A total of three million trees have been planted in Kano in both rural and urban areas of the state in a tree planting initiative of the government through it’s Agro Climatic Resilience in Semi Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL).
This was announced by the state project coordinator, Dr Dahir M Hashim, at a special briefing by ACReSAL on Monday in Kano on the significant progress within three months of launching the initiative.
The three million tree planting initiative which began in June 2024 saw the strategic planting of two million trees in the rural areas and one million trees in the the urban areas of the state.
He praised the support of the state governor Abba Yusuf to the project in which climatically affected areas of the state were revived through the green enhancement of the environment.
“Through the unwavering support of His Excellency, we have completed the planting of two million trees across rural areas.
“Notably, we have rehabilitated 106 kilometers of shelterbelt-an essential barrier that protects our soil from desertification, wind erosion, and excessive sunlight.
“Specific achievements include the rehabilitation of the 4km by 24 belts of shelterbelt in Yan Bawa (Makoda LGA) and the 4 belts of 2.5km in Ginzo (Bagwai LGA).
“These shelterbelts are vital for maintaining soil fertility and combating land degradation” he stated.
In addition to that, ACReSAL also established woodlot plantations in Dunawa and Sabon Ruwa (Makoda LGA), which provide sustainable firewood sources for local communities, thereby reducing the need for indiscriminate tree felling.
“Furthermore, we have engaged in forest conservation and enrichment planting of indigenous species in areas such as Daddarawa, Dajin Kura (Tsanyawa LGA), Dan Soshiya, Kyarana (Kiru LGA), and Gwarmai (Ghari LGA), to name a few.
“We are also proud to have developed a 100-hectare conventional orchard in Kyale (Gabasawa LGA) and established individual orchards for over 1,200 farmers in various local government areas.
“Our efforts to regenerate indigenous species have yielded the recovery of 41,087 trees, with over 59,900 beneficiaries positively impacted so far-a number we expect to grow once the final enumeration is completed” he added.
In the urban phase of the initiative, two nurseries -one in Kafın Ciri (Garko LGA) and another in Mai Nika (Gwarzo LGA)- with a combined capacity to produce one million seedlings were rehabilitated. “Both nurseries are now fully operational, equipped with solar-powered boreholes, offices, and other necessary infrastructure.
“We’ve also established a temporary nursery at our ACRESAL office to facilitate the swift distribution of seedlings to community-based organizations (CBOs). To ensure proper maintenance, 30 nursery attendants and gardeners have been trained in modern techniques of seedling cultivation.
” We have also engaged 55 CBOS, NGOs, and MDAs in our project, distributing more than 350,000 seedlings so far, with 50,000 going to various government ministries, 120,000 to higher institutions, and thousands more to other stakeholders across the state” he added.
Finally, he stated that the initiative did not go unnoticed as the World Bank and the National Project Management Unit of the ACReSAL has commended it for restoring 21,261 hectres of degraded land through afforestation effort under the 3MTP initiative.