Feature: Commercial tree farming boosts restoration of Kenya's largest water tower

Ruth Gachacha, a middle-aged farmer in Kenya's Nakuru county, is optimistic that her ten acre tree plantation will in the near future unleash a financial windfall.

Her expansive tree plantation is located on the foothills of Kenya's largest water tower, the Mau forest complex.

Gachacha's eucalyptus plantation has transformed conservation of a water tower that is a lifeblood to millions of people in the Rift Valley and western Kenya.

She planted the eucalyptus trees seven years ago in the wake of an appeal by the government and conservationists to rehabilitate the Mau water tower that previously experienced rapid depletion.

While planting the trees, Gachacha had set her eyes on the local market and in particular energy utilities that were purchasing poles from farmers in bulk quantity.

"Commercial tree planting is an investment that is both profitable, and whose contribution to environmental conservation is huge," Gachacha told Xinhua during an interview on Thursday.

She added the commercial tree plantation has provided her with adequate firewood for domestic consumption and for sale to nearby markets.

"The challenge of firewood is long gone since I ventured into commercial tree farming," said Gachacha.

Conservationists lauded Gachacha's venture into commercial tree farming, saying it has multiplier impacts on livelihoods and ecosystems.

"Commercial tree farming provide steady income to farmers while conserving our natural capital," said Jacob Mwanduka, a forester.

He added that commercial tree plantations will provide durable solution to Kenya's energy deficit while advancing green growth in the east African nation.

"State-owned forests cannot on their own meet the huge demand for timber and firewood in the country hence the need for farmers to engage in commercial tree planting to bridge this shortfall," Mwanduka remarked.

Demand for timber in Kenya has spiked thanks to a construction boom in major cities and towns.

The Kenya government in 1999 banned harvesting of trees in state-owned forests to halt environmental degradation.

Although the ban was lifted in 2015, illegal logging is to blame for declining forest cover in the country.

"We can restore our forests if we plant trees on farms. This noble exercise will transform the livelihoods of local communities while conserving ecosystems that under-pins prosperity in Kenya," said Mwanduka.

He disclosed that community-led conservation projects in the Mau water tower have been rewarding.

"Sometimes ago, water levels in rivers that originate from Mau forest complex had reduced considerably, but has now been restored thanks to reforestation programs that reduced siltation," said Mwanduka.

He stressed that public awareness alongside law enforcement are key to halt human encroachment into Kenya's largest water tower.

Timothy Kiogora, the Nakuru County's Director of environment and natural resources, emphasized that adoption of alternative energy sources will minimize depletion of Mau Forest complex due to illegal logging. Enditem