Nyeri residents who have occupied 182 acres of Mt Kenya Forest ,urge for more land through Shamba system
Kieni Residents urge re- introduction of the shamba system/Photo Loise Wambugu .
By Loise Wambugu
Kabaru residents from Kieni west sub-county in Nyeri County are urging the government to allow them to farm in the neighboring Mt Kenya forest as they conserve the forest by planting trees through the shamba system.
The farmers say this will enable them to eradicate hunger as they also protect the ecosystem.
According to Peter Wachira who is the Kabaru Community Forest Association (CFA) chairman, already 74 hectares of the forest land is benefiting over 1,000 farmers, whereby they are getting half an acre each.
” Every farmer gets half an acre piece of land and if well cultivated, it is possible to reap crops worth sh50 million which will be of great benefit to the community,” Wachira said.
He said recommendations by the deputy president Rigathi Gachagua to return the shamba system is a welcome move as now they will be able to eradicate hunger which has greatly hit the area due to the prolonged rain shortage, as well as diminishing arable land.
“We welcome the deputy president’s idea to return the shamba system because we have very small portions of land but if allowed to farm in the forest, we will be able to make big harvests and eradicate drought in Kieni,” he said.
The residents have already occupied 182 acres of the forest land where they are planting 100,000 indigenous and exotic trees and will tend them for a period of three years.
The farmers also want to be allowed to plant maize in the farms, noting that it will not affect the trees in any way
“Our prayer to the government is that it allows us to also plant maize as it is a major crop and we can assure them that it will not in any way affect the ecosystem,” a farmer said.
Nyeri senator Wahome Wamatinga who led the residents in a tree planting exercise in the area said by involving the residents to farm as they tend the trees, will not only increase the forest cover but also increase the carbon credit.
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