ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopia's Green Legacy Initiative has created a conducive environment to expand indigenous knowledge on soil preservation across the country, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, First Lady Zinash Tayachew, and staff of the Office of the Prime Minister participated in a seedling planting event today.

According to Ethiopian News Agency, community members from Harar and Konso also participated in the planting activity held on terraces they built inside the Chaka Project using indigenous skills to preserve soil. The eucalyptus trees in the area have been replaced by indigenous tree seedlings.

During the planting, the Prime Minister stated that this year's Green Legacy program would be carried out differently from previous ones. Individuals from Harar and Konso worked on terraces inside the Chaka Project to stop soil erosion, addressing difficulties that had hindered planting seedlings in the area. Indigenous plants, including fruits like apples, are now being cultivated.

Prime Minister Abiy underscored the need to expand similar indigenous knowledge across the nation, commending the farmers of Harar and Konso for completing the work on the terraces in a short time. He noted that activities are underway to increase the forest coverage of Addis Ababa to 30 percent to change the image of the city.

Ethiopia has been carrying out extensive seedling planting activities over the past five years, planting 32.5 billion seedlings so far. The country's goal for this year is to reach 40 billion seedlings, aiming for an overall target of 50 billion. This planting cycle, the nation is working to plant 7.5 billion seedlings. Ethiopia's forest coverage increased to 23.6 percent by 2023 from 17.2 percent in 2019.