the end they can't control it and cause this damage's of burning other areas which are nearby that has no firebreaks and makes damages on new and young trees,bees,butter fly,bugs,wild animals and other insects.
Environment was destroyed in ITUMBA Hill.
This Problems starts in Villages with councillor, executive officers and Chairman's, also caused by none follow up from the village members or Forest officers.
I found out that any body can apply a farm from any village and might be given up to five acres of the area which no one knows where.Who ever apply knows where,but doesn’t care about the location what is important on that area and what will be destroy, when or after planting crops? or how far from the village that will they get needs like Medical, Shops Schools? In this areas some of the farmers are near less than 500 meters from Game reserve or Hunting Areas and it is even more than 20 kilometers from the Villages, 80 kilometers to the clinics, 22 kilometers to Schools from the base farm house, where they live.
Most of this farmers are shifters from other villages up northern Tanzania Migrate to these spot, also because they are not same tribes with the villagers so you find them that they are away from the villages where they can hold areas to get their needs and space for grassing cattle,sheep,and goats as the villagers are not herders.
The Local Farmers do have domestics animals such as up to 5,000 cattle’s, goats and sheep’s that they like to stay far away from the villages to avoid disturbance like Village donations and taxes.Living way from villages, the distance makes the taxes and forest officers to avoid going there, because it is far as some villages don’t have transports that can take them there rather than bicycles.
Farmers who have given an area which authorised by village officer members, they all know that is far from officers eye's so they cant see and find out how they will extend the area that is why they can cut down trees up to 100 acres while they were given maybe five acres each.
After cutting down trees they do cleaning up and burning logs for the farm preparations, but in this matter I found out that they will never be on the same spot for years, after couple of crops harvesting season the soil will be coming no fertile for any crops, as they never use fertilizer, in this matter they leave the area and looking for the other area.When they leave the area the area is becoming hard soil during dry season and on raining reason the soil is washed away and nothing will grow there.
SUKUMA TRIBE IN ITUMBA VILLAGE
Sukuma (Wasukuma) is a Tribe comes from Northern Tanzania East and South of Lake Victoria, West of Serengeti National Park (MARA) this tribe are very friendly, not trouble makers people, but not educated at all so put them in Environment it is similar to put Elephants in banana forest.Wasukuma are Farmers and Cattle grazers which mention as above who have more than hundreds castles, in this case they need bigger open area which can feet all without getting any problem or disturb.On the Northern Part They don’t have enough space Area, to do both Farming and Graze their cattle’s, so they decide to leave and spread from northern part so middle and south of Tanzania in District villages in regions of Tabora, Singida, Northern Mbeya and look for new areas which have good soil for farming and lots of Grass for Cattle grazing and for building.Now when ever you find them you will realize if it is like this what’s look like where they come from? Once they find a good area, they will cut down trees up to 100 acres,which if the area has 500 trees they will cut down and leave less than 50 trees, and they are not small number of people in family, but when they arrive in area they are in small number of people who are coming to check if there is any problem will appear when they do open their farms, once no problem they spread massages’ to others that it is clear, no problems, so others are follow to the area. A man in family have more than one wife and each wife can have more than five children, the population where I m was about 50 Wasukuma leave around near my area, but now are more than 1,000 surroundings my site and some which are 100mtrs from Game Reserve. I have a neighbor who has 4 wives.1st wife 10 children, 2nd wife 7 children, 3rd wife 4 children, 4th wife no children but plan to have 5. Total in this Family is 26 without 5 which the 4th wife plans.
To feed them all he have to increase his farm, so need to cut down more trees.
DIVISION
I did make a division between the Conservation Area and them that shows the area is protected.
Once I did that,I have seen some of them coming to visit every day to see what are I m doing and that’s why I found out that I can coupling and contribute to educate them in such many ways, like give them something to do that can make them busy with a good income than continue cutting trees while we will need them for our projects.
PLANS
My Aim and Plans in educate them is to plant some more other trees and fruits such as mango's, peaches, avocados,wild trees and Beekeeping project that can give them profit, some do understand and some are not, who ever understand is the one who comes to the Conservation Area site and see what I am try to do, and i give them some plants That I have been Planting,ideas of what and How I do. I do believe 100% will work with others and they will join after seeing our work at the Conservation area so they can do what we do in their areas.
What shall we start to do ?
In this matter we shall be protect this area in Environment Educations and Community Developments.
Example to me as Tanzanian I had to hold an area before get destroyed and that is safe now which I would like to be example to the villages for their benefits and others in environment matter which it is a benefit of all living things on earth, community development can be developed from this area. I believe I can control them to stop cutting more trees by be with them, Education is one of the key here, once their children in school they will know that trees are important for.I did join them and we started to do school project, without any help from no where and they did collect stones, sands, and bricks together waiting for me to continue with my plans.
School Parent meeting in Class Room
Me with Mwamagembe Village School Head Master.
Building behind is the class room I found at Itumba hamlet.
