EU Plants 4.5 million Trees in Katsina

About 4.54 million trees have been planted and maintained in Katsina State under the Improved Fuel Wood Balance project supported by the European Union (EU).
The Project Manager, Dr Chris Udokang said the initial target was to plant 5.5 million trees.
He said in an interview in Daura that 70 percent of the trees had survived.
According to him, a regeneration of another 1.5 million trees is currently going on while new round of nursery activities has commenced on March 1.
He said that the trees were planted in Daura, Zango, Mai’adua, Baure, Mashi, Dutsi and Sandamu Local Government Areas to improve fuel wood balance and prevent desertification.
The official explained that seven motorised boreholes were drilled in each of the seven community nurseries to water the plants, and provide water for human and animal consumption.
Udokang said 538,994 of the trees, representing 87.3 per cent survived.
He noted that the project was executed under the EU Fuel Wood Balance Programme ( FUWOBA ) and implemented by the Oxfam and the International Centre for Energy, Environment and Development, in collaboration with the National Planning Commission.
Udokang added that no fewer than 1,000 farmers were provided with agricultural implements which included fertilisers, insecticides and modernised cooking stove free of charge, to promote farming in the area. He urged the people to continue to maintain the trees as well as make judicious use of the farming implements for a better environment and a secured future free from desertification and lack of food.
The EU FUWOBA projects commenced in October 2014 across some seven selected local government areas in Katsina State to promote agriculture and prevent desertification.
He said that the programme has covered 55, 000 farmers and 41, 248 households, adding that 160,000 hectares out of the targeted 97, 072.12 hectares of land had been covered.
The manager added that multi-purpose stove production centres were established in the local government areas, which had produced thousands of cooking stoves distributed to local people, to reduce illegal felling of trees.
He said the organization has organized capacity training workshops for NGOs, porters, marketers, women and youth groups on sustainable tree management.
FUWOBA is a sustainable, impact-filled community driven and income generating rural-based climate change afforestation support initiative.