Ambitious Programme To Plant A Million Trees In One-Day planned in Zimbabwe

By Wallace Mawire

 An ambitious programme to be initiated by the Forestry and Citrus Research (FACIR) in Zimbabwe seeks to plant a million trees in one day, ultimately reaching a one billion tree planting target over time.

  FACIR is a research and technologically driven fruit production company in Zimbabwe focusing on poverty alleviation in communities through research on fruit trees production, conservation and sustainable exploitation of natural resources.

 The company especially targets members of the communities living below the poverty datum line.

  According to FACIR, land degradation affects almost 40% of land globally  and nearly half of the world’s population.

 They say that in Zimbabwe, the latest United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) data showed that 9.22% of the total land area was degraded in 2019, roughly 3.57 million hectares total.

  They add that land is key to the livelihoods of smallholder farmers all over the world.

  FACIR says that in Zimbabwe for example, more than two thirds of people employed in the country are linked to agriculture.

  ‘We know that if current trends continue, we will need to restore 1.5 billion hectares of degraded land by 2030. Faced with a problem like this we need to think big,’ said a FACIR spokesperson.

  The organization is campaigning for the planting of one million trees in Zimbabwe on the National Tree Planting Day on 07 December 2024.

 They are also calling for interested stakeholders to register interest to be part of the movement before 31 August 2024.

  The organization can be contacted on +263779200157 | +263717086688 and on email: tmlambo@facir.co.zw