Addis Ababa, August 18, 2022 (FBC) – August 14th marked the official closing of this year’s Green Legacy program with a ceremony held in Dire Dawa.
The closing ceremony marked the conclusion of the four-year target of planting 20 billion seedlings initiated in 2019 by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
“It is for the first time in Ethiopia’s history of afforestation and reforestation, that such a large-scale landscape restoration initiative was launched and achieved more than what has been planned,” said Billene Seyoum, Press Secretariat of the Prime Minister Office.
Some remarkable results over the past four years include mushrooming of nurseries throughout the country from around 40,000 when the initiative was launched to 121,000 by 2022, according to the Press Secretariat.
Different species of seedlings have been raised in these nurseries with increasing emphasis on indigenous and high value types, like bamboo.
Aimed at making the Green Legacy Initiative improve access to food and nutrition – this year alone, more than 270 million seedlings of important fruit species mainly avocado, mango and papaya have been raised in different nurseries. Average survival rate of planted seedlings is 84 percent, She said.
In 4 years, a total of the 767,000 jobs that were created so far were for youth and women; many youths have established their own business in tree seedling production, site management and other activities.
Furthermore, increased public awareness on climate change, natural resources degradation, loss of biodiversity and its consequences have contributed to a burgeoning green culture.