Farmers and WFF partner to restore degraded forest

Farmers from Geta village in Kinangop Nyandarua County prepare seedlings on for planting in Aberdare Forest under the Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) programme. [Antony Gitonga, Standard]

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is restoring close to 1,000 hectares of the Aberdare Forest.

Under the Forest Landscape Restoration programme, the conservation group will work with farmers, who will make money as they increase forest cover.

By 2024, the project aims to raise income from forest and agriculture activities by about 20 per cent for over 400 farmers, with at least 30 per cent being women.

Yesterday, WWF programme coordinator in Naivasha Caroline Njiru said the areas to benefit include 559.1 hectares in North Kinangop, 307.5 hectares in Geta and 40.01km of riparian land, which will be put under bamboo plantation. Others are Upper Turasha, Kinja Mkungi Kitiri and Wanjohi.

About Sh3.6 million has been paid to community groups to supply seedlings. “The seedlings will be planted during the short-rains season of October-November,” she said.

The chairman of the Geta Community Forest Association Jamleck Macharia and his Geta Green Agriculture counterpart Ruth Karanja said the project would restore rivers.