Regreening project
South Rift Region, Kenya
South Rift Region, Kenya
Mid Tana, Kenya
Ecosystem restoration in Kenyaâs Mid Tana landscapes
Boosting farming and herding resilience through land restoration
Together with our implementing partners, we bring back sustainable vegetation to the areas by utilising and promoting effective land management best-practices. Two essential techniques are the establishment of semi-circular bunds and the creation of grass seed banks.
The Mid-Tana landscape of Kenya encompasses the counties of Makueni, Kitui, and Machakos which fall in the arid and semi-arid lands of the Lower Eastern region of Kenya. This area consists of agropastoral land owned by individual farmers and connecting important ecosystems and reserves, which are crucial in regional conservation efforts.
Effective sustainable land management remains a major challenge within this landscape, requiring tailored approaches rather than a one-size-fits-all solution. To address this, we have partnered with key stakeholders, including the Anglican Development Services Eastern, local administration, county governments and local communities to stabilise and rehabilitate these degraded lands through effective management practices. The impact of these efforts collectively contributes to the resilience of communities against climate change and environmental degradation. Additionally, this has led to farmers adopting the regreening interventions on individual farms.
Impact so far in Mid Tana
500 hectares
of land under restoration
50.000
water bunds dug
5
grass seed banks
>10.000
people are benefiting
We are restoring five hundred hectares of land in the Mid Tana landscape
Together with farmers and pastoralists, we are restoring thousands of hectares of dry, degraded land in the counties of Makueni, Kitui and Machakos, within the lower eastern regions of Kenya. Bringing back vegetation has lots of positive effects on the climate, on the environment and biodiversity, on people and their livelihoods.
We dug over 50 thousand water bunds
Bunds (or as we like to call them: âearth smilesâ) are semi-circular shaped pits that capture rainwater. They are dug in the project site in order to capture rainwater that will otherwise get washed away over the dry, barren soil. By digging bunds, we can regreen a large area in a very short amount of time, benefiting biodiversity, nature, people and â eventually our climate.
A TOTAL OF 5 GRASS SEED BANKS
Within our grass seed banks, womenâs groups grow, harvest, and sell grass (hay) and seeds. They make an income by selling them on local markets or to organisations. The grass seed banks form an oasis of green in the barren surroundings, and the hay the women harvest is food for their livestock in dry seasons.
Selling the grasses and the grass seeds harvested from the grass seed banks generates a source of income for the women who are managing the grass seed banks. This income serves as an additional livelihood, making the women more independent.
In total 130 women are involved in these grass seed banks.
MORE THAN 10 THOUSAND PEOPLE ARE BENEFITTING
Empowering people, one by one, to regreen their land is a cost-effective and scalable method and a catalyst for socio-economic change. For this to happen we need to get into peopleâs hearts and minds. We inspire farmers by showing the benefits of restoring land and provide them with tools on how to get started.
Our approach
Water Bunds
Water bunds are semi-circular holes dug to open up the hard top layer of the soil.
The bunds slow down and capture rainwater running downhills, preventing erosion of fertile soil. The water balance in the soil restores, increasing the water availability for the seeds still present in the soil. These seeds now get the chance to sprout, which means: regreening!
Grass seed banks
Grass seed banks are small parts of communal land that are used for the production of grasses and grass seeds.
The grass seed banks are managed and maintained by Maasai women groups. Once the grasses are fully grown, the grasses produce grass seeds which are sold by the women on local markets or to other regreening projects. This means more income for the women and more green in other areas, a win-win situation!
Fanya Juu and Fanya Chini
Fanya Juu and Fanya Chini are rainwater harvesting techniques. Farmers dig contours within their farmland to prevent erosion and to capture the valuable rainwater within their land.
Fanya Chini means â throw it downwardsâ in Swahili. It prevents the rain falling outside the farm from entering the farm, inhibiting erosion of fertile soil. Fanya Juu means âthrow it upwardsâ, and prevents the rain falling within the farm to run off, increasing the water availability for the crops on the land. In the end, it helps the farmers to regreen their farms even more!
Want to learn more about the benefits of this technique?
Grazing management
To ensure the sustainability of the projects, we will develop a pasture grazing management plan together with our local partner and the communities.
The goal is to prevent overgrazing in critical and vulnerable grazing areas.
Promoting sustainable land use practices
To maximise our impact on landscape restoration, we promote the implementation of different types of sustainable land use practices among the communities, including grazing management, managing invasive species and erosion control measures.
We do this by giving training, organising community meetings and using different communication tools focused on knowledge sharing and inspiration. By activating community members to trial and use sustainable land use practices, we are able to keep the landscapes in the area green and healthy.
YOU CAN NOW (VIRTUALLY) VISIT OUR PROJECT SITES!
To truly understand how nature-based solutions transform entire landscapes, ecosystems and communities, you have to see it with your own eyes.
And thatâs where we run into a problem: we canât transport the entire world to our project areas. With this interactive experience, we found a solution. We decided to bring our regreening projects directly to you. Virtually, wherever you are. Come on in and experience the water bunds area, grass seed banks and Treecovery farm!
Our mission
Our mission is to regreen African landscapes in the next 10 years, together with millions of farmers, and together with you.
If we want to cool down the planet in one decade, everyone needs to be in on the change. Through the power of media, communication, data, and the latest technology we can spread our message and scale up. We want to inspire, unite and empower an entire generation, growing a landscape restoration movement.
