Residents of Siaya County have been encouraged to add high‑value fruit and cash‑crop trees to their farms in order to increase household income and support environmental conservation.

At a tree‑planting event in Pap Kakan village, Principal Secretary Ouma Oluga said the Ministry of Environment will provide 20,000 coconut seedlings to Siaya households.

Oluga explained that the programme aims to give every family a productive cash crop that can eventually be exported, positioning Siaya for higher‑value agricultural markets.

He urged farmers to plant fruit trees such as mango, orange and avocado, noting their potential for greater returns compared with traditional food crops.

Siaya County Commissioner Nobert Komora reaffirmed the county’s alignment with Kenya’s 10‑year tree‑planting strategy (2022‑2032) and announced a commitment to plant 15 million trees each year, totalling 150 million over the decade.

Komora highlighted that Siaya currently lags behind neighbouring counties such as Kisumu, Migori and Homa Bay in export‑oriented agriculture, underscoring the need for high‑value tree crops.

He called on citizens, especially children, to take part in the planting drive to restore degraded lands and help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.