Residents of Athi ward in Kitui will get no harvest after the March-May rains failed.
This has been attributed to wanton destruction of forests for charcoal production.
Kitui South subcounty administrator Florence Ngalai said years of felling trees for charcoal production and unsustainable farming practices have made the land barren.
“Due to years of uncontrolled charcoal burning and shifting cultivation, the climatic pattern has become erratic in Athi. No farm yields have been realised and getting pasture for livestock is a challenge,” she said.
Ngalai spoke at Nzaini Catholic Church in Athi ward during World Environment Day celebrations on Wednesday. The event was organised by NCCK under Nature Project.
The day was marked with the planting of indigenous trees.
Ngalai said it is time residents adopt measures to reverse environmental degradation.
She said the Kitui government will help youth and women set up tree nurseries.
“Seedlings from the tree nurseries will be purchased by the county government and distributed to community members in efforts to restore the decimated forest cover,” Ngalai said.
NCCK Nature Project coordinator Andrew Nyamu said urgent action must be taken to rehabilitate the environment.
“Human activities like charcoal burning and sand harvesting have left the land barren and unproductive. I urge residents to partners with the government and other groups to reclaim the degraded land for food and water security,” he said.
Nyamu said through the NCCK Nature Project, households in the area will be supported to grow 80 ordinary trees and 20 fruit trees by the time the project winds up in three years.
Dominic Mulinge, the project coordinator of Kamaki honey and environment Sacco, said his organisation trains the local community in alternative income generating activities.
“People are being introduced to non-wood products like perfumes, honey production and charcoal briquettes,” he said.
