In Summary

• Wamugunda gave the example of Arabuko Sokoke forest, which he said has thousands of acres that are still bare. 

• Gichu said the shamba system can support communities residing in areas adjacent to forests.

A return to the shamba system will help reclaim degraded forests, the Forestry Society of Kenya has said.

Benjamin Wamugunda, the Forestry Society of Kenya chairman, said if the system is managed properly, it can help increase the forest cover in the country.

He said there are forest lands that are bare and if the shamba system is reintroduced, it can help reforest these areas.

Wamugunda gave the example of Arabuko Sokoke forest, which he said has thousands of acres that are still bare. 

Speaking during the annual dialogue and annual general meeting of the Forestry Society of Kenya members at Sea View Resort Malindi, he said land is a flow resource and if not used, the benefits go to waste.

“Nobody is saying that trees should be cut anyhow but we want bare land used,” he said.

Wamugunda, a research scientist at Kenya Forest Research Institute, said those who learned the shamba system from Kenya are the ones supplying timber to the country.

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