KFS, Murang'a residents partner to plant fruit trees

The Kenya Forest Service has partnered with Murang’a residents to boost forest cover by planting fruit tree seedlings.

Assistant chief conservator of forests Jerome Mwanzia said they have embarked on a six-year programme aimed at enhancing the forest coverage in the country while empowering farmers.

Mwanzia said the project is being financed by African Development Bank and the National government.

“If farmers are not earning sufficient money, they will turn to trees to burn charcoal that is why we are using the project to provide them with an income,” he said.

The project helped plant pawpaw, macadamia and tree tomato seedlings in Mathioya and Kangema subcounties on Tuesday.

This was after Mathioya MP Peter Kimari approached KFS appealing for support saying his constituents were in need of fruits trees seedlings.

“We prefer to work with groups that come forward for partnership. We can only mitigate against climate change by planting trees and fruit trees,” Mwanzia said.

The project, he said, is present in 15 counties neighbouring Mt Kenya, Aberdares and Mau forests.

In Murang’a, the project is working with the Youth Bunge group to have the seedlings planted and will partner with them until the project is done.

The county, Mwanzia said, has a tree coverage of about 15 per cent, far above the national coverage which is less than 10 per cent.

Some counties such as Siaya are doing much worse with a tree cover of only 0.4 per cent.

“We want areas such as Murang’a to help improve the national coverage to rise above 10 per cent,” he said.

The project supplies the seedlings to the groups and supports them with materials such as water pumps, fertilisers and pesticides.

Trees that take more time and expertise to grow such as the bamboo are grown in the KFS nurseries before being disbursed to farmers.

Mwanzia said KFS plans to plant 100 million tree seedlings in the country under the project and encourage more farmers and firms to plant more trees.

He said the Kenya Wildlife Service in partnership with farmers is in the process of making plans to help control monkeys that have ravaged farms.

The MP said the partnership with KFS will help sustain the programme, lauding the government for its continuous support for farmers.

“Last year, we received over 5,000 seedlings to plant during the rainy seasons and we planted them in Kiamuturi forest,” he said.

Kimari said a third of the constituency’s landmass is in the Aberdare forest which he said forms an important part of its ecosystem.

“We know the forest is the source of the water consumed in the constituency and in the county,” he said.

Kimari urged farmers bordering the forest to ensure about 10 per cent of their farms are covered by trees to safeguard their future.

He urged tea factories that are large consumers of trees to have sustainable tree cutting programmes. 

“We know trees have to be cut down for either timber or firewood but let it be done sustainably,” he said.

Murang’a Youth Bunge organising secretary Bancy Nduta urged those with small farms to prioritise fruit trees which she said would help maximise their returns and give them food security.

County forest conservator Dennis Kerengo said under the project, farmers' groups are supported by nurseries and demo farms.

Though the youths do not have their own farms, they work together with their parents to plant the trees for the benefit of their households.

The trees will be planted in Kimakia forest in Gatanga, Gatare forest in Kigumo, Kiamuturi forest in Mathioya and Kiambicho forest in Kiharu.

The semi-arid Ithanga subcounty will also benefit.

Kerengo also appealed to farmers not to plant trees within common boundaries to avert conflicts with neighbours and ensure they don’t plant blue gum trees near water sources.

Edited by Kiilu Damaris