Gen. Ret. Samson Mwathethe, the chairman of the board of directors for the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), is leading a group of his board members to Kitui and Kibwezi to learn more about forestry research and development.
KEFRI has set experiments in Arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) Counties led by Kitui, to develop valuable dryland trees for both commercial and restoration purposes.
It is possible to create commercial forestry plantations in dryland areas, according to acting KEFRI Director Dr. Jane Njuguna. These plantations could include valuable species like Melia volkensii and Terminalia brownii, as well as Vitex and Acacias, which are essential to the success of the 15 billion tree planting campaign.
The board will travel to Kibwezi, Makueni County, where they will see the restoration of the Riverine using bamboo species, as well as the Melia trial locations at Kitukus Farm and the University of Nairobi.
Forestry research in drylands has both successes and problems, according to Dr. Jane Njuguna, director of KEFRI Ag, and both call for cooperation between the public and commercial sectors.
