Six months after the end of the European Union funded OXFAM and ICEED programme to improve fuel wood balance in 7 Local Government Areas of Katsina State, 318,000 assorted tree seedlings have been raised through community nurseries by the farmers. This is however 82,000 seedlings short of the target of 350,000 set by the EU for the sustainability of the project.
Project Desk Officer, Mannir Garba who stated this during the flag-off of the year 2020 seedling distribution to registered farmers across the 7 LGAs said, the essence is to continue planting trees with a view to checking the menace of desert encroachment and climate change in the State.
According to Garba, the farmers benefitting from the exercise include both men and women in the 7 LGAs that were carefully selected to ensure effective monitoring to produce more seedlings through nurseries production.
He said, each of the 7 LGAs was expected to produce 50,000 seedlings making a total of 350,000 and they have been able to produce 318,000 seedlings meeting 91 percent target set by the EU, thereby been capable of sustaining the project.
During the event, the Chairman of Sustainability and representative of the Emir of Katsina, Abba Balarabe said, the traditional institution will continue to support the farmer managed renewable production to sustain the improving the fuel wood balance through the district heads and traditional leaders.
According to him, they have put in place proper mechanism to monitor all the farmers captured in the tree planting campaign by way of effective supervision and monitoring.
While assuring that the project will be sustained to cushion the effect of desertification, Chairman of the multi stakeholders and Coordinator platform Usman Ahmed, is optimistic that tree planting will continue until the environment is safe.
He further added that, in terms of farmers managed renewable energy generation, 400,000 seedlings have been raised within 21 wards of the 7 participating LGAs where 50,000 farmers were captured to plant trees in their farms to compliment fuel wood waste.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
