Smallholder farmers to be feted at UNEA-6 for regreening Kenya
Samson Ongus, a farmer, inspects his farm in Wang’ Chieng, Rachuonyo North.
What you need to know:
- The journey to the global podium that started four years ago has not been a walk in the park for some of the smallholder farmers.
- In Homa Bay County, the ambitious initiative started in earnest by a push to restore 70 hectares of public land under the Regreening Lambwe Initiative.
Smallholder farmers from six counties under the Regreening Africa initiative will be feted during the 6th session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) in Nairobi.
The world’s highest-level decision-making body for matters related to the environment will hold its crucial sessions from February 26 – March 1 at the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) headquarters.
The farmers from Nakuru, Homa Bay, Migori, Elgeyo Marakwet, Laikipia and Baringo were named as the seven initiatives from Africa, Latin America, the Mediterranean, and Southeast Asia as UN World Restoration Flagships by Unep and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN (FAO).
Under the Regreening Africa initiative, the project is targeting to reclaim thousands of public and farmlands by planting trees and rehabilitation through farmer-managed natural regeneration in primary and secondary schools, churches, administrative offices and water towers.
The journey to the global podium that started four years ago has not been a walk in the park for some of the smallholder farmers. In Homa Bay County, the ambitious initiative started in earnest by a push to restore 70 hectares of public land under the Regreening Lambwe Initiative.
“The project wasn’t welcome here. Many residents would mock us as we climbed the hilltops to plant tree seedlings. I’m extremely happy that after a hard restoration initiative, the world is recognising the transformation trees can bring and improve the micro-climate of our area,” says Michael Otieno a resident of Ochieng Odiere village in Homa Bay County.
He adds: “My neighbours admire my farm and come for advice to improve their land.”
The World Vision-led initiative through the Central Rift Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration Scale-Up Project has forged partnerships with county governments (departments of Agriculture and Environment), Kenya Forest Service, Pathfinder International (HomaBay) and Farming Systems Kenya to foster the enhancement of value chains on mango, avocado, pawpaw and honey production, market linkages and quality control.
In Elgeyo Marakwet County, the project has facilitated the training of farmers on avocado production and the signing of a 10-year avocado contract farming with investors in the value chain, where the avocado market linkage targets to export the Fuerte and Hass avocados to overseas markets.
This relationship is geared towards securing the farmers' livelihoods while ensuring sustainable restoration. In Homa Bay, honey farmer groups are linked to investors and are earning income from the sale of refined products.
Tree-nursery operators from Nyatoto Women’s Group in Ruma Kaksingiri East Ward have trained physically-impaired farmers on proper cultivation of pawpaw and mango fruit seedlings, which today is providing them with food and income. Apart from Kenya, the Regreening Africa initiative is also in Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal and Somalia.
According to Unep, desertification affects around 45 per cent of Africa’s land.
Regreening Africa is expected to bring five million hectares under restoration by 2030, boosting biodiversity and supporting local communities. At least 352,577 hectares have been restored and by 2030 more than five million hectares will be restored in the eight countries with the availability of $60billion in funding.
The World Restoration Flagship Awards aims to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems on every continent and in every ocean.
The awards track notable initiatives that support global commitments to restore one billion hectares – an area larger than China.
The seven new flagships are expected to restore nearly 40 million hectares − an area almost 600 times the size of Nairobi − and create around 500,000 jobs.
“For too long, economic development came at the expense of the environment. Yet today we see global efforts to usher in a comeback for nature,” says Inger Andersen, executive director of Unep.
“These initiatives show how we can make peace with nature, put local communities at the heart of restoration efforts and still create new jobs. As we continue to face a triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste, now is the time we must double down and accelerate restoration initiatives.”
FAO Director-General QU Dongyu says: “FAO is pleased to recognise these seven worthy champions, proving that we can offer the leading examples to reverse ecosystem degradation at scale, while also addressing the impacts of the climate crisis and biodiversity loss.”
“Restoring terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems is a crucial step in the transformation of global agrifood systems to be more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable. Ecosystem restoration is a long-term solution in the fight to eradicate poverty, hunger and malnutrition, as we face population growth and increased need for foods and ecosystem goods and services.”
