Project Overview

The project builds on the investments of the first phase that established a national restoration monitoring technical working group. This working group led to the development of a coordinated and unified monitoring framework that will enable effective tracking and reporting on restoration efforts in Kenya. In addition, it promoted gender transformative approaches to land restoration in Makueni County through capacity development workshops with participants drawn from County Government of Makueni, state agencies including Kenya Forest Service and Kenya Forestry Research Institute, and representatives from community and farmer groups and ward-level committees on climate change. Other key outcomes include production of knowledge products- an Options by Context guide (English and Kiswahili versions) and videos on nature-based solutions and gender transformative approaches to land restoration for wider scaling of context-appropriate restoration options as well as policy influencing for sustained action on climate change.

This next phase focuses on strengthening of county environmental governance structures and intergovernmental collaboration that underpin the national restoration monitoring and reporting system in Kenya. It will also address identified capacity gaps and prioritize interventions for improvement in water management options, tree nurseries, agroforestry and sustainable wood fuel utilization in Makueni County. Additionally, it will support the promotion of context-appropriate gender-transformative restoration activities and knowledge products that enable their scaling.

Activities

The key activities include:

• Capacity strengthening and demonstration of gender-responsive, context-appropriate water management options
• Capacity building on tree nursery operations and management for enhanced supply of context-appropriate species (the right tree for the right place and right purpose)
• User-needs responsive, improved fuelwood sourcing and utilization where gendered energy burdens will be participatory assessed and mapped to inform the prioritization of interventions
• Scaling up gender transformative approaches to land restoration in Makueni County
• Conduct capacity needs assessment to identify areas of strengthening of the County Environment Committees in consultation with the Council of Governors (COG) and National Government
• Support the Council of Governors in collaboration with the National government and other key stakeholders to develop clear guidelines and processes for County Environment Committees
• Support and pilot capacity-building training activities in four selected counties to understand the guidelines (including the roles of County Environment Committees, representation, budgeting, and allocation of resources for environment conservation) and establish a strong monitoring and reporting framework of restoration indicators
• Conduct land health assessments in Makueni County using the Land Degradation Surveillance Framework.

Expected Outcomes

• Innovative, cost-effective, locally relevant, and gender-responsive restoration practices are implemented (water management, tree nurseries, woodfuel utilization, and scaling gender transformative approaches to land restoration) in Makueni county with the objective of upscaling to other counties through “leading by action”
• Environmental and restoration coordination and monitoring capacities strengthened in counties and at the national level
• Capacity strengthening on land health monitoring at the County level and building databases for Land Degradation Surveillance Framework on landscape restoration indicators
• Communication of context-appropriate gender-transformative restoration options enhanced for wider scaling and policy influencing.

Target Beneficiaries

• Community groups including farmers, tree nursery operators, extension agents and relevant county officials in Makueni County
• The national government through the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and related state agencies
• County governments through the Council of Governors towards strengthening County Environment Committees and supporting the establishment of a strong county restoration monitoring system across the 47 counties
• Regional and global community such as the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative AFR100 and the Bonn Challenge.