Ethiopia Launches National Campaign to Plant 600 Million Seedlings in a Single Day
Ethiopia has launched a national campaign today, Thursday, targeting the planting of 600 million seedlings in one day across the country.
This effort is part of the “Green Legacy” initiative, introduced by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, which aims to plant 50 billion seedlings by 2026.
The campaign seeks to plant 7.5 billion seedlings during the current rainy season, covering 2 million hectares of land.
Thousands of citizens across Ethiopia have enthusiastically participated in planting 600 million seedlings in one day, as part of the annual Green Legacy Initiative, which carries the slogan “A Country That Plants; For a Sustainable Generation.”
To support this ambitious goal, the Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture has established over 120,000 nurseries nationwide, with 56% of them producing high-quality fruit varieties.
During this rainy season, Ethiopia aims to plant 40 billion seedlings out of the total 50 billion target set for 2026.
Ethiopia is one of the countries most affected by climate change-related challenges.
The nation faces severe issues, including flooding, soil erosion, deforestation, and loss of biodiversity.
However, the Green Legacy initiative has garnered international recognition, positioning Ethiopia as one of the greenest countries in Africa and globally.
Since the launch of the Green Legacy Initiative in 2019, Ethiopia has successfully planted 32.5 billion seedlings.
Last year, the country set a record by planting more than 566 million seedlings in one day, surpassing its initial goal of 500 million seedlings.
A World Bank report released in February 2024 highlights the severe economic impact of climate change on Ethiopia.
The report estimates that annual losses to gross domestic product (GDP) could range between 1-1.5%, potentially rising to 5% by the 2040s, which could push millions of Ethiopians into poverty.
The recent Country Climate and Development Reports (CCDR) for Ethiopia raise concerns about the growing impact of climate change on the nation’s development prospects.
The recent droughts, the worst in 40 years, have devastated people in arid pastoral areas, while flooding has damaged infrastructure and disrupted livelihoods in other parts of the country.
Future impacts are expected to hit labor productivity and livestock yields the hardest, with some regions, particularly the lowlands, suffering more than others.
These challenges could undermine the development gains of the past and slow the structural transformation needed to provide jobs for Ethiopia’s growing population.
Just a month ago, over 500 people lost their lives in southern Ethiopia due to landslides.
Meanwhile, drought persists in some areas of the country due to insufficient rainfall, leaving millions of citizens in need of aid each year.
The Borena zones in the Somali and Oromia regions on the eastern side of Ethiopia, along with southern areas, have been repeatedly affected by drought and floods.
According to the Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission, approximately one million people in Ethiopia are at risk of displacement due to floods.
Ethiopia experiences three distinct seasons, with autumn lasting four months and serving as the primary rainy period for the half of the country.
The United Nations reports that over 20 million people in Ethiopia are in need of humanitarian aid due to the dual challenges of climate change and related problems.
The Ethiopian Disaster and Risk Management Commission emphasizes the urgent need for food aid, particularly in the Tigray, Afar, and Amhara regions, where approximately 4 million people require immediate assistance.
