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Port of Call |
LAST UPDATE July 12, 2005
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| August 7, 2004 |
Massawa, Eritrea – Mangrove Forestation Project |
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| National Union of Eritrean Women welcome Peace Boat with traditional singing |
Welcomed by the singing of the National Union of Eritrean Women, Peace Boat made its 11th visit to
Eritrea, Africa''s newest nation. Born out of a 30-year struggle for independence with Ethiopia, Eritrea
was formed in 1993. The war with Ethiopia has cost both countries tens of thousands of lives and countless
resources, causing Eritrea, a country where the average annual income is the equivalent of $160 USD
(World Bank 2001), to face the harsh economic problems of a small, desperately poor African country.
Today, the economy is largely based on subsistence agriculture, with over 70% of the population involved
in farming and raising livestock. This poses a specific problem for people living along the arid coast
where periods of drought can last for months. |
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| Talking to Dr. Sato at Manzanar Project Site in Hergigo |
To help counter this problem, Dr. Gordon Sato, a prominent scientist from America has developed The
Manzanar Project: a mangrove forestation project along the Eritrean coastline. Dr. Sato first became
interested in Eritrea during the Ethiopian famine of the 1980's and has worked in the country ever
since. Entering Eritrea (then Ethiopia) from the Sudan, he helped develop fish farming to supply the
wounded with food. Since Eritrea's independence, he has continued to focus on developing resources
to counter hunger and poverty. |
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| Example of young Mangrove tree, Rhizophora Mucrunata, growing at Massawa Research
Station |
The idea of planting mangroves came to Dr. Sato seven years ago when he observed camels grazing from
the trees along Eritrea's coastline. He discovered that mangroves grow on 15% of the coast, generally
where fresh water meets the ocean, and as the main component of some of the most productive ecosystems
on earth, he soon realized the potential of planting them in other areas. |
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| Participants gather outside station |
Teaching Peace Boat participants about the Project in a series of lectures from Sri Lanka to Eritrea,
over 60 Peace Boat participants accompanied Dr. Sato and his wife Josette to the Research station
in Massawa to get a first hand look at The Manzanar Project. The focus of The Project's research is
to grow mangroves to supply food for livestock in coastal villages. Dr. Sato explained that during
droughts, when food and water becomes scarce, livestock will not survive, but by feeding on Mangroves,
which grow year round, the issue of water shortage disappears. |
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| Abraham Fessha explains about Hergigo village project |
Arriving at the Research Station, the Peace Boat group was lead by Abraham Fessha who explained the
various research projects being conducted. Mr. Fessha explained that in Eritrea the sun and seawater
are almost limitless. "We are trying to convert these two ample resources into Mangroves for
human use." Over the last few years the station has perfected a sustainable method of fertilization
and planting, and is now working on developing methods to improve upon the use of mangrove's leaves
and seeds as a complete diet for livestock. |
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| Woman from Hergigo village standing at Mangrove site |
Following the visit to the Massawa Research Station, participants set-off on a
forty-minute drive through the dry coastal land to the village of Hergigo to visit a mangrove-planting
site. The Manzanar Project hopes the Hergigo village site can be used as a model and adapted to
other parts of the country.
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| Employees from village filling bags with fertilizer |
Already in the village, during just over a year, more than 500,000 trees have been planted. "The
resources of the trees will be used by the villagers for there own use," said Fessha. To plant
and care for the trees members from the village are chosen by the Mayor to work. Because of the 30-year
war, and the large percentage of men killed in the war, many women widowed in the war have been chosen
to work at the project site, explained a Manzanar employee. |
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| Bus pulling away from the coast |
While walking around the 20-hectare planting site participants talked with some
of the Manzanar employees about Eritrea and the future of the project. The enthusiastic employees
were eager to share the success of the trees growing in Hergigo, explaining that as the project
continues to develop the village will be able to increase the herd sizes of livestock and in turn
increase their standard of living. After helping to remove dried seaweed from the young trees,
the participants escaped away from the hot sun, back into the bus, with a better understanding
of Eritrea and the challenges it faces.
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