Uganda “shi” nut trees threatened

Former biology teacher who turned into an environmental campaign in Uganda to save once flowing trees made of shea butter is known as “female gold”.

Mustafa Gerima wants local communities to stop cutting trees to make charcoal – which, according to them, is more profitable than oil that is also used in cooking.

He refused to study himself to devote himself to trees when he returned home six years ago and was shocked, finding in the center of the forest reserve Harry Kay, when the splendid necks, turned into the nearest part of the stumps.

Now, nicknamed “Bvan Shi” or Mr. Shi, he goes from the village to the village in the northwest of the country, uniting people to protect what he sees as the treasure is disappearing.

According to him, the locals lost interest in the trees and began to cut them when the farmers felt unsuccessful crops.

“Thirty years ago,” Shea Nut Tree “had a scheme of its production. In December, it flourished in December when it reached April would be ready,” Mr. BBC said.

“But now due to climate change there is this long drought. Thus, it affects the production of shea nuts.”

The growing popularity of charcoal coal from the sheep tree has aggravated the situation. Say it burns longer than other charcoal.

“Our community is suffering from poverty. Therefore, they look at the tree as a cheap alternative source of income,” Mr. Herim said.

Uganda loses approximately 100,000 hectares (250,000 hectares) annually, and a considerable part of this includes nut trees, reports the Ministry of the country.

Shi -Drav grows in the wild from the west to East Africa – a huge strip known as “neck”. But the population of the shea tree fell sharply in the last year, the report said.

This loss, combined with poor crops, had a direct impact on people such as Mariam Changdir, a local shea butter manufacturer in the northern city of Kobak.

“We will have good money to bring children to school and care for our families. But now my business is collapsing, it is a big failure,” she said the BBC.

“I used to sell up to five banks Jerry on Shea oil a week. Now I can fill only two banks to Jerry.”

Traditionally, these are women who collected the Nuts of the Shi to produce Nilotica Shea oil, is appreciated on a global scale for its cosmetic and culinary use.

Professor John Bosco Okula, a leading expert on Agro Forestry from the University of McCanda Uganda, who has been studying the neck of nut trees for more than two decades, also accuses years of broad uncertainty.

“In the 1990s, the community used and defended trees,” said the BBC, which is part of the European Union project aimed at preserving and using wood.

It was before the majority of the north was destroyed by a rebel group called the Lord Resistance Army (LRA) led by Joseph KoniWhose fighters were known for abduction of children – forcing boys to become fighters and support girls as sex.

The rebels were largely destroyed, but almost 20 years of conflicts made people leave their villages and find security in the camps.

Other communities suffered from dangerous cattle raids, which also led to the movement of thousands of people in the early 2000s.

“After the raids of cattle and civil unrest in the army of resistance, the Lord moved, the sense of ownership was lost,” said Professor Okula

“When people returned, they adapted to short -term income as burning charcoal.”

Professor Shark agrees with Mr. Herima that climate change further deteriorated the situation.

“The performance decreased. The trees did not bloom and fruit as they used to. The fluctuation of the rain broke the natural cycles of the shea tree,” he said.

Rapid cities are another threat.

“Most of these places that used to be trees, there are new constituencies, new hospitals, schools,” said Professor Okula.

“You will find that trees are on development. We need a positive planting. Otherwise, when we expect natural regeneration, it will be difficult.”

Despite the fact that it looks like a gloomy forecast, Professor Okula accepts his heart from agitation such as Mr. Herima.

The most widely known initiative of the former teacher participated in the 19-day, 644 km (400 mile) walking in 2020.

He left the capital of Uganda Kamanda, at the UN Environmental (UNEP) headquarters in Nairobi, the capital of neighboring Kenya.

“There are many NGOs that mobilize communities now,” said Professor Okula.

“People plant new trees and protect those who recover from stumps.

“Some of them even use vaccinations to reduce the juvenile phase – it took 15 to 20 years before fruiting, now some trees have been fruited much earlier.”

To meet the growth of demand and support sustainable supply networks, the professor and his colleagues take technology.

“We combine with our computer science colleagues and physics to use artificial intelligence so that we can display mature trees and try to design yields,” he said.

Uganda’s government also recognized the vulnerability of the shea. In 2023, this made the felling of trees for charcoal illegal.

But forced execution was bad.

“There was an order of the president to stop cutting the neck, but it was difficult to implement,” said Professor Okula.

“Demand for charcoal is the highest in urban areas. Those who cut trees are not the ones that use charcoal. We need to provide alternative energy sources for cities to reduce demand.”

For Mr. Herima, this remains a personal question.

“Seeing people cut the tree always caused me a lot of pain,” he said.

He continues his long walks to increase awareness, speaking to local councils, organizing disc planting.

“It should not be a problem for one person – it should bring the agreed efforts, collective responsibility.”

The following steps include launching trees monitoring and partnership initiatives to integrate into the local curriculum.

He says his mission is to preserve the tree, but also keep a lifestyle.

“We need to think about our future generations. If they come and find only the stumps what will they think about us?”