Pax Earth exists for education, environment and empowerment. It is committed to a clean, green and sustainable environment. It has been performing a duty to nature by involving in tree plantation time and again for the past six years. The effort is not limited to tree plantation only like many organisations content with but is more focused on taking care of and preserving the planted trees and plantation areas.
On July 22, 2018, a Pax Earth team led by president Sujan Koirala accompanied by secretary Manohar Sapkota, members: Dev Raj Karki, Sital Mainali and fruit development expert Ramhari Prasad Upadhyay travelled to Kot Timal village in Namobuddha Municipality, Kavre along with fifty healthy fruit and flower saplings to plant at Shree Raktakali Primary School and at the kitchen gardens of the community people. These saplings were brought from Central Horticulture Centre, Kirtpur with the support of Upadhyay.
Main motive behind the plantation is to contribute to make a fruit garden at Shree Raktakali Primary School. The community people have already dug twenty-eight holes at the school premises. Not only the holes, they have had arranged adequate compost fertilisers and ashes. Following the standard procedure suggested by expert Upadhyay, Pax Earth team along with the community people could plant twenty-eight fruit saplings one by one putting the ashes, compost fertilisers and the mud in necessary quantity. The Pax Earth team planted ten saplings of pomegranate, ten saplings of orange, six saplings of mandarin and two saplings of avocado at the school. Besides, the team planted two saplings of Indra Kamal flower at the entrance of the school digging two new holes. In addition, the team provided twenty saplings (five of pomegranate, four of orange, three of mandarin, two of China rose, four of Indra Kamal and two of Niljai) to the community people particularly to the beneficiaries of the water to livelihoods (W2L) project. They planted the saplings at their kitchen gardens in the same evening.
The area allocated for the tree plantation was open at the time of plantation. There is always a risk of cattle entering to the plantation area and eating the fruit saplings. Hence, it is important to keep the plantation area away from such cattle and to let the saplings grow properly. Referring to this risk, president Koirala insisted the school authority and community people to make a fence around the plantation area at the soonest. He suggested to take a good care of the fruit saplings and keep the plantation area clean as well. Accordingly, on July 25, the community people created a temporary fence around the plantation area using the local bamboos and iron-wire to protect the saplings and the plantation area.
All these are grafted fruit saplings. The grafted pomegranate tree may take four to five years to bear fruits in general while avocado tree may take three to four years. Similarly, the grafted orange tree may take three to four years to bear fruits in general while mandarin tree may take upto three years. It will take a minimum of three years to create the fruit garden at the school as some trees will begin producing fruits. In three to four years, the students, the teachers and the community can enjoy fruits from the garden.
This tree plantation will add fifty more trees on earth if all survive and to some extent contribute to keep the school and local environment green and healthy. Pax Earth believes that planting trees will help combat climate change and this very tree plantation is a token of contribution towards this objective. Hence, Pax Earth will keep on planting the trees time and again in future.
Reported by PEN Secretariat!
Acknowledgement
The plantation could not have been successful had not there been some helping hands. Pax Earth is grateful to fruit development expert Ramhari Prasad Upadhyay for arranging healthy fruit saplings from Central Horticulture Centre, Kirtipur as well as giving proper instructions during the plantation. Pax Earth would thank Umesh Khakurel for coordinating with the community people to dig all the holes at the school, arrange the adequate compost fertilisers and ashes, and to make the fence at the plantation area. Pax Earth is equally thankful to the community people for their valuable contribution. Pax Earth highly appreciates the team of the day for carrying out the plantation smartly. Last but not the least, Pax Earth would thank Pushpa Tamang for offering a smooth ride throughout the day and dropping all the members at the respective home-stations at night.
