Katsina State Government has engaged the services of women farmers and school children to fight desertification, drought and climate change across the 34 local government areas of the state.
The government added that the women farmers and school aged children, as well as volunteers, have been engaged in its two million tree planting in order to tackle what it termed indiscriminate felling of trees in the state.
Governor Dikko Umaru Radda, who announced this during a tree planting campaign held at Mohammed Dodo Primary School in Katsina metropolis, said the trees would be planted in schools, houses, streets, markets, worship places, as well as farmlands and forest reserves.
He said: “We intend to plant more than two million trees in our houses, streets, schools, market and worship places, farmlands and forest reserves. Apart from the distribution of seedlings, 100 primary school pupils were selected to benefit from a token of N5,000 each to nurture the trees.
“It is our resolve to engage our youths, particularly school aged children and women farmers across the communities with a view to help in checkmating the menace of indiscriminate felling of trees, climate change, soil erosion and land degradation.”
He said the tree planting campaign demonstrated the state government’s commitment towards fighting against desert encroachment, erosion, land degradation and climate change, which he added have adversely affected the state.
He stated that tree planting was more necessary “now more than ever” because of the dangers of global warming arising from climate change, adding that it will address soil erosion, land degradation and enhance the productivity of agricultural land.
(ThisDay)
