Supporters in Kenya of the Weyburn-based development agency called Help International toured local forestation projects on Thursday and assessed small-power technology that would be useful in their country.

Kenyan Member of Parliament Esther Keino and the deputy vice chancellor of Jomo Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Professor Samuel Kiptele Sinei, toured the tree planting on Darold Kot's land next to the Souris River and the preparation for tree plantings at the Weyburn landfill, among others.

The projects have been organized by Help International to help preserve air and water quality in southeastern Saskatchewan, where 95-100 per cent the natural vegetation has already been disturbed by human activities.

Protecting air and water quality are particularly important goals in Kenya, too, where 80 per cent of the people live on small, 10-acre or less subsistence farms, said Keino.

The people grow food for their families on their plots, and a little to sell to generate income, but each generation sees the farms becoming smaller as they are broken up for adult children.

Trees are cut for fuel and the pressure on the land becomes intense, said Keino.

Help International executive director and founder, Rodney Sidloski, said the agency has set up pilot projects along streams in the city of Nairobi as pilot projects but now is spreading it into the countryside where deforestation has taken place on a large scale.

With the help of Keino and Sinei and others in Kenya with the ability to mobilize neighbourhoods and institutions, the agency is beginning its largest initiative yet.

It is helping to organize the planting of 10 million tree seedlings for wood and fruit in Kenya. Each family involved in the project will receive 500 seedlings to generate wood fuel and fruit for their own use and for sale in the future.

About 100 schools have signed up to teach children to plant and graft trees for fruit and wood production as cheaply as possible, said Sidloski.

Indigenous fruit and tree seeds were saved and sprouted by Kenyans to make the seedlings from another Kenyan project that recycles 100 per cent of the household wastes from Kenyan communities.

"Our objective is the two-penny tree," said Sidloski, in contrast to the usual cost of $1.10/tree. Help International is known for carrying out very large scale ventures on shoe string budgets, he said.

Keino said it was easy to introduce the seedling project to women's groups. "They want to be involved," said the Harvard-educated professor.

Sidloski also brought some employees of Help International who are working on its 100 per cent waste recycling program in Kenya, to Weyburn to introduce the concept to this region.

The tour to Saskatchewan is a new attempt to raise the profile of Help International, said Sidloski.