Kerio Valley Development Authority is targeting to plant over 500,000 trees in six months to increase forest cover in the region.
On Wednesday, KVDA managing director Sammy Naporos said the region needs proper conservation because it is a water catchment for two main rivers.
Naporos said there are many rivers emanating from the Cherangani ecosystem that support many livelihoods in the lower parts of Western Kenya and North Rift.
He said that the county is prone to landslides due to agricultural activities and asked residents to plant more trees to reduce landslides during the rainy season.
Naporos said that they targeting schools since they are protected and will help in maintaining the trees.
He asked residents to continuously plant trees to also help in mitigating the effects of climate change.
“Residents should also plant fruit trees apart from increasing forest cover, this will help in providing nutritional value to families. Fruits will also be a source of income,” he said.
He urged them to visit their offices and buy grafted fruit trees that yield quickly.
Wei wei farmers association chair Mark Meut asked farmers to embrace tree planting to help in protecting the environment.
“We need to protect our environment by planting more trees to reduce losses occasioned by the rainy season,” he said.
(Edited by Tabnacha O)
