Women in Narok County have been urged to venture into tree growing business in a drive to boost the County’s green cover and eliminate poverty.
Sarah Meitamei, 40, a farmer at Olopito area in Narok Central Sub County asked women to take advantage of the ongoing rains to form groups and put up tree nurseries so as to sell tree seedlings to institutions and individual farmers.
The mother of six said trees have numerous advantages as they provide shade, prevent soil erosion, act as windbreakers, and provide firewood among other numerous benefits.
Ms. Meitamei who has been in the tree business for over 25 years disclosed that she makes a fortune from growing trees.
“I put up tree nursery beds where I grow different kinds of trees both exotic and indigenous trees. I also grow fruit trees which I sell to individuals and organizations,” she said.
The tree business, she said, has helped her educate four of her children to high school, adding that two of the children are in university while two are in secondary.
“The work pays a lot if one masters how to do it properly. I comfortably pay my bills as I educate my children through growing trees,” she added.
Nevertheless, Ms. Meitamei disclosed that she faces challenges during prolonged dry spell where she has to source for water from long distances to irrigate the nursery beds.
Another major challenge, she said, is livestock that loiters around without a shepherd destroying the seedlings before they grow.
“Narok County being a livestock keeping County, there are many livestock that roam about without anyone shepherding them. The livestock sometimes break into the seedbed and destroy the seedling causing a lot of losses,” she said.
While adding that tree growing is a source of employment, Ms. Meitamei said she has employed two casual youth who help to water and weed her seedbeds.
She called upon women to form self-help groups and venture into the noble business of planting trees to improve their livelihood as well as stop climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the air, storing carbon in the trees and soil, and releasing oxygen in the atmosphere.
Narok County targets to grow over 5.3 million seedlings during this season of prolonged rainfall so as to help achieve the Presidential Directive of planting over 15 billion tree seedlings in ten years.
By Ann Salaton and Timothy Tobiko
