Did you know that 89 per cent of Kenya’s national territory is drylands and supports about 38 per cent of the population? Another troubling fact? East Africa’s drylands are grappling with climate change impacts, food insecurity and governance challenges.

Recurrent droughts, rapid land degradation, and worsening water scarcity have intensified competition over dwindling natural resources, sparking conflicts between pastoralists and farmers, human-wildlife clashes, and conservation-related displacements—all of which erode human security.

Urgent, targeted action needs to be undertaken to secure lives and livelihoods in drylands. 

Against this concerning backdrop, a group of 15 East African Dryland Agroforestry Expert Group, supported by Vi Agroforestry and Swedish International Agricultural Network Initiative, on July 3, 2025, launched a policy brief titled “Scaling Agroforestry as a Climate Resilience and Food Security Solution in Drylands of Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.

The virtual event was graced by Kenya’s Principal Secretary, State Department for Environment and Climate Change, Festus K. Ng’eno and a high-level delegation from the private and public sectors across the world. 

Speaking at the virtual event, Festus K. Ng’eno welcomed the Experts’ proposal for the formation of a Regional Agroforestry Coordination Platform to coordinate agroforestry activities across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.  

“Kenya welcomes Vi Agroforestry’s proposal for a regional agroforestry coordination platform. Such a mechanism could help harmonise national strategies, facilitate knowledge exchange, and support joint research on dryland agroforestry models,” Ng’eno stated. 

The PS pointed out that the policy brief launch comes at a critical time as the region grapples with the combined pressures of land degradation, food insecurity, and climate extremes.  

“I wish to thank Vi Agroforestry for the kind invitation and for your long-standing contribution to dryland restoration and community empowerment across East Africa,” the PS stated. 

Dr Ng’eno noted that in Kenya, drylands make up 89 per cent of our national territory and support about 38 per cent of the population, including most of our pastoralists and agropastoralists. These regions are fundamental to national food production, biodiversity conservation, and livestock-based economies. 

However, these regions remain highly vulnerable to climate variability.  

“Between 2020 and 2023, Kenya experienced five consecutive failed rainy seasons, leaving over 4.5 million people food-insecure at the height of the crisis,” the PS noted. 

He pointed out that agroforestry offers a timely, affordable, nature-based solution to the challenges facing East Africa’s drylands. 

Pathway to gender equity 

“As we seek solutions, agroforestry offers a practical, proven, and inclusive pathway forward… Agroforestry is a frontline solution for the climate crisis, food insecurity, and land degradation in our drylands. I thank Vi Agroforestry for convening this dialogue and for your continued partnership,” Ng’eno stated. 

He said Kenya has made significant progress in strengthening its policy architecture for sustainable dryland development.

These include the National Agroforestry Strategy (2021–2030), which seeks to increase tree cover on farms by 10 per cent and integrate agroforestry into at least 50 per cent of agricultural landscapes. 

These frameworks, the PS added position agroforestry not as a peripheral activity but as a mainstream solution to land degradation, food insecurity, and rural poverty.  

“We are particularly focused on scaling up agro-pastoral woodlots, farmer-managed natural regeneration, and agroecological approaches that blend productivity with ecological integrity,” Ng’eno revealed. 

He highlighted Kenya’s flagship 15 billion trees growing programme that aims to increase national tree cover to 30 per cent and restore over 5.1 million hectares of deforested and degraded landscapes. 

On regional collaboration, he pointed out that drylands know no borders adding that Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania face similar climate risks and share vast cultural, ecological, and socio-economic linkages, hence the need for joint strategies. 

Leif Newman, Vi Agroforestry’s Regional Director for East Africa, described how his organisation has worked with smallholder farmers and communities across East Africa for more than 40 years.  

“We have seen the power of agroforestry not as an abstract concept but as a living solution. It restores degraded landscapes, secures livelihoods, empowers men and women and youth and builds resilience in the face of a changing climate.” 

The new policy brief builds on these experiences, serving as a strategic advocacy tool grounded in evidence and shaped by local realities and lived experiences. 

Both Leif Newman and SIANI’s Programme Director Madeleine Fogde expressed appreciation for the work done by the expert group, not least how it brings together different sectors and countries.   

The regional perspective was further emphasised by Lilian Lihasi, who is the Executive Director of the African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS), a continental platform for mutual learning and innovation related to agricultural extension and advisory services.

She challenged the participants to make this the beginning of a collective journey to transform drylands into engines of resilience and prosperity and move from policy to practice.  

Dr John Recha, a member of the expert group, noted that East Africa’s drylands are grappling with climate change impacts, food insecurity, and governance failures in natural resource management.  

To enhance the uptake of agroforestry by youth who are impatient when it comes to agriculture, Elizabeth Githendu, a youth advocate and researcher at the University of Nairobi, pointed out the need to make agroforestry attractive to youth.

In her view, agroforestry could be combined with hybrid income pathways like digital storytelling and advocacy, social media marketing and agro photography. 

Engines of resilience 

“As young people, we learn a lot about farming from TikTok. Regardless of the location, one can reach a wide and diverse audience,” she said. 

Joan Nyika, a lecturer at the Technical University of Kenya, highlighted the barriers that women face in trying to manage agroforestry activities.

She gave practical and actionable ideas on how policymakers can address the gender disparities that prevent women from having access to resources such as land and water, for example, the issue of land ownership.

Nyika called for a gendered agroforestry system that encourages women to take up agroforestry activities and participate in decision-making done right, agroforestry can be a pathway towards gender equity.  

Monica Nderitu, the lead in the expert group, echoed sentiments from the participants, saying there is a need for Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda to ensure that agroforestry is embedded in a wide range of policies.

It is also important that youth, women and the private sector are part of the conversations.

She also cited the need for an East African Platform to finance agroforestry and the involvement of the East African Legislative Assembly. 

The policy brief could help make this happen, Nderitu said, and she hoped to see a high-level stakeholder dialogue later this year to take stock of progress.  

The policy brief launch was attended by almost 100 participants, including policymakers, researchers, journalists, and practitioners to catalyse cross-sectoral collaboration and commit to scalable agroforestry solutions.