Ethiopia has set to smash Guinness World Records planting 200 million saplings only in 12 hours, on Monday, July 29, 2019. Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed has broken the news later last June as he convened around 400 leaders of Protestant Churches at his Office and reiterated it as he presented his administration’s performance report of the just-ended fiscal year on July 1, 2019.
“We’ll plant 200 million saplings in one day which may be a record high in the World.” India has taken the lead by planting over 50 million saplings in 24 hours on August 23, 2016. Guinness World Records on its site wrote: “A huge ecological project across Indian’s most populous state that saw more than 800,000 government officials, students and volunteers take part has set a new world record for Most trees planted in 24 hours (team).”
It added: “An incredible 50,414,058 million trees in total were planted as part of the massive ecological drive which took place last month in Uttar Pradesh.” To increase the chance of survival and growth of the saplings being transplanted nation-wide, in what is called a national greening program, the Ministry of Agriculture announced a plan to use a piece of satellite information.
The Ministry revealed this on July 6, 2019, in which it says a GIS system in collaboration with Entoto Observatory and Research Center will be used to assist dry season seedlings’ care. Minister of Agriculture Umer Husein said the technology will help to follow up the situation of the saplings. He added that the Ministry will update citizens on the status of the plants on its webpage.
In an email response to The Ethiopian Herald’s questions, Dr. Wubalem Tadesse Senior researcher, at Central Ethiopia Environment and Forest Research Center. And Ethiopian Environment and Forest Research Institute (EEFRI) said the survival of seedlings depends on a number of factors.
Matching species with planting site, proper site preparation, the size of the seedling to be planted, post-planting management (weeding, cultivation, mulching, protection from grazing/browsing animals, if possible watering), survival count and beating up, etc are some of them, he said.
The Ethiopian Herald, July 12/2019
BY BETHLEHEM ASFAW
