Kenya has a forest cover of 7.4% 2.6% less than the constitutional accepted 10% forest cover. Forests in Kenya are threatened by illegal logging, overexploitation, which causes soil erosion, flooding and loss of biodiversity. For this reason, Michael Waiyaki and Joan Njoki of Miti Alliance have been partnering with other like minded individuals to slow down the devastating effects of climate change due to deforestation by growing trees and transferring the knowledge they have to the next generation of environmentalists.

The more trees we plant and grow to maturity, the more carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere into the trees and the soil and in turn get more oxygen. Carbon dioxide is the main cause of human induced climate change known as the greenhouse gas effect. The gasses absorb solar energy and keep heat close to Earth's surface, rather than letting it escape into space. That trapping of heat is known as the greenhouse effect.

In July 2022 environmentalists Joan Njoki and Michael Waiyaki through their organisation Miti Alliance partnered with ACK Kirangari Primary School to equip students with practical skills on how to prepare the soil for planting, how to make organic manure via a compost pit, how to plant and grow trees, how to do sustainable organic farming in small spaces. Through modern technologies such as virtual reality they are able to show the climate issues affecting Kenya and the world.

“We have been using fertilizer for too long, over-exploited the soil, and microorganisms are being depleted due to high acidic levels in the soil,” says Michael. One of the ways to soil regeneration is by means of agroforestry, where indigenous trees, fruit trees and vegetables are planted on the same land to increase biodiversity. Transfer of this knowledge from one generation to the other is the most crucial part and Micheal understands this. “We are correcting the soil now for the next generation”, says Michael.

“I care about the environment because it's a critical part of our survival.Others should care because failure to be responsible will not only affect them but their future generations,” says Joan.

Would you consider planting a tree today, or partner with Michael and Joan to replicate this in other schools, send mail to info@miti.co.ke