Forestry Principal Secretary Gitonga Mugambi has welcomed the active involvement of non-state institutions including the private sector in the 15 billion tree growing programme saying the government was keen on leveraging partnerships to accelerate the climate action and livelihoods initiative.
Through the 10-year initiative that seeks to raise Kenya’s tree cover to 30pc by 2032, PS Mugambi said the government seeks to address the interconnected challenges of climate change, land degradation and biodiversity loss.
The Principal Secretary spoke Wednesday at a Nairobi hotel during a Restore East and Southern Africa (RESAF) programme national stakeholders conference hosted by World Vision Kenya.
“The role of partners like RESAF cannot be overstated. Their work in restoring 250,000 hectares of degraded land and improving livelihoods of 250,000 smallholder farmers and pastoral households aligns with our national restoration goals.
“We see immense potential in expanding these partnerships and call on other organizations, private sector actors, and civil society groups to emulate RESAF’s contributions toward our 15 billion tree growing target,” PS Mugambi said.
RESAF is a farmer-led integrated land restoration and livelihoods improvement programme that aims to capture carbon from the atmosphere to combat the effects of climate change.
It is implemented by the Global EverGreening Alliance in six (6) Eastern and Southern Africa countries including Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania and Ethiopia.
RESAF aims to restore 1.8 million hectares of degraded land and support more than 1.5 million households, while sequestering over 80 million tons of carbon.
PS Mugambi said ecosystem restoration goes beyond planting trees to include landscape planning, community engagement, policy alignment and creating incentives for participation that include green businesses and employment opportunities.
He said Kenya had prioritized agroforestry in the National Landscape and Ecosystem Restoration Strategy because it integrates trees into farming systems thereby halting degradation while meeting the agricultural needs that include food security and income generation.
“Kenyan communities have already demonstrated this balance by combining agriculture with forestry in their daily practices,” PS Mugambi said, adding that the Ministry was finalizing Kenya’s first agroforestry strategy.
“The National Agroforestry Strategy soon to be finalized, will guide our efforts to promote agroforestry development for sustainable land use, enhanced ecosystem goods and services, and improved livelihoods.
“I encourage you all to review and provide feedback on this strategy, which is available on our Ministry’s website,” PS Mugambi, who was accompanied by Conservation Secretary George Tarus, said.
The Principal Secretary also spoke about Kenya’s emerging carbon markets saying they hold immense potential to support the country’s growing climate finance needs.
“Projects such as RESAF, which engage private sector investors like Climate Asset Management, demonstrate the type of partnerships we need to unlock climate finance for restoration,” PS Mugambi said.
At the same time, the Principal Secretary, thanked World Vision Kenya and the Global Evergreening Alliance for anchoring RESAF in Kenya and assured the two institutions of continued government support.
