Kenya initiates bamboo project with China's support to combat flooding
Kenya has introduced a new program focused on encouraging the planting of bamboo trees in the Nzoia River basin located in western Busia County.
TroibNews 
Kenya has introduced a new initiative aimed at encouraging the planting of bamboo trees along the Nzoia River basin in western Busia County.
Funded by the Chinese Academy of Sciences through its Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, the project is intended to manage flooding, boost climate resilience, and enhance food security for local communities, in addition to restoring the ecological health of the Nzoia River, which is a significant tributary of Africa’s largest freshwater body, Lake Victoria.
Entitled "Ecosystem Restoration for Enhancing Livelihoods and Addressing Climate Change: China-Kenya Cooperation on Bamboo Technology Transfer," this initiative is implemented in partnership with the United Nations Environment Program's International Ecosystem Management Partnership.
The launch event, which took place on Thursday, saw the participation of senior government officials, scientists, farmers, and environmental advocates. Key partners involved in the bamboo plantation initiative include the Kenya Forestry Research Institute, the Wildlife Research and Training Institute of Kenya, and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology.
Dan Opilio, director of climate change in Busia County, stressed that increasing bamboo acreage presents a sustainable, nature-based approach to the ongoing flooding challenges in the Nzoia River basin.
"The bamboo agroforestry project will act as a buffer against flooding, restore biodiversity along Nzoia river basin and transform livelihoods of local communities through mixed cropping," Opilio said.
Wang Guoqin, Program Manager of UNEP-IEMP, underscored the project’s ability to rejuvenate the Nzoia River basin, improve its resilience to climate-related disruptions, and mitigate biodiversity loss.
According to Nyunja, Kenya's national bamboo policy is in sync with the government's ambitious target of planting 15 billion trees by 2032, which aims to restore degraded forests and freshwater bodies, emphasizing that this initiative will play a crucial role in reaching that goal.
Alejandro Jose Martinez for TROIB News
Funded by the Chinese Academy of Sciences through its Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, the project is intended to manage flooding, boost climate resilience, and enhance food security for local communities, in addition to restoring the ecological health of the Nzoia River, which is a significant tributary of Africa’s largest freshwater body, Lake Victoria.
Entitled "Ecosystem Restoration for Enhancing Livelihoods and Addressing Climate Change: China-Kenya Cooperation on Bamboo Technology Transfer," this initiative is implemented in partnership with the United Nations Environment Program's International Ecosystem Management Partnership.
The launch event, which took place on Thursday, saw the participation of senior government officials, scientists, farmers, and environmental advocates. Key partners involved in the bamboo plantation initiative include the Kenya Forestry Research Institute, the Wildlife Research and Training Institute of Kenya, and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology.
Dan Opilio, director of climate change in Busia County, stressed that increasing bamboo acreage presents a sustainable, nature-based approach to the ongoing flooding challenges in the Nzoia River basin.
"The bamboo agroforestry project will act as a buffer against flooding, restore biodiversity along Nzoia river basin and transform livelihoods of local communities through mixed cropping," Opilio said.
Wang Guoqin, Program Manager of UNEP-IEMP, underscored the project’s ability to rejuvenate the Nzoia River basin, improve its resilience to climate-related disruptions, and mitigate biodiversity loss.
According to Nyunja, Kenya's national bamboo policy is in sync with the government's ambitious target of planting 15 billion trees by 2032, which aims to restore degraded forests and freshwater bodies, emphasizing that this initiative will play a crucial role in reaching that goal.
Alejandro Jose Martinez for TROIB News
