TRAINING FOR OFFICIALS OF THE SOMALI MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT ON THE USE OF DRONES TO MITIGATE CLIMATE CHANGE
Baidoa – In an effort to increase efforts to combat climate change and environmental degradation, the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) through Aermatica3D has trained officials from the Southern State’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change -West on the application of agricultural drones for the release of seeds for reforestation. Aermatica3D has specifically designed and developed the S-Box, a seed distribution kit specifically integrated on the DJI Matrice M300 drone which uses the BLY3D app for managing the kit and ground data collection. The seeds are coated with charcoal mixed with fertilizer to prevent the seeds from being eaten by insects and birds. When these “seed balls” are dropped into the target area, once exposed to rain, the carbon coating is washed away, exposing the seeds to growth.
The three-day specialized training, held in Baidoa, provided Somali Ministry of Environment officials with practical skills and knowledge on the precise use of drones to release tree seeds for reforestation in hard-to-reach areas.
Ms. Idil Muse, Technical Advisor to the South West State Minister of Environment and Climate Change, said the newly acquired skills will greatly enhance the Ministry’s ability to implement large-scale reforestation projects and expressed gratitude to UNSOS for the noble initiative.
“The training was impactful; we benefited a lot from it,” said Mohamed Jama, UNSOS environmental affairs officer who also attended the training. “Using drones to release seed balls to improve plant cover is new to us. We know how climate change has affected Somalia and are happy to have acquired the new skills to make a difference in our communities,” Mohamed added.
Christine Wachira of the Field Technology Section (FTS) of UNSOS said that previously, the FTS had trained on Micro Unmanned Aerial Systems (MUAS) operations to improve the operational effectiveness of troops and had now expanded the scope to support environmental initiatives.
The training, conducted by the Environmental Unit, under the Office of the Director of Mission Support and the Geographic Information System Unit under the FTS, covered various aspects of drone operations, including flight planning, Seed payload and maintenance. Participants got hands-on experience with drones and learned safety protocols to ensure responsible and effective use of the technology.
According to Richard Oyoo, head of the UNSOS Environment Unit, the use of drones for seed dispersal is expected to significantly increase the efficiency of reforestation efforts, which are often laborious and time-consuming when done manually.
“Due to the security situation in Somalia, we had to come up with innovative ways to plant trees and take care of the environment. We had this idea of using drones to drop capsules containing seeds in inaccessible areas,” said Dr. Oyoo. He highlighted the importance of using the technology as part of the broader efforts of the United Nations in Somalia to mitigate their carbon footprint from the operation of diesel generators and minimize the negative impact of its operations in Somalia by increasing tree planting as well as improving renewable energy.
Dini Abdinur Mohamed, Minister of Environment and Climate Change of the South West State, highlighted the importance of incorporating technology into environmental conservation initiatives, particularly in Somalia. “The South West is one of the regions most adversely affected by climate change. To be part of this innovative drone training, which will eventually be used to plant trees to increase our vegetation cover, is great, to put it mildly,” he said. the minister stated.