In the Sahel, Tony Rinaudo revived forests on arid lands

The treasure was at his feet and he didn’t know it. This day in 1983, in the heart of the Nigerian Sahel, Tony Rinaudo, agronomist in the service of the NGO Serving in Mission, notes at the foot of his vehicle a growth in the desert soil. A shoot that could well be … a tree promise! It is a real revelation for this solid Australian who then crosses a moment of deep discouragement.

Arriving a few years earlier in the Maradi region with his wife Liz and their 6-month-old baby, the 26-year-old is working hard with land reforestation, facing heat, dust, infections, the opposition of some … But he wipe out failure: 80 % of what he crashes. Around him, we laugh at the “crazy white farmer”. His disarray is immense … until the discovery of this tree appearing. “Thus, God himself takes care to renew the earth. It is up to humans to promote the development of the existing rather than planning large expensive projects! ” he realizes.

A desire to serve

From his childhood in a Catholic family, Tony has only one desire: to help suffering humanity. His comrades make fun of this naive who wants to change the world. But the discovery of biblical texts during his studies and his passage through an evangelical missionary school give him a course. In Niger, when nothing works as planned, he addresses God: “I do everything I can, and people continue to suffer. Lord, show me what to do. ” He will receive the answer in front of his tires, in “a powerful inner light”.

Tony Rinaudo’s emotion, which has become a forestmaker (Recognized forest maker), is palpable when this moment was mentioned. “I understood that God is not only concerned with salvation and a broken humanity, he also works actively in the restoration of the earth,” exclaims the pioneer of assisted natural regeneration (RNA). Because it is from this experience that he will develop the method consisting in promoting root systems still alive in the soils for reforestation. For twenty-six years, he has worked in this sense in the service of the NGO World Vision*. “More important harvests but also firewood, protection against wind … This work benefits the inhabitants,” said the sixty -something. Visible efficiency in around forty countries around the world.

* Worldvision.fr