NAIROBI, Nov. 4, (Xinhua/GNA) — For decades, Francis Mayobo’s farm, located along the Nzoia River in western Kenya, was repeatedly inundated by floods that destroyed his crops and pushed him to the brink of poverty.
A retired public works official, Mayobo’s farmland is near the river, which originates in Kenya’s northwestern highlands and drains into Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest freshwater body.
Four years ago, Mayobo took a proactive step by planting hundreds of bamboo trees on his farm, after learning about the tree’s flood-mitigating potential. “I was motivated to venture into bamboo farming after training and research on how it could protect my farm from floods,” Mayobo told Xinhua in a recent interview. Today, the bamboo trees not only shield his farm from seasonal floods, but have also rejuvenated the soil, allowing him to grow crops such as maize, legumes, bananas, and millet.
Mayobo is one of many smallholder farmers in western Kenya’s flood-prone areas, set to benefit from a bamboo agroforestry initiative, funded by the Chinese Academy of Sciences through its Sino-Africa Joint Research Center.
The project is implemented by the United Nations Environment Program’s affiliated International Ecosystem Management Partnership (UNEP-IEMP), in collaboration with local partners.
Dubbed “Ecosystem Restoration for Enhancing Livelihoods and Addressing Climate Change: China-Kenya Cooperation on Bamboo Technology Transfer,” the project promises flood protection, income generation, and improved resilience for local farmers and fishermen.
Under this initiative, Mayobo and other farmers have received training on bamboo cultivation, helping them establish nurseries and secure seedlings for replanting in flood-prone zones.
GNA