Kefri uses drones for forest restoration

Courtesy [AP Photo, Haroub Hussein]

Kenya Forest Research Institute (Kefri) is using drone technology to restore 5.1 million hectares of degraded lands. In partnership with the Kenya Flying Labs and Seedball Kenya, Kefri is using the drones for aerial seeding – a process where seeds are dropped from the air in degraded areas. The seeds are procured from Kefri and then processed into balls by Seedball Kenya. They are then loaded into drones. According to the Kefri director Dr Jane Njuguna, the calibration on seed rates is done before the drones set off. The seed rates depend of tree species and expected ground cover. One drone has a capacity of 7 kgs with one flight taking 15 minutes and covering 0.8 hectares. In an hour, the drone can seed 3.2 hectares of land. The drones that belong to the Kenya Flying Labs are specialised and fully fitted with seed dispensers that easily, precisely and efficiently drop seed balls with precision.