The Katsina State Government has launched an initiative to plant and nurture eleven million trees by 2030 as part of efforts to combat desertification and climate change in the state.

Governor Dikko Umaru Radda launched the initiative on Monday while flagging off the campaign at Ladanawa in Rimi Local Government Area of the state. The initiative is known as the Katsina One Person One Tree Initiative, KT1T.

According to the governor, the initiative will begin with the planting of two million trees in 2026 and will cover all thirty four local government areas and six thousand six hundred and fifty two climate intervention areas across the state.

Radda said the programme is aimed at combating desertification, restoring degraded lands and strengthening climate resilience in Katsina State. He called on residents, public institutions and community leaders to take collective responsibility for environmental protection.

He stressed that the success of the programme would not be determined by the number of seedlings distributed but by the survival and maturity of planted trees. He noted that environmental protection remains essential to agricultural productivity, food security and sustainable development.

The governor said his administration has a clear target of eleven million trees by 2030, beginning with two million trees in 2026. He explained that the message of the initiative is simple, One Person, One Tree, One Responsibility. He added that a seedling distributed is an opportunity while a tree that survives is an achievement.

According to him, desertification, climate change and flooding pose serious threats to livelihoods and community stability in the state. He noted that climate related challenges worsen poverty by driving up food prices, depleting household food reserves, intensifying competition for land and water and forcing young people to leave rural communities.

Radda further explained that trees would help protect farmlands from wind erosion, improve soil fertility, provide fruits and animal fodder and create additional income opportunities for rural households.

He disclosed that the implementation structure of the initiative comprises the Central Steering Committee, three Zonal Monitoring Committees, thirty four Local Government Supervisory Committees and three hundred and sixty one Ward Implementation Committees, creating a clear chain of responsibility from the state to the grassroots.

The governor charged the committees to ensure proper allocation, planting and monitoring of seedlings, while urging traditional rulers, religious leaders, community leaders, women, youths and other residents to take ownership of the programme.

He stated that the initiative reflects the environmental component of his administration’s Building Your Future agenda, stressing that protecting the environment has direct implications for agriculture, livelihoods, public health and the overall wellbeing of communities.

Stakeholders who attended the flag off described the initiative as timely, noting that Katsina State is one of the frontline states affected by desert encroachment and climate variability and that large scale tree planting would help address the challenges.