The government has initiated a programme to train community-based organisations engaged in environmental conservation on the best practices in raising quality and commercial seedlings.
The training is meant to equip community-based organisations (CBOs) and self-help groups raising healthy seedlings and practising horticultural farming to increase tree cover while at the same time deriving livelihoods.
“The government is committed to seeing the farmer earn from their effort and improve their livelihoods,” Herbert Imbuka, the area Forester officer said when he was training Eco-green conservator community-based organisation on how best to raise seedlings from indigenous and exotic trees, bamboo and various fruit trees.
Imbuka said the training on raising seedlings is part of the efforts by the government to plant 10 billion trees by the year 2032.
Eco-green conservator CBO has plans to plant bamboo along river Awach banks in Rachuonyo north Sub County and are currently raising bamboo seedlings.
The forester said global climate change is a result of deforestation caused by poor farming methods thus affecting rivers and the lake.
‘The poor farming method has increased soil erosion which feeds rivers and finally flows to the lake. With siltation leading to shallow lakes that definitely lead to dwindling of fish which locals rely on for food,” he said.
He said a society depending on the lake for livelihood must come up with projects to protect and sustain the lake.
During the training that involved moving from farm to farm where the CBO has embarked on various projects, the official demonstrated to the farmers how to improve their activities, such as horticulture, beekeeping and tree growing, to reap maximum benefit.
“Your group’s activities are a form of employment,” he said, adding that after training the groups are to become environmental advocates.
He said they need to showcase what they do and what they have so that people will come and see what they are doing to attract people to come and learn from them and create a market for their products.
The Eco-green conservator CBO members were trained on the benefits of fruit trees, commercial tree farming, Economic empowerment, beekeeping, tree nurseries and eco-friendly small business enterprises.
The forest officer, however, asked farmers who plant Eucalyptus tree for commercial purposes to do so within the law, whereby the tree should be planted 6 m away from a common boundary. Imbuka advised against planting of Eucalyptus trees on riparian land.
The farmers were also sensitised to carbon credits and how they can benefit from them.
“With carbon projects people get paid not to cut down their forest so as to conserve ecosystems through the sale of carbon credits,” he said.
By Moseti Julius
