There was a time that Patricia Kombo would follow his father to the farm. Her father, a large-scale eucalyptus tree farmer, dribbled and sowed the seeds or at times led his children to scout for seeds, as he narrated how trees protected him when on missions. "He is in the military and would tell us how he slept in a tree. This fostered my love for trees because he made us believe that through tree planting, we were protecting him," Patricia says.
Patricia Kombo prepares the tree nursery. Photo | Pool
"See this tree we have just planted? I might sleep aloft someday," my father loved to say. "Every rainy season, we were involved in the planting of thousands of eucalyptus seedlings which after maturing, he would sell for timber," she said.
But, that's just one bit of the story.
Patricia Kombo watering the nursery with ready seedlings Photo | Pool
Patricia, 25, grew up in Mbooni, Makueni County. She says that in her primary school, they had 4k clubs where they were involved in taking care of the trees. "Every child had a responsibility of taking care of 10 seedlings. The teachers used to sell the seedlings and in return, buy writing materials for us," she said.
Fast forward, in 2019, during the long drought that ravaged the Turkana region, Patricia, then, a third-year student at Moi University, signed up as a volunteer with an organisation that was distributing relief food. This was the first time she was making a trip to the North Rift.
"I was excited but that was short-lived when I got to move around the villages. The scorching sun was almost unbearable and everywhere we went, we were welcomed with faces that personified lack of hope and optimism. I remember during one of those visits, I saw a child crying because of the heat yet there was no sign of a single tree or shrub that could provide a shade for him. As I helplessly watched, I thought back to my childhood days—swimming in the river, climbing up and down trees, and feasting from the fruit trees. That is the first I came close to the reality of the effects of climate change," she says.
Kenya is vulnerable to climate change with current projections suggesting that the temperatures will continue to rise with an annual increase of 0.016 Celsius and as it is now, rainfall is becoming unpredictable.
"Conversations around climate change matter because of the negative impact on communities and their ways of life. In Kenya, we are at risk of losing large hectares of tea farms due to climate change. Tea depends highly on photosynthesis and with changes in weather patterns the stomata are not opening well leading to low productivity," Patricia explains.
The Turkana experience marked her turning point and it gave birth to PaTree, an initiative that aims to train children on how to mitigate and adopt climate change strategies. She also planned to revive 4k clubs in primary schools, help Kenya attain 10 percent forest cover, and advance environmental education.
Currently, Kenya's forest cover stands at 7.9 percent, lower than the UN recommended cover of 10 percent.
The idea of growing trees in schools and especially fruit trees is to ensure that should a child come from a poor background where there is no assurance of a balanced diet, they can eat fruits at school.
Patricia Kombo, mixes the seeds with soil on a recycled bathtub Photo | Pool
"To kick start the initiative, I used part of my pocket money to buy seedlings and donate to a few schools. We held our first activity in two schools during the World Environment Day in 2019. Later on, I started my own nursery where I work with women and youth in scouting and collection of seeds. My father gave me one hectare of land to run my project and whenever I am not around, my immediate family take turns in taking care of the nurseries. I have also inspired my younger sisters to join environmental clubs in their respective schools and they also help in the collection and harvesting of seeds," says Patricia.
To help run the nursery, Patricia works with a small team of volunteers. When not running the initiative, she works part-time at the Centre for Environment Justice and Development, an Environmental organisation that deals with policy work and research.
During the dry season, Patricia explains that they harvest the seeds like silk oak and sundry them. She has trained the community in Makueni not to throw away the seeds but keep them awaiting collection. "These seeds include those of pawpaws, avocado, mangoes, and macadamia. I later put them in a nursery," she says.
Although her organisation has worked with 15 schools and planted over 1,000 trees, Patricia shares that there have been many challenges along the way. "The first issue is the unpredictable weather patterns which get in the way of our advocacy, limited finances to run the initiative, and lack of support from the government institutions in the enforcement of nature-friendly policies.
"Being a young woman also posed some challenges. When talking to some individuals, they would say. "You are only in your early 20s; we have been farming long before you were born. You cannot teach us." Thankfully, she says, that there has been an increase in acceptance.
"With my journalistic skills, I am very vocal on social media accounts, where I talk more about climate change and why young people must take care of nature to meet personal and national goals.
I train people on sustainable land-use practices and emphasis the importance of Environmental education," Patricia who also regularly writes opinion pieces on matters environment in the local dailies, says.
The pandemic has been like a double-edged sword to the organisation. Due to the directives put in place, she is unable to interact with most of the pupils in the 15 schools they work with and has to relay information through the patrons of the clubs.
"On a positive note, during this period, I have been able to work with youth in raising a 10,000 tree nursery and also started establishments of kitchen gardens with youth communities. I have made sure that the youth are engaged in conservation, sustainable land use, and farming. Through this, the majority have changed their mindsets towards farming and conservation," she says.
Patricia has been recognised as a land hero by UNCCD, appointed the youth representative for the world future council, nominated for Top 35 under 35 environmental champions, and last year, she was nominated for the under 40 Africa Green Award organised by Eleven Eleven Twelve Foundation (EETF).
