In early March 2024, as part of The Restoration Initiative’s (TRI) project in Kenya, “Restoration of Arid and Semi-Arid Lands of Kenya through Bioenterprise Development”, colleagues and partners from the Forest and Landscape Restoration Mechanism (FLRM) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) visited project implementation sites in the Mount Kulal Biosphere Reserve in Marsabit County and the Mukugodo forest landscape in Isiolo and Laikipia Counties. Part of arid and semi-arid lands, these sites and their surrounding landscapes are among the most vulnerable to climate change in the country. With the project objective of restoring deforested and degraded lands through the forest and landscape restoration (FLR) approach, and enhancing the socioeconomic development of local communities through the development of bioenterprises, the field visits focused on hearing from local implementing partners and beneficiaries about the successes, challenges and lessons learned so far, and, as the project is in its final year, possible exit strategies and plans to ensure sustainability of project activities. 

Building on the efforts of the elder council Wazee wa Mazingira to sustainably manage and preserve the landscape, the project in the Mount Kulal Biosphere Reserve in Marsabit County supported the formalization of a community forest association (CFA) and the development of a participatory forest management plan. Through the management plan and the different user groups focusing on, for example, ecotourism, youth, conservation and disabled members, the CFA and its members are enabling financially viable and locally beneficial restoration. The CFA has planted more than 7 000 trees and strengthened natural generation of the forest. Shukri, one of the members of the ecotourism user group, described how the project has strengthened and diversified livelihoods that benefit from and contribute to the restoration efforts: “We are doing guided tours in the forest and are going to build a campsite on the mountain for outsiders to come and visit.” Originally from a family previously dependent on pastoralism, Shukri now has a home garden for producing various fruits, vegetables and honey for both personal use and for selling to the surrounding communities.  

At the second site, the Mukugodo forest landscape in Isiolo and Laikipia Counties, the project has supported communities to reduce grazing in forest areas and instead produce their own livestock fodder in joint community plots. Charity, one of the co-owners of the plot, described the project’s contribution to her community: “I bought the land together with around 3 000 other community members, and the project later supported with fencing and seedprovision and planting.” The harvested hay is sold to other community members, and the community plot is used for grazing after harvest, reducing the pressure and degradation of the nearby forest ecosystem.

In addition to supporting livelihoods, the project also helped the Ilmamusi CFA establish a demonstration plot in a heavily degraded and eroded area, showcasing affordable and easy-to-implement restoration techniques suitable for upscaling to the surrounding degraded rangelands. Serenuo, the assistant CFA manager, explained the benefits of the techniques demonstrated: “The introduced Vallerani, half-moon and swale systems allow for better collection and slow release of water, and retaining of grass seeds on heavily degraded lands and slopes.” As grazing is a core driver of deforestation in the area, improved approaches are also being presented and training provided for the local communities, largely depending on pastoralism for their livelihoods, to contribute to and learn how to ensure sustainable and sufficient feed for their livestock without degrading the landscape. Following FAO’s original introduction of restoration techniques, other partners have expanded the demonstration plot with additional practices, and some community members have themselves voluntarily applied the restoration approaches in surrounding areas. 

One of the strongest achievements of the project has been bringing together a variety of partners, from local communities to national technical institutions and experts. This has ensured the best possible support and technical assistance to implement various technologies and approaches contributing to FLR. These institutions will remain present and continue to support the local communities’ requests, emphasized for example by Jared Amwatta Mullah, head of forest ecology at the Kenya Forest Research Institute (KEFRI), one of the partners and technical institutions involved in the project. Capacity development of local stakeholders has been key and has already provided more long-term results: local user groups have been able to develop project proposals to raise resources (financial and technical) through Land Accelerator and other windows, and, as mentioned above, affordable and easy-to-implement restoration techniques demonstrated by the project are already being applied upon own initiative by community members. 

The project “Restoration of Arid and Semi-Arid Lands of Kenya through BioenterpriseDevelopment” is 1 of 11 child projects under TRI, an initiative implemented by the Government of Kenya, FAO and various other partners, and funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to address the challenges of deforestation, land degradation and biodiversity loss. To do this, the project adopts an integrated approach, targeting policy and institutional capacity while supporting community-led FLR and the development of alternative livelihoods. The project’s overall objective is to restore deforested and degraded lands through the FLR approach and enhance the socioeconomic development of local communities through the development of bioenterprises of non-timber forest products and services in arid and semi-arid lands. 

Anna Ioannou and Benjamin DeRidder (FAO)