Ethiopia's Ministry of Agriculture has announced that more than 85% of the 7.5 billion seedlings planted during the last rainy season of the Ethiopian fiscal year have not only survived, but are thriving.
As part of the ambitious Green Legacy Initiative to plant 50 billion trees in two phases, Ethiopia successfully planted 32.5 billion seedlings in the first phase and the first year of the second phase. Of the 7.5 billion seedlings planted during last year's rainy season, 57% were mixed forest and fruit-bearing seedlings, while the remaining 43% were dedicated to environmental protection and watershed development.
Minister of Agriculture Girma Amente emphasized the robust monitoring system in place, with biannual surveys to ensure the well-being of the seedlings. He explained that a comprehensive assessment will be conducted at the end of the summer and winter months.
Amente stressed the importance of conducting survival rate assessments twice, immediately after the rainy season and after the winter. After the initial inspection following the rainy season, the survival rate of the planted seedlings was verified to be an impressive 85%.
"In the first round of the biannual survey after the rainy season, we found about 85% survival rate for seedlings planted during the previous rainy season," Ethiopia's Minister of Agriculture Girma Amente said. "Maintaining or even surpassing this rate in future plantings is crucial."
Underscoring the ministry's commitment to improving the success rate through ongoing maintenance activities, Minister Amente confirmed that the second assessment will be conducted after the winter.
Looking ahead, the minister shared that preparations for the upcoming rainy season are actively underway. Collaborating with regional authorities, a plan to grow 9 billion seedlings is already underway, using established nurseries and refined practices.
Acknowledging that different species, especially indigenous trees, require different preparation times, Amente assured that all necessary measures will be taken to ensure optimal planting conditions.
With Ethiopia aiming to plant 17.5 billion trees over the next three years, the Green Legacy Initiative is poised to achieve its ambitious goal of planting 50 billion seedlings, the minister said.