Regreening Lives - The Impact of Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration in Kenya

This photobook tells the story of how Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) is transforming the lives of communities across the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) of Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet, West Pokot and Nakuru counties in Kenya.

Funded by the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP) and implemented by World Vision Kenya through the Central Rift Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration Scale-Up Project (CRIFSUP), the initiative seeks to strengthen food security and build livelihood resilience among smallholder farmers and pastoralists through FMNR and other land restoration approaches.

For many years, women, men, and children living in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) have faced the harsh realities of climate change—little to no rainfall, dwindling crop yields, and the loss of livestock due to lack of pasture. Families struggle with child malnutrition caused by limited access to balanced diets, while women and girls walk long distances in search of firewood, and boys trek far in search of pasture for livestock. 

FMNR is a low-cost, sustainable land restoration approach that involves regenerating and managing trees and shrubs from existing stumps, roots, and seeds. It helps combat poverty, improve food production, and strengthen resilience to climate extremes.

Farmers can implement FMNR without external inputs or expensive equipment, making it a highly scalable solution for restoring degraded land. Much of the worldʼs degraded agricultural land was cleared using methods that leave roots intact in the ground, making FMNR an effective pathway for regreening landscapes.