north east regional extra | August 17 - 23, 2022
nemedia.com.au
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August 17 - 23, 2022
Superhero of the forest By BELINDA HARRISON ◆ REVOLUTIONARY: Tony Rinaudo working with World Vision on Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration practices. PHOTO: ISCAST
IF you have seen shoots sprouting from the trunk of a eucalyptus tree after a fire, or from a stump after it has been cut down, then you have witnessed a key ingredient utilised by farmers to practice Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration. The concept was developed by one of ‘our own’ from Myrtleford, although now that he has spent more years away from his birthplace than he was here, the link may have been forgotten by many. Tony Rinaudo grew up in Myrtleford and developed a passion for geography and for the natural environment. He studied Rural Science at Armidale, New South Wales, 700 kilometres from home and struggled to fit in socially and cope with the disciplines of studying, however he found solace in the bible and a copy of ‘I Planted Trees’ by international campaigner, Richard B. Baker. In Armidale, Tony met his future wife - Liz - who was taking the same course and had the same sense of calling as Tony. After marrying and working locally, Tony and Liz applied to Serving in Mission (SIM). The couple, along with their newborn son, were soon off to a new life in Niger where they learnt to speak the local language (Hausa) and Tony oversaw a preparatory bible school and managed an orchard, nursery and dairy. “I also supervised a Canadian Government funded reforestation program started by SIM missionaries following severe famine in Niger in the early 1970s,” Tony said. “The SIM project manager could see that ongoing deforestation would make drought and famine more likely in the future and asked the donor for permission to use unspent funds to establish tree nurseries.” Most farmers in Niger viewed trees on farmland as weeds which needed to be eliminated because they competed with food crops for nutrition. Extreme poverty resulted in more trees being cut down to earn income from the sale of firewood.
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