FAO paves the way towards tree nursery management
Availability of quality tree nurseries while contributing towards income generation explored
Nakuru, February 23, 2017 – Trees are well known for their contribution towards enhancing environmental conservation but the job creation and income generating aspects of tree planting, particularly in urban areas, are often overlooked.
Tree nursery operators continue to be key investors in the country’s forestry sector. They contribute significantly to rural economic development, food security, environmental protection, and other benefits for individuals, communities and the nation as a whole.
As the drive towards increasing forest cover continues to gain hold, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has taken the initiative to bring key players together by organizing the first national tree nursery workshop in Nakuru on 22-23 February 2017.
Key-stakeholders within the forestry sector shared information on the state of tree nurseries in Kenya as well as issues related to quality control – particularly of seeds, market linkages and advocacy for an enabling environment for tree nursery operators.
The main aim was to establish national and county platforms for tree nursery operators. Key players that made the convening possible are the Farm Forestry Smallholders Producers of Kenya (FF-SPAK) which works with communities to promote farm forestry, the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) in partnership with FAO’s Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) and other partners.
Increasing Kenya’s forest cover
Kenya is witnessing a proliferation of tree nurseries across the country especially in urban areas attributed to an increased demand as result of enhanced environmental awareness and adoption of agroforestry practices. The emerging enterprise is providing an income and employment opportunities to thousands of Kenyans and has an immense potential that can be tapped into through better management, awareness and coordination.
Certain parts of Kenya have an immense forest cover that not only contributes to the beauty of the country’s natural landscape but also adds to environmental conservation efforts. For instance, Karura Forest Reserve located in the northern part of the capital Nairobi stands at 1,041 hectares and is one of the largest urban gazetted forests in the world.
A report on the national forest resource mapping and capacity development for the republic of Kenya volume (2013) revealed that forest cover experienced a decline from 7.89% in 1990 to 5.90 % in 2000. However there had been a spike to 6.99% by 2010 as an increasing amount of forest areas have come under protection while more countries are improving forest management while encouraging planting of trees especially in farms.
Forest management and protections is done through legislation and includes the measuring and monitoring of forest resources and a greater involvement of local communities in planning and in developing policies.
Supporting small-scale tree nursery operators
Small-scale tree nursery operators contribute towards initiatives to increase forest cover, and keep the urban landscape green – in a country where fuel wood is the main source of energy. However, small-scale tree nursery operators face policy, institutional, technological and socio-economic challenges.
Access to quality seeds (germplasm) that would guarantee better productivity is not guaranteed. Most seeds used in the nurseries are collected locally leading to in-breeding which results from a gradual decrease in the genetic resource base. Recent surveys indicate that the available tree planting materials are of poor quality in terms of genetic, physical and physiological qualities.
Lack of structured markets and undeveloped value chain also limits the growth of the tree nursery industry. The tree seedling supply chain consists of seed collectors, seed vendors, nursery operators and producers (agroforestry farmers) working at a subsistence level. The market for tree seedlings is dominated by fragmented seed vendors selling uncertified seeds and operating individually rather than collectively, thus lowering their bargaining power.
In order to revitalise the tree nursery enterprise, various barriers that currently limit the scaling-up process and commercialisation of this product have to be addressed. There is a need to develop standards and train nursery operators on good nursery management practices including use of new technologies like grafting and cloning. Also necessary is the registration and certification of all tree nurseries with the respective regulatory authorities such as the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), Horticultural Crops Development Authority (HCDA) and the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI).
Charting the course of future
The meeting concluded with an appeal to government agencies to recognize the contribution made by tree nursery operators towards food security, socio-economic development and provision of environmental services. They petitioned to government agencies represented at national and county level to facilitate an enabling environment for tree nursery operators to achieve their goals. Key goals include promotion of high quality seeds and other planting materials for establishment of high quality tree nurseries in order to improve tree productivity. They also committed to create county associations that would bring together interested tree nursery operators in respective counties to champion their interests.
Contacts
Ruth Njeng’ere | Communications – FAO Kenya | [email protected]
Martina Torma | Communications – FAO Kenya | [email protected]