Despite snags, Ethiopia scales up massive tree-planting campaign

JUNE 5, 2020

by Robbie Corey-Boulet



Ethiopians planted four billion trees last year and are aiming for five billion this year—but there are concerns many seedlings don't grow

Braving a heavy downpour, hundreds of farmers spent a full day planting 20,000 acacia seedlings on a barren hillside outside the town of Buee in southern Ethiopia last year.

They were responding to a call last July from Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who wanted his countrymen to plant 200 million trees in a single day, shattering the world record.

But while the farmers had "great expectations", they say that nearly a year later—as Ethiopia gears up to celebrate World Environment Day on Friday—the results in Buee are a disappointment.

Rainfall immediately washed away more than one-third of the seedlings, and those that remain have struggled to grow out of hastily-dug holes filled with poor soil, said Ewnatu Kornen, a local environment official.

The farmers' ordeal points to the potential pitfalls of mass-planting drives, which are central to Abiy's "Green Legacy" campaign to promote ecotourism and transform Ethiopia into an environmentally-friendly economy.

More:
https://phys.org/news/2020-06-snags-ethiopia-scales-massive-tree-planting.html