Tree Nursery Establishment

After our tree nursery and agroforestry training finished up on April 20th, Mumbaya Youth Group met four times throughout the following two weeks to prepare our nursery for planting. We extended and improved the fencing, tilled the soil, and prepared the seedbeds (pictured above: members Francesca and Stephen) . Unfortunately, out of 11 members currently within the community, only about 4 members attended this work.

This past Sunday, however, 10 out of the 11 members showed up to plant our first round of tree seeds. Not all on-time, but I'd call that progress. We planted 8 different species, several of which Stephen pretreated the night before to ensure they'd germinate effectively. Pictured above, members prepare the seedbeds by adding a layer of sand to help ease the removal of seedlings later.

Members Omondi, Francesca, and Florence plant pretreated podocurpus seeds in rows as members Stephen and Baraza look on.

Stephen broadcasts grevellia robusta seeds across a seedbed. This species is in high demand throughout the area due to its quality timber.

Baraza and Stephen cover the seeds with a light layer of soil as Omondi and James look on.

Omondi and James cover the freshly-planted seeds with hay to protect the beds from sunlight in order to retain moisture in the soil. While I am away this week for my Close-of-Service Conference with the Peace Corps, the group is to meet on Wednesday to construct shade structures above the seedbeds to protect the emerging seedlings.

Florence, Omondi, and Baraza water the seedbeds. We divided ourselves into 4 subgroups, each of which will be responsible for two different types of seeds. They will monitor and care for their seedbeds, especially watering each morning and afternoon when rain does not fall. We hope that by dividing into subgroups, the groups will compete against each-other to ensure their seeds don't fail, helping to curb the ever-present attendance issues found throughout Africa. Stephen will be the project's overall supervisor, with Omondi his assistant, to coordinate efforts effectively.