The Government of Kenya has a goal of achieving 10 per cent forest cover by December 2022. However, as of last year, the country had managed only 6.9 per cent, something that indicates the goal is not achievable.

To ensure that this is achieved and eventually surpassed, new initiatives have been put in place by both the public and private sectors. Kenya National Farmers Federation(KENAFF) is one of the organisations working to see this dream realised.

Dr Daniel M M’Mailutha, the federation Chief Executive Officer, says this is why they launched a new programme, KENAFF Farm Forestry and Afforestation Initiative, with a bold new climate action goal of conserving, restoring and growing 50 billion trees by 2030.

“The federation decided to do this not only as a sacrosanct national duty but also in recognition of the fact that the existential threat posed by climate change is borne mostly and directly by farmers. It is farmers who suffer the most as a result of unpredictable rainfall patterns, droughts, floods, poor soils, pest infestations, and the depletion of vegetation cover,” he said during the programme launch in Thogoto, Kiambu county.

Farm forestry is the practice of growing trees on the farmland to produce saleable products like timber, tannin, and charcoal, and to provide shade and shelter for stock and crops. Afforestation is the practice of planting new trees in an area where there were no trees before, creating a new forest.

Dr M’Mailutha says in Kenya forests contribute immensely to economic development and the country’s livelihoods. They support diverse economic sectors, including agriculture, horticulture, tourism, wildlife, and energy.

Sustainable value chain

Forests landscapes also strengthen community resilience to climate change by providing important environmental goods and services, including water, biodiversity conservation, soil erosion control, maintenance, or improvement of the landscape.

However, despite all those benefits, it is tragic that the country is losing trees at the very moment we need them most. Kenya losses about 12,000 hectares of forests each year through deforestation. Globally, every six seconds, our planet loses a football pitch worth of tropical rainforest to deforestation.

“We cannot talk about the benefits of a healthy ecosystem without talking about trees. Trees help improve the integrity and quality of soil, water, and the air and contribute to the hydrological cycle. Trees are also a source of food, fodder, medicine, building and construction materials, beauty and recreation as well as fuel. Indeed, the tree value chain has profound potential for wealth creation,” he adds.

The programme is meant to support the government’s regreening initiative and contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal specifically goal number 13 on climate action. It is also a strategy through which Kenyan farmers contribute to climate action as envisaged under the Paris Agreement specifically to contribute to mitigation and conserve and enhance sinks and reservoirs for greenhouse gas emissions.

The programme’s main objective is to enhance the income and livelihoods of Kenyan smallholder farmers through the tree value chain. With an overall goal of building farmer’s capacity on soil and water conservation as well as training smallholder farmers on the importance of establishing and developing sustainable tree value chains for economic, environmental, and food and nutrition security among other benefits.

“KENAFF believes that the only pathway for Kenya to achieve these goals is for farmers to be engaged in the planting and nurturing of trees. Indeed, the government alone on public land cannot accomplish these goals.”

He reveals that to achieve its target, the federation is encouraging farmers to allocate at least 15 per cent of their agricultural landholdings for farm forestry, conservation of agrobiodiversity, reforestation, and reclamation of degraded landscapes to slow down the impact of climate change globally over the next ten years and in perpetuity.

Of the trees planted, 50 per cent will be indigenous, 30 per cent will be fruit and fodder trees and the remaining 20 per cent will comprise fast-maturing trees. All the seedlings will be sourced locally from the national network of nurseries established and managed by KENAFF members.

Twice a year

The federation has come up with a schedule that indicates tree planting exercises will be taking place twice every year. That is the first week in April for the March, April, and May rainfall season and the second week in October for the October, November, and December rainfall season.

He says the programme is not only a great climate strategy for adaption and resilience-building but also has enormous potential for the farmers. It will help them improve their agricultural production and diversify their incomes for better livelihoods. Apart from that it will also reduce the impact of desertification, support ecosystems, and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

“Planting billions of trees across the country is one of the biggest and cheapest ways of taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere to tackle the climate crisis. As trees grow, they absorb and store the carbon dioxide emissions that are driving global heating,” he says in conclusion.