A million tree seedlings’ dream

The seedlings farmer, Samuel Maina, in his seedlings enterprise in Makuyu, Murang'a. He grows over 400,000 assorted tree seedlings that include grevillea robusta, avocados, jacaranda, moringa, acacia, gmelina, Prunus Africana and white bottlebrush. PHOTO | GRACE GITAU | NMG

What you need to know:

  • Maina grows over 400,000 assorted tree seedlings that include grevillea robusta, avocados, jacaranda, moringa, acacia, gmelina, Prunus Africana and white bottlebrush.
  • His agribusiness, dubbed Shitam Leaves 4 Life, he says was born out of his morning runs at Karura Forest in Nairobi
  • Fully aware of his limited knowledge in forestry, he worked with agroforestry specialists at Kefri, who assisted him select trees to plant.
  • Besides selling the seedlings to the county government and other institutions, the farmer plans to give back to the community by donating some to primary schools to be planted as hedges around the school.

The road to Pundamilia village in Murang’a South is too dusty for anyone’s comfort.

But an ongoing construction offers a ray of hope that soon, the dusty road will be a thing of the past.

Samuel Maina, a senior journalist in Nairobi, farms in the region, with his two-acre farm located some 2km from Makuyu town, off the busy Nairobi-Nyeri highway.

Tall trees surround the farm, making the air feel fresher, away from the dusty road.

Maina grows over 400,000 assorted tree seedlings that include grevillea robusta, avocados, jacaranda, moringa, acacia, gmelina, Prunus Africana and white bottlebrush.

“Were it not for Wangari Maathai, we would not be having Karura Forest where you can run under the trees without feeling the heat from the sun. This is my small effort to grow the tree cover and also earn some money,” says Maina, who is the Editor-in-Chief at KBC and the vice-chairman of the Kenya Editors Guild.

His agribusiness, dubbed Shitam Leaves 4 Life, he says was born out of his morning runs at Karura Forest in Nairobi

“I loved the scenery in Karura and thought I could replicate it at my home. Well, I did it by planting trees but saw this agribusiness opportunity.”

Grevillea seedlings form the bulk of his venture, with the farmer having 300,000 seedlings.

“Grevillea can be planted together with food crops without competing for nutrients. You cannot compare it to species like eucalyptus that starve of the crops food.”

To begin the project months ago, he bought 10kg of certified grevillea seeds from Kenya Forestry Research Institute (Kefri), ploughing into the business Sh50,000.

VARIETIES DEPEND ON CLIMATIC CONDITIONS

“I also obtained a licence from the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) allowing me to use plastic bags to plant the seedlings after they are transferred from the seedbed,” he says.

Fully aware of his limited knowledge in forestry, he worked with agroforestry specialists at Kefri, who assisted him select trees to plant.

“I also did a lot of research before I started the project. The government officers like those at Kefri are always available and willing to give information, it is only us who never visit their offices.”

Seeds sowed in the nursery take between 7-14 days to germinate, he offers. The seedlings are then transferred into polythene pots when they are at the two-leaf stage.

“For better growth, the seeds must also be protected from excess sunlight, strong winds, weeds, pest and diseases. It is the reason I have put a shed around the nursery,” says Maina, who uses sprinkler irrigation to water the plants, and targets to have a million trees by early next year.

He notes that it takes Sh60 to grow a grevillea tree to the point of sale while a grafted avocado seedling gobbles up Sh200.

Besides selling the seedlings to the county government and other institutions, the farmer plans to give back to the community by donating some to primary schools to be planted as hedges around the school.

Samuel Makori, a forest officer with Kefri, says for better growth of seedlings, one should have reliable water supply.

“The farmer must also acquire high quality certified tree seeds which are disease-free. The varieties to grow depend on climatic conditions of the regions. Grevillea is a good intercropping tree while bottlebrush is an aesthetic tree. For fodder, farmers should plant calliandra and to protect the river line, bamboo would be the best choice.”