Kenya
Overview
Kenya’s economy and agriculture heavily rely on its rich ecosystems and biodiversity, with over 35,000 species and natural capital contributing 35 percent to national wealth. Agriculture employs over 40 percent of the population, especially in rural areas. However, environmental challenges such as land degradation, deforestation, drought, and climate change threaten livelihoods.
In response, the Kenyan Government has launched a 10-year strategy to restore 10.6 million hectares of degraded land, doubling its previous commitment. The plan aims to increase tree cover from 12.13 percent to 30 percent by 2032 and emphasizes community involvement to ensure long-term success and improved social and economic well-being.
To accelerate progress towards these goals, FAO and Kenya's Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, with other partners, are implementing the "Supporting AFR100 by engaging with small-scale forest and farm producers" programme. The programme focuses on the Kerio Valley catchment, a trans-county landscape spanning Baringo, and Elgeyo-Marakwet counties. The Kerio Valley faces increasing pressure due to growing rural populations, competing land interests, and political influences. These dynamics highlight the need for transparent, evidence-based land management approaches that actively involve and are supported by local communities.
Population density in the two target counties is on the rise, contributing to land degradation and resource stress. Additionally, forested landscapes in this region—as in other parts of Kenya—are experiencing mounting pressure from both human activities and climate change. Addressing these challenges requires coordinated and inclusive landscape management strategies.
Objectives and targets
The key objective is to accelerate progress towards AFR100 goals in Kenya by providing financial and technical support to local communities, forest and farm producer organizations and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, while focusing on scaling up community-led restoration and enhancing value-added business opportunities, especially for women and youth.
Through participatory, inclusive planning and capacity-building, communities will be empowered to restore degraded forest and land, develop business plans, and access catalytic funding. The programme will utilize FAO tools such as farmer field schools, RuralInvest, FPIC, and innovation incubation in tree-based value chains, promoting sustainable, locally driven restoration models supported by grants and technical assistance.
Restoration targets
- 7 000 ha under restoration
- 20 000 ha under improved management practices
Key value chains to be supported
- Forestry and agroforestry
- Coffee
- Dairy and livestock production
- Honey production/apiculture
- Fruit production and value addition
- Eco-tourism
Contacts
FAO-AFR100 Programme team
Philip Kisoyan
FAO–AFR100 Programme Focal Point
[email protected]
Elijah Mboko
FAO–AFR100 Programme Technical Specialist
[email protected]
Kenya AFR100 focal point
Gitonga Mugambi
[email protected] or [email protected]
General enquiries
For any other information about the programme, please contact:
Implementation
The programme will be implemented through the issuance of Letters of Agreements, grants to beneficiaries and direct support to institutions and local communities to achieve the following actions:
- At least 5 local community organizations with improved leadership and managerial capacities.
- At least 5 local community organizations are actively engaging in shaping policy or legal frameworks on forest landscape restoration and/or related added value creations.
- At least 2 policies or legal frameworks amended, better enabling local community organizations including forest and farm producer organizations to engage in forest landscape restoration and related value chains.
- Two national institutions strengthened their capacity to provide.
- Market and resource data and analysis, investment profiles, training and capacity building opportunities and bridging local initiatives with financing sources.
- 20,000 ha Kerio Valley landscape under improved management practices.
- 1,000 people in Kerio Valley landscape engaged in forest and landscape restoration planning, implementation, and monitoring.
- 7,000 ha of the landscape under restoration by the end of 2027.
- 3 forest and farm producer organizations/cooperatives capacity built and supported for compliance to the European Union Deforestation Regulations.
- 20 schools and learning institutions trained in forest and landscape restoration.
- 30 micro-projects in the Kerio landscape supported with the provision of small grants.
The main objective of this activity is to:
- Enhanced restoration-based value-added business innovation and incubation by local communities and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
- Value-added innovation and business incubation support systems servicing local communities (including forest and farm producer organizations) strengthened at landscape level.
- Funding mechanisms expanded and finance increased for AFR100 restoration and value-added business innovation by local communities and forest and farm producer organizations.
The ultimate implementation targets to deliver the following:
- At least 6 business plans developed for forest and farm producer organizations, community organizations and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises .
- At least 6 forest and farm producer organizations, community organizations, and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises with improved capacities.
- At least 6 forest and farm producer organizations, community organizations and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises supported by incubation services (such as Land Accelerators or others) for Kerio Valley Landscape.
- At least 2 national organizations or mechanisms supported to develop and deliver value-added and business incubation services.
The project results framework will serve as the foundation for annual planning, budgeting, monitoring, and evaluation. It will include selected indicators to guide continuous performance assessment and track environmental, social and economic performance data on all forest and farm producer organizations, community organizations and micro, small, and medium enterprises participating in the project.
The key targets to be delivered are:
- 1 effective country level monitoring system for the project. This system will feed into the Africa-wide AFR100 Monitoring framework.
- 100 members of forest and farm producer organizations/community organizations/micro, small and medium enterprises engaged in monitoring at local/landscape level.
- 2-3 best practices collected and disseminated through existing community platforms.
- 50 participants from forest and farm producer organizations/community organizations/micro, small and medium enterprises participating in knowledge sharing (50 percent women and youth).
Key implementing partners
Ministry of Environment, Climate Change & Forestry - State Department of Forestry
National Environment Management Authority
Kenya Forest Service
County governments of Baringo & Elgeyo Marakwet
Kenya Forestry Research Institute
Cheptebo Rural Development Centre
Kerio Valley Development Authority
Kenya Agriculture & Livestock Research Organization
Entrepreneurship for Impact Foundation (E4Impact Accelerator)
World Resource Institute (Kenya)
Programme approach
The programme focuses on supporting local communities in enhancing restorative value chains and small-scale community-led restoration initiatives in the selected areas.
The main beneficiaries will be:
- Registered forest and farm producer organizations
- Community-based organizations
- Restoration-based micro, small and medium-sized enterprises
- Youth and women
- Pastoralists/livestock-keepers
The programme budget for Kenya is approximately USD 5.5 million.