Currently, Greening Africa is implementing a tree planting project in Gejo Gefersa area as described below.
Project Summary
Name of Project: Tree Planting in Ethiopia to Fight Deforestation Caused by Environmental Degradation: Gejo Reforestation Project
Location: Gejo locality within Burayu Woreda (district) in Oromia Regional state, which is around 30 kilometers to the west of Addis Ababa; it is situated on the east of the renowned Suba Menagesha Forest Reserve.
Timeframe: From March 2019 – March/2022
Land Size: 20,000 meter square land
Planted Trees: 15,000
Beneficiaries: The Gejo Gefersa local community
Partner: Gejo Youth Association
Budget: 15,000
Description:
Ethiopians annually are contributing to the growth of greenhouse gas emissions through the over-consumption of wood products, which has led to deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and other ecological problems.
Wood, dung and crop residues cover 90% of Ethiopian’s energy consumption especially in 99% of the rural community.
While this is more or less true across the country, the degree of the problem differs in the various parts of the country. One of these is the area around the Menagesha Suba Forest – one of the renowned forests in the country.
The design of our project is based on, among other things, a survey that aimed at assessing the impact of deforestation and the economic dimension in the stated area. The data gathered from 397 households revealed that an ever-increasing number of people in the area are heavily relying on the limited forest resource as the source of income. This has led to over-consumption, which in turn has exacerbated the pace of deforestation in the area.
Besides overpopulation, soil erosion, and decreasing land productivity, ineffective policies that hamper the local community’s sense of ownership over forest resources have contributed to the unchecked deforestation pattern.
In response to this crisis, we have embarked on a project of tree planting, while enhancing environmental awareness of the project community through education. Tree planting is not only the right solution to deforestation, but also a mechanism to stimulate local economic growth, particularly in terms of addressing the crucial problem of youth unemployment.
For this end, Greening Africa partnered with the Gejo Youth Association operating in Gejo Kebele of Burayu Woreda in Oromia Regional State in February 2020 to plant 20,000 trees over a 20,000 meter square plot within the Kebele.
The Association, enlisting about 50 members and unemployed, own over two hectares of land plot in the Kebele. The land is not suited for crop production but ideal for planting trees.
Though the Association wanted to develop the land by planting trees, it lacked the resources, particularly finances and the required equipment.
After signing an agreement with the association, Greening Africa launched this project and became committed to the provision of equipment, technical support, and awareness education, while the Association provides labor to the planting, watering, and care of seedlings, as well as protection of the site from physical damages, such as by domestic animals.
The unique aspect of this project, as opposed to the many reforestation projects carried out on communally owned land, is that the land is owned by the Association, not just by a generally known ‘community’. This has significantly boosted the sense of ownership for the project and its sustainability.
By the end of August 2020, the project has already funded the planting of 10,000 seedlings, with plans to plant a similar number of trees during the rainy season of 2021 that starts in June. The project purchased and transported the seedlings from a high quality nursery in Bahir Dar – located 580 kilometers away.
To ensure a high survival rate of the seedlings, the project financed the purchase of a water pump, different types of tools; the construction of a fence and an office premise.