A climate change sensitive Non-Governmental Organisation will on-board more than 25,000 farmers on agroforestry, a sustainable farming initiative to transform lives in seven counties by the year 2026.
Solidaridad Network Project Manager Betty Musendi said the project entered Kenya two years ago in of counties of Trans-zoia, Bungoma, Kericho and Nandi.
Musendi revealed that in the first two years they were able to support 582 farmers’ agroforestry practices and have been able to sequester 1,327 carbon credit removals in Nandi County.
“We are gathered here today to celebrate those pioneer farmers who are benefitting from our agroforestry initiatives,” Musendi told the press at Allens Hotel in Kapsabet town on Thursday.
She insisted that their initiatives are spreading and targeting to include counties of Bomet, Kisii and Nyamira with aim of on-boarding close to 25,000 farmers by the year 2026.
Dr. Kiplimo Lagat Nandi County Government County Executive Committee Member in charge Agriculture and Cooperative Development on his part said Nandi is lucky to be one of the pioneer counties where farmers are now benefitting in the carbon credit market.
Lagat was glad that pioneer farmers were able to get payments for their carbon removal compliance in their farms.
“we had pilot farmer of close to 500 and now have registered 7,000 farmers and we expecting about 150,000 farmers within the next three years in Nandi to participate in this project where their farming practices like agroforestry benefit them in the carbon credit market,” Lagat promised.
Swini Binzari Solidaridad Regional Manager said farmers can now get additional income from carbon revenue units.
“we call them carbon revenue units’ ounce the carbon has been isolated. Farmers can now be paid for actually practicing agroforestry on their farmers,” Binzari said
She said when the project began few years back in Uganda, a farmers was paid 21 euros per carbon revenue units.
“right now, farmers in Kenya are getting 30 euros per each carbon removal unit,” she added.
Shadrack Wasilwa a successful agroforestry farmer, said this project will discourage children from going to towns and cities searching for jobs because income source will shift to sustainable farming initiatives.
Asha Odunga also carbon credit beneficiary said the project enabled her plant trees to fighting climate change through arresting those atmospheric negative impacts.
“I have also realised improved sustainable production through skills trained by Solidaridad initiatives on agroforestry,”
Christopher Amodo, organisations official detailed on three intervention pathways of the Solidaridad.
“first one is carbon farming which entail climate smart agricultural practices, we train the farmers on agroforestry, soil fertility management activities to enable them gain resilience.
The second is carbon financing which provides financial support to farmers in terms of input pre-financing so that farmers who intend to practice carbon farming have resources to enable them acquire inputs,” Amodo explained.
According to him, carbon trade is the third pathway which links small holder farmers to access the carbon markets which has been uncommon to most of the farmers.
Solidaridad operates in East and Central Africa working with farmers, producers, miners on sustainable initiatives.
By Geoffrey Satia
