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In implementation of PAREF NL2 activities, APEFA focused on Seedlings production, Trees planting, Maintenance of the planted trees and management of labour in the field. The present report is a Final report for handover following the contract renewal period running from 11th April 2016 to 09th May 2016 report.

This report includes all field achievements realised by PAREF NL2 from December 2014 to May 2016 under the supervision of APEFA in Zone 3 composed of Karongi, Nyamasheke and Rusizi Districts.

APEFA has supervised activities that have resulted into the achievements summarized as follow;

 

1. Production of 3,564,042 trees seedlings from 46 nurseries including the ones handed over by PAREF NL2. 2. Planting of trees: Generally, 241.2 Ha have been planted on public land and 342.1 Ha on private land in afforestation; we have also planted 1,930.7 Ha on private land in agroforestry. 3. Maintenance of PAREF NL1 plantations (including the replanted plantations) on 445 Ha by beating up, 2,703.2Ha by slashing/bush clearing, 567.3 Ha by replanting and 768.3Ha by weeding/sarclo-binage. Maintenance of PAREF NL2 plantation on 413.98Ha by beating up, 96.5Ha by slashing/bush clearing and 122.8Ha by weeding/sarclo-binage. 4. 103 guards were hired for the protection of 136 plantations having the area estimated at around 2,256.4 hectares in Nyamasheke and Rusizi districts. 5. 

 

The amount of 319,513,000Rwf was paid for 319,513 workdays in seedlings production, trees planting, maintenance and up-keeping activities.

Methodology related to the task “Establish 2,500 ha public forests”

It was planned that depending on the situation, reforestation on public land will be done on new sites or in degraded biomass energy plantations having become unproductive. During implementation of the activities in public lands, tree planting was done on non-afforested sites, as beating up on sites where previous afforestation has not succeeded (PAREF NL1) and on other forest lands where grown up trees had become sparse or sites with overaged trees and scattered.

 

In selecting the sites, the economic aspect of fuel wood production took precedence over protection that penalizes too often reforestation activities and consequently tree spacing was set to 2.5×2 meters or a density of 2,000 trees per hectare. Considering the high level of under-employment and numbers of insecure households in intervention areas, the project worked using high intensity labor (HIMO). The cost of a labour-day (at work) was fixed at 1,000 FRW

The payment was executed from the project account managed in Districts through payrolls prepared by operators and controlled by forest financial resources mobilizers in close collaboration with the zone supervisor and forest extensionists. The people who signed on payroll at district level were the DFO and the Executive Secretary. However, list of workers were signed by more people and in Rusizi District Sector Agronomists were added to the list.

Methodology related to the task “Establish 1,000 ha private forests”

 

The project was set to plant 1,000 ha of forest plantations on private lands, based on methodology and lessons learnt from the Wood Saving Energy Project (IFDC/SEW). Biomass energy plantations were established through contracts with operators for supervision of field activities including the preparation of tree nurseries, production of seedlings, planting and forest maintenance. The activity target vulnerable beneficiaries who were in possession of unutilized lands constrained by limited workforce at household level to optimize land use.

 

 

Activities were supported by training sessions on nursery preparation, tree planting techniques, agroforestry practices and elementary training on forest management. For seedlings production, the operator received seeds from the project itself having acquired them from the national Tree Seed Centre. However, development of private nurseries did not take place in order to achieve the target of obtaining at least one private certified nursery in each district.

 

 

Planting and maintenance activities were carried out with high intensive labor approach (HIMO) in order to create more employments for poor people in targeted regions and demonstrate that private forest investments are source of socio-economic development. Private sites planted were strategically identified in land consolidation manner to ensure success at large extent and visibility.

 

During implementation, when lands for afforestation on private lands became scarce, the planting was shifted to agroforestry to compensate for the shortage in afforestation. Under this aspect, the project required in kind contribution of the land owners as follow: preparation of the site (bush clearing) by the land owner, a quarter of the total cost of digging, planting and the totality of maintenance and protection. To contribute the quarter of activity cost, the land owner would work one (1) day without pay against four (4) paid labour-days.

 

 

Measurement of planted sites with GPS in public and private lands was done after tree planting and related maps were produced. The progress of site achievements was controlled from time to time by project technical staff and verification of measurement of sites was done at completion of tree planting in April – May 2016 by the operator together with the zone supervisor or DFE and DFO.

 

Towards the end of the tree planting in year 2015, Cell committees elected from among the beneficiaries of the support of PAREF NL2 for tree planting were put in place to ensure that maintenance and protection of planted trees will be done regularly and appropriately in subsequent periods including after the project activities will have ceased.

 

 

It was identified that once all the stakeholders of the project implementation are consulted in every activity especially in site selection, If the participatory approach is well respected; This aim of the Project regarding the contribution to the implementation of the national forest policy and biomass energy production, the alleviation of poverty, economic growth and environmental protection through main activities and their achievements oriented on increasing the forest cover in the 9 districts on public and private land can be achieved accordingly.