Farmers urged to plant Bamboo trees to reduce landslides

Mount Kenya region scouts have embarked on a rigorous campaign to educate farmers to plant bamboo trees to curb floods and landslides in Murang’a County.
Five people died in April last year due to landslides caused by heavy rainfall in the County while an estimated 1000 people were left homeless.
The Scouts say the program which will include planting as many bamboo trees as possible will reduce soil erosion during long rains as well as ensure safety of residents living in areas threatened by landslides.
Kiambu scouts Commissioner Francis Chege Nyoike urged farmers to embrace the idea saying it is a way of reducing sediments flowing into rivers and protecting riparian land in the County.
Speaking at Mount Kenya University’s pavilion ground where the scouts have pitched camp in readiness for national scouting festivals, Chege said that scouts within the region are committed to help the Government in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Water and Natural Resources to increase forest cover to ten percent.
“We are also educating farmers to plant traditional food crops that are rarely affected by lack of rain. We encourage farmers to plant more sweet potatoes, cassava and arrowroot to enhance food security in the region and the Country at large.”
Benjamin Afumbwa, the head of environmental clubs at the university said the institution will continue to partner with scouts and other organizations to conserve the environment.
“We will invest funds in conservation of our environment to correct human errors and with the help of all stakeholders, we will restore our environment to where it should be.” said Afumbwa.
500 trees were during the camp when MKU also marked its annual tree planting day.

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