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The Mau Forest conservation effort will receive part of the Sh1.3 billion Rockefeller Foundation grant awarded to 10 organisations globally to boost indigenous youth in food production.

Community-oriented non-governmental organisations in the country will also benefit from the grant.

The announcement was made during the ongoing 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt.

The funding is expected to train, build capacity and networks with youth living in or near forests for future conservation activities.

According to the Rockefeller Foundation, the funding will also help scale the development, data analysis, financing, and education around regenerative agricultural practices, which can improve global food systems and mitigate the global food crisis.

 Regenerative agriculture involves the use of traditional knowledge and food systems combined with conservation efforts. “Regenerative agriculture offers a needed alternative to dominant, extractive food systems that have threatened people and the planet alike,” said Sara Farley, vice president of The Rockefeller Foundation’s Global Food Portfolio.

According to Ms Farley, the goal is to develop the know-how, networks and innovations needed to realise the full potential of regenerative agriculture at a moment of crises and climate change.

 Food systems produce about one-third of the global greenhouse gas emissions with agricultural expansion accounting for almost 90 percent of global deforestation.