How did the project start?

The development of any sport draws its strength from its history, its legends and its glorious moments. But also from an irreversible look to the future, a constant drive to push the boundaries and an ever-increasing awareness of the world around it.

The same could be said of a tree, whose roots ensure its stability and whose ever-higher branches are pointed like antennae towards the sky.

The tree and the Côte d'Ivoire Bandama Rally have become one since the launch of the FISA Planting project in 2021.

As rally stakeholders, we are aware that the regular running of our competitions produces greenhouse gases, so we have decided to offset our CO2 emissions through the #FisaPlanting project with a three-fold goal: carbon offset, fight against climate change and reforestation. I would like to thank FISA Environment Manager Daniel Coulibaly for his efforts in making this project a success.

What are seedballs? 

Seedballs, also called seed bombs, consist of various seeds coated in clay and shaped into balls of different sizes, with possible additives to promote germination and growth of seedlings in a hostile environment. This ancient technique, long forgotten, was rediscovered in the 20th century by a Japanese botanist and popularised in the West with the permaculture craze.

How does the technique work?

At each of our competitions, we give the drivers packets of seed balls to throw across the field during the rally exploration. In addition to the drivers, we also give the seed balls to officials, staff, visitors to the track and anyone else who wants them.

The advantage of seedballs is that they can be thrown with slingshots, which makes them fun and easy to use.

Can you tell us a few words about your activities in 2022 and next steps?

In 2022, the programme was further expanded by involving local authorities in monitoring the reforestation areas. After 8 races of the official national championship, 8,980 tree seeds were launched at the Côte d'Ivoire Bandama Rally, Gagnoa Rally, Adzopé Rally, Moronou Rally, and Agneby-Tiassa Rally.

This year, we are committed to achieving a target of 15,000 seedballs; also, we would like to plant symbolically more than 300 trees in the towns visited by the rally (Yamoussoukro, Gagnoa, Agboville, Bongouanou, Assinie).

These actions, however small, send a strong message to future generations. Everyone has a role to play and I am confident that what we are doing today will have an impact on our environment in the future.