Migori
Friday, April 19, 2024
KNA by Geoffrey Makokha
A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) in Migori County has embarked on a mission to distribute fruit trees to residents to plant as a means of mitigating climate change.
One Vision has partnered with Arbor Day Foundation under the programme dubbed Building Communities Resilient to Climate Change with the sole purpose of empowering the local communities especially women to plant fruit trees and help mitigate climate change and generate income.
One Vision Kenya-NGO Deputy Executive Director Victor Ogindo said that the organisation intends to distribute 3,500 fruit tree seedlings to 300 households in five wards.
Speaking during the fruit tree seedling distributions to residents of Bware Village in South Kanyamgako Ward-Uriri Sub County, Ogindo also disclosed that the fruit tree programme will also be implemented in various schools once they resume learning for the second term.
He said that the organisation will be planting 15,000 fruit trees to help mitigate climate change, provide fruit nutrients for the school children as well as initiate a culture of environmental conservation among young children.
Migori County Climate Change Director Linus Origa appreciated the role the NGOs and civil societies were playing in mitigating climate change in the County.
Origa emphasised that the County will continue to collaborate with like-minded NGOs to bring on-board local community in an environmental practice that aims to mitigate climate change and wetland conservations.
The official pointed out that by targeting women in fruit tree planting, the whole community would benefit because women are the home cares in society.
Origa also disclosed that the County through the Department of Environment had initiated a School Green Programme with the goal of distributing trees and fruit tree seedlings to be planted across various schools in the county.
He added that the Department of Environment has also identified catchment areas and through the programme dubbed High Top Rehabilitation they have embarked on planting indigenous trees to preserve the tree forest cover.
He underscored the importance of making the community appreciate the importance of forest conservation in climate change migration to curb environmental disasters like floods which have been a menace, especially in lower areas of Lake Victoria-Nyatike Sub County. Origa announced that already the County Climate Change Committee has been operationalised to make climate change mitigation a mainstream concept within the county.
“We have set up a County Climate Change Committee to ensure climate change interventions are compulsory including setting aside some budget for climate change mitigation”, Origa said.
The official also acknowledged that the establishment of the County Climate Change Directorate within the Environment Department showed the seriousness the County was taking in addressing issues on Climate Change through the Climate Act. Linet Omolo, a resident of Bware village in South Kanyamgako and a beneficiary of the fruit tree programme encouraged women to plant fruit trees for the benefit of a healthy family, economic generation and environmental conservation.
Ms. Omolo said that when women are given priority in environmental conservation, the community benefits.
Courtesy; KNA