GBM Blog

Heal Our Lands by Replenishing our Soils - Isiolo Army Barracks

February 4, 2014 - 11:55AM
Published by GBM- Kenya

Isiolo is a semiarid area among one of the districts in Eastern Province which has benefited from the Green Belt Movement’s Environmental Conservation Programme, whose objective is to promote a clean and healthy environment. The Green Belt Movement has been initiating and supporting The Kenya Defense Force (KDF) tree planting projects in Kenya for over 10 years. This project supported the KDF and the Kenya Forest Ecosystem on how well they will manage their resources sustainably. 

To date, the Kenya Defense Forces strategy at Isiolo Barrack is quite different from the traditional one. The KDF Green environment team has demonstrated their skills by developing a tree nursery on their farms in an effort to develop a sustainable agriculture and agro-forestry. This initiative of “Trees for greener future", has worked well through:-

-          Beautification of the barracks and

-          Rehabilitation of the Barracks through planting of indigenous trees.

 This is a park within the Army barracks, where the soldiers usually take their walk

Hundreds of Army soldiers mobilized to plant trees inside barrack compound

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The KDF’s achievements has been seen by giving priority to environment through allocating tree planting and maintenance to specific officers, notable in the composition of the nature of climatic conditions in Isiolo. They have imported red soil from the neighbouring County to facilitate the growth of young seedlings to a manageable size possible to resist the dry climate.

A Gesture of Care

Army tree nursery under with a variety of spices such as white cedar, chinaberry tree, bead-tree, Cape lilac and Indian lilac

 

Success story from the barrack is an example of just how we can heal our lands by replenishing our soils, increasing our forest cover and conserving our environment. Since 2004 this units have planted over 2,000 seedlings of which 1,000 are surviving from GBM TNs. GBM has facilitated 10,000 potting bags to strengthen the Barracks tree nursery. This has improved the environmental status of the barracks.