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KENYA TREE PLANTING APP -- {USAGM}

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  • KENYA TREE PLANTING APP -- {USAGM}
  • February 16, 2023
  • Content Type Package
  • Language English
  • Transcript/Script KENYA TREE PLANTING APP (TV/R) HEADLINE: Kenya Enlists Mobile Technology to Help Improve Forest Cover TEASER: The application JazaMiti, which means "fill with trees" in Swahili, tells users which trees to plant and where to boost forest cover PUBLISHED: 02/16/2023 at 6:18 pm BYLINE: Juma Majanga DATELINE: Nairobi, Kenya VIDEOGRAPHER: Jimmy Makhulo VIDEO EDITOR: SCRIPT EDITORS: DLJ, MAS VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA Original PLATFORMS: WEB __ TV _x_ RADIO _x_ TRT: 4:00 VID APPROVED BY: mia TYPE: TVPKG EDITOR NOTES:)) ((INTRO)) [[Kenya aims to plant billions of trees in coming years to fight climate change and is enlisting mobile technology to help make it happen. The application JazaMiti, which means "fill with trees" in Swahili, tells users which trees to plant in specific areas, in hopes of increasing the tree survival rate. Juma Majanga reports from Nairobi, Kenya.]] ((VIDEO-VOA: DEGARDED FORESTS IN KENYA-various)) ((NARRATOR)) Kenya loses an average of 50,000 hectares of forest every year, according to the Nairobi-based World Agroforestry institute. It’s a trend seen worldwide... ((Radio track: … as Peter Minang, director for Africa at World Agroforestry explains.)) ((Peter Minang, World Agroforestry Africa Director (English, 26 secs)) “Take for example in 2021, the world lost about 11.1 million hectares of forest, that’s globally. That is about, if you want a sense of it, that is about 25 football fields per minute being lost. Of those 11.1 million hectares, Africa lost 4.4 million hectares. That’s a large share of that loss.” ((VIDEO-VOA: MEMBERS OF COMMUNITY PLANTING TREES-various)) Kenya has set an ambitious target to grow its forest cover from the current 12% to 30% by planting 15 billion trees between now and 2030. To improve the tree survival rate, Kenyan scientists have created a mobile application dubbed “JazaMiti,” meaning “fill with trees” in Swahili. ((Radio track: Jane Njuguna heads research and development at the Kenya Forest Research Institute.)) ((Jane Njuguna, Kenya Forest Research Institute (English, 27 secs)) “The KEFRI app, or the “JazaMiti” app comes in as a result of many years of research at the Kenya Forest Research Institute. From the breeders, the physiologists, plant ecologists, the forest health specialists, soils specialists, because it is a total product of all these disciplines for us to be able to tell the public, this tree grows well here.” ((VIDEO-VOA: JAZAMITI APP IN USE, DIFFERENT TREE SPECIES-various)) The application, which currently has information on 94 tree species, helps tree growers identify the right species to plant within a given geographical location... ((Radio track:…as Sylvester Odera, a software developer who developed the app explains.)) ((Sylvester Odera, Software Developer (English, 9 secs)) “So, if you are in a given location, you can just download the app, search your location and you can see the correct species that can grow within that specific area.” (VIDEO-(COURTESY) STATE HOUSE: - JAZAMITI LAUNCH)) The government says it will provide seeds under the “JazaMiti” initiative. ((Radio track: Here is President William Ruto speaking during the launch of the program.)) ((William Ruto, Kenya President (English, 11 secs)) ((Courtesy: State House)) “The government of Kenya has launched a program to distribute 100 tons of seeds to 18 seed centers established by the Kenya Forest Research Institute throughout the country.” ((NARRATOR)) After more than three decades of research, Njuguna is optimistic. ((Jane Njuguna, Kenya Forest Research Institute (English, 10 secs)) “This app will help every tree grower to choose the species for their site so that they don’t get frustrated growing trees that will not do well or die in a few years’ time.” ((VIDEO-VOA: DEGRADED FOREST, CHARCOAL BURNING-various)) Agriculture, logging and a need for fuel are the main sources of deforestation in Kenya and Africa. Experts say technologies to help improve forest cover are one way to create a green pathway into the future. ((Radio track: Here again is Peter Minang.)) ((Peter Minang, World Agroforestry Africa Director (English, 26 secs)) “All the things that we are doing; the Green Tree Commodities initiative that we are trying to do, the TreesAdapt initiative that we are moving forward with, apps like JazaMiti, things like that should really come to a point where they are support a pathway for people to benefit from trees, economically, environmentally, culturally, their livelihoods. Without making that connection, I don’t think that we will be able to reverse the situation on the continent.” ((VIDEO-VOA: JAZAMITI APP, LOGGING IN FOREST-various)) While technologies like “JazaMiti” app can help grow trees, deforestation remains a major challenge. ((Juma Majanga, for VOA News, Nairobi.)
  • NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
  • Network VOA
  • Location (dateline) Nairobi, Kenya
  • Embargo Date February 16, 2023 18:28 EST
  • Byline ((Juma Majanga, for VOA News, Nairobi.)
  • Brand / Language Service Voice of America - English
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