Kenya has formally launched the Kenya National Agroforestry Strategy 2025-2035 and the Kenya Landscape and Ecosystem Restoration Monitoring Framework 2025, setting a new direction for environmental management, climate resilience, and livelihoods.
The launch was presided over by Cabinet Secretary Dr. Deborah M. Barasa, alongside senior ministry officials, county leaders, development partners, and research institutions.
Agroforestry as a Systems Approach
It was highlighted that agroforestry differs fundamentally from traditional forestry because it is practiced where people live and farm.
Doing trees on farm is very different from doing trees in the forest. You have to use sociology, anthropology, agriculture, and all other disciplines. Therefore, this is a systems approach.
The ten-year strategy envisions integrated farming systems that combine food production, soil health, water conservation, and resilience to climate shocks.
Partnerships and Alignment
The strategy was supported through UK PACT, with technical input from multiple partners including CIFOR ICRAF, FAO, Palladium, African Wildlife Foundation, and others. Speakers stressed that joint mobilization of resources and alignment with government priorities will be critical.
We currently have projects spread in thirty counties, both dryland and humid areas. The value chains are very different, and therefore our work will also help in scaling. Impact is only achieved when you align projects with government priorities.
From Policy to Practice
The monitoring framework was presented as a tool to ensure accountability and measurable progress, making Kenya one of the first African countries to institutionalize landscape restoration tracking at national level.
We cannot continue talking. We have a lot going for us. Let’s implement and change lives and landscapes. That is our tagline.
Counties, farmer organizations, and extension services were identified as key actors in turning paper policies into tangible change on the ground.
UK Commitment
Programme Manager, representing UK PACT through the British High Commission and FCDO, underscored long-term commitment.
These are policy documents, but they are tools to showcase practical actions, how we restore landscapes, build resilience, and create sustainable livelihoods. The journey has just started.
Current UK backed efforts include proposals in commercial forestry, scaling agroforestry value chains, monitoring restored hectares rather than just counting trees, and piloting urban greening such as Nairobi’s City Park.
A Turning Point
The launch sets a new standard for coordinated environmental action in Kenya, moving away from fragmented tree planting towards a systems based, nationally guided approach.
As one participant summed up:
We are very proud. For me, as someone involved in both documents, I feel it is time to now implement. We cannot continue talking. Let’s implement and change lives and landscapes.
The documents now shift the spotlight from strategy to delivery, restoring ecosystems while embedding trees into the everyday life of farms and landscapes across the country.