Mass Tree Planting Targets Climate Change in Uasin Gishu
The public is beginning to understand the link between tree planting and food security. By preserving land, they will also improve farm yields.
The government has also set a target to plant 15 billion trees by 2032. Kenyans already have planted over 800 million trees across different counties.
Nyamwari Misati
The residents of Uasin Gishu County are being called upon to partner with the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) in the Accelerated Tree Growing program. The initiative aims to fight climate change and prevent disasters such as landslides.
So far, the success has been remarkable. Well over 25,000 tree seedlings have been successfully transplanted in the Timboroa area. The initiative has brought new hope for forest regeneration and protection of the environment in the area.
Dr. Thomas Kiptoo, a KFS officer, contends that community participation will be the secret to long-term success for this program. He stresses that if locals are involved, they not only save forests but also protect their survival. The idea is to make people own conservation as a responsibility.
Timboroa Community Forest Association board chairman Peter Kimani asserts that global warming is making it increasingly difficult to save. He claims that rising temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, and tree cutting are putting pressure on the environment. Kimani also asserts that unless the communities move fast, the negative effect will continue to soar.
The government has also set a target to plant 15 billion trees by 2032. Kenyans already have planted over 800 million trees across different counties. This is a show of the growing commitment towards rebuilding the environment and guaranteeing the future generations.
Landslides are also an ongoing threat in Uasin Gishu and other hilly agricultural regions. The experts caution that if farming and deforestation on slopes are not contained, they are further degrading the soils. KFS has now requested farmers to plant trees on the slopes so that the soil is fixed and land is not lost.
The public is beginning to understand the link between tree planting and food security. By preserving land, they will also improve farm yields. Trees shelter, fertilize the soil, and create windbreaks that shield crops from damage.
From being a purely environmental movement, the Tree Growing project is therefore also a war to protect livelihoods, farms, and lives. More improved people involvement will see a greener Uasin Gishu and a new Kenya where all are secure.
Growing each tree in Timboroa and across the country moves Kenya closer to sustainability. It is from being solely from an environmental movement, therefore, an initiative to fight against climate change that needs everyone’s contribution.
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