Hi Getachew,

 Thank you for your interesting article " The Green Implications of Yichalal", I read it with full interest. You are absolutely right, Yichalal, but how? Are the communities living in the rural Ethiopia interested in changing their environment?

If not why? Why has the forest destruction and soil erosion changed in magnitude in the last few decades?

As to me the main problem for land degradation and the absolute environmental crisis is mainly people are not motivated to invest in the future. I don't know why, but this has to change. There must be a future to people to plant and harvest, not them selves as individuals but there progenies at least. Second to this, millions of trees have been planted in the last few years. Where are they now. Let me tell you what a friend of mine who is involved in the forestation programme few years a go commented.

" If you calculate the total area covered by each seedling (plastic pot) it will actually cover the total area that is available to plant trees."

This is a mediocre of self blame.

Coming back to the issue at hand, I completely agree with you on Yichalal, but where should we start? In Addis Ababa? Or start by working on the most important issue which form the foundation for people effort. I don't know what you will call it but I would like to call it "people's participation" and full heartedly believe on what has to be done. The money doesn't matter, though it is important to make things move. Lets talk about how we can make people interested in their future and what the problems are.

Talk to you latter but soon.

Zelealem