The Binga Trees Project - short description

Binga Trees Project

Making the most of our environment

Registered Trust No. MA 0384/98

The Binga Trees Programme started off August 1996 with the aim to develop local resources that appeared to be untapped in spite of their capacity to improve the living conditions of Binga District's rural population of 105.000.

Of the 15,000 square km large district, which is situated along Lake Kariba in the North-west of Zimbabwe, a large proportion is occupied by National Parks. It is in many aspects a very disadvantaged part of the country: the district has no mineral resources and industries and offers therefore few opportunities to acquire a cash income. The agricultural potential for the traditional food crops is low as well: the climate is hot, the rains are sparse and erratic, the soil is generally very poor, and perennial water sources are few. Consequently the yields of food crops are grossly insufficient to meet the rural families' needs and most of the households depend on food handouts during the so called "hungry months" before the harvest. As a result the food security of the local people leaves much to be desired and one out of three children is found to be malnourished.

Important among the perceived under-utilised resources are a number of food and/or oilseed producing trees such as the Moringa oleifera, the Jatropha curcas, the Cashew nut, and the Trichilia emetica, which all have an obvious potential to improve the household food security in a variety of ways.

The Jatropha curcas and Moringa oleifera figure prominently on this list. It may seem paradoxical that under the poor conditions of Binga District these (and other) trees seem to be doing extremely well. Both trees are easy to propagate from seed and cuttings and start bearing fruit within 9-12 months. Consequently they start delivering the benefits of the production of edible parts and/or very easily marketable cash crops within a very short period of time.

The Moringa oleifera's abundant foliage and fruits are edible. The leaves are extremely rich in protein and vitamins, in particular vitamin A, and make a tasty relish. The seed pods, when young, make a very good vegetable as well and the mature seeds contain an excellent quality edible oil. The Jatropha curcas, in contrast, does not produce any edible parts, but is very suitable for the construction of living fences from rapidly growing cuttings, and thus saves trees. Its seeds, produced almost all year through, contain a non-edible oil that is very suitable for illumination and soap making and in great demand in leather tanneries. It has been demonstrated that the oil is suitable as fuel in diesel-type engines and that holds promise for the future (maize mills, irrigation pumps!). Jatropha seed cake makes an excellent fertiliser as well.

Binga Trees' staff of 2 expatriates and 3 Zimbabweans, in co-ordination with the Forestry Office (especially its tree planting school programme), the agricultural extension services, the Ministry of Health Nutrition Programme, the Farmers Union and the staff of the local Agricultural Training Centre (KMTC), have since 1996 stimulated the local farmers and schools to plant thousands of Jatropha (and Moringa) trees. The organisation purchases the seeds at a price almost equal to that of maize and as a result has seen the harvest grow from year to year.

In June 1999 a motorised oil expeller was installed at the Binga Trees workshop at the KMTC premises. Our toilet soap is selling very well in the big cities. Experiments are in progress as to the best use of Jatropha seed cake. Our results so far seem to show a doubling of the yield of vegetables such as rape and onions at a use of 1 kg per square metre. At the University of Zimbabwe in Harare research is carried out on alternative uses of Jatropha cake, including the process of detoxification of the cake for animal fodder.

If the current trend of development continues Binga may well become an important plant oil producing area of Zimbabwe.