Smallholder Farmers in Kwale and Kilifi Counties Benefit from Over 582,000 Assorted Tree Seedlings
Over half a million assorted tree seedlings have been distributed to smallholder farmers in Kwale and Kilifi Counties to plant during the ongoing rainy season. The distribution took place during a two-day drive held on 15–16 April 2025, as part of the Global EverGreening Alliance’s Restore Africa Programme – an initiative aimed at rehabilitating degraded lands and improving the livelihoods of farming communities.
“It is one thing to plant trees, but it is another to nurture them. Please care for these trees the same way you care for your children,” said Hon. Roman Shera, Kwale County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, while officiating the launch of the Restore Africa Programme’s tree distribution drive in Vanga Ward.
He added: “Climate change has exposed communities in Kwale to many vulnerabilities – from floods and droughts to disease outbreaks. Tree planting will help restore our landscapes and improve livelihoods.”
During the drive, over 297,000 seedlings were distributed in Kilifi County, while more than 285,000 were distributed in Kwale County.
Overall, the Restore Africa Programme, which was launched in 2022, is working across five counties in the country and aims to restore 250,000 hectares of land, support 250,000 smallholder farmers to grow 12 million trees. The other target counties are Elgeyo Marakwet, Narok, and Migori.
In Kilifi and Kwale Counties, the programme is supporting smallholder farmers to grow over 3.4 million trees — of which 1.9 million will be directly planted and 1.6 million trees will be grown through Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) by December 2025.
To date, more than 38,000 smallholder farmers have voluntarily joined the programme in the two counties — a clear testament to the strong collaboration among implementing partners, national and county government officials, including agricultural extension officers, and local administrators.
“We have walked this journey together and we appreciate the collaboration. Today, we reaffirm our commitment to ensuring the project achieves its intended purpose for the benefit of our people. Thank you for choosing Kwale and Kilifi as implementation counties,” Hon. Shera remarked.
He further noted that the county government is constructing a fruit processing plant in Kubo South Ward, Shimba Hills, to provide a ready market for farmers’ produce — a move expected to enhance value addition and boost household incomes.
“This is a farmer-led initiative, and we are working in close consultation with farmers while leveraging existing government structures,” said Lillian Mageto, World Vision Kenya’s Director of Resource Acquisition and Management. “There can be no success without the involvement of farmers. We therefore call for the scaling up of landscape restoration efforts and urge all levels of government to invest in building the capacity of farmers in tree management practices to ensure sustainability.”
Dr Faith Muniale, Director of the Restore Africa Programme at World Vision Kenya, expressed satisfaction with the progress made so far. “The distribution of both fruit and non-fruit tree seedlings will help restore degraded lands and uplift the livelihoods of vulnerable households. This exercise clearly demonstrates that our commitment to growing 12 million trees in Kenya is firmly on track.”
In Kilifi County, the tree distribution drive was launched on 16 April 2025, led by Mr Elvis Fondo, County Forest Conservator, and Mr Joseph Karisa, Assistant Chief of Mwahera Location in Sokoke Ward.
Restore Africa is the world’s largest farmer-led, nature-based land restoration and carbon removal initiative. The programme spans six African countries — Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia — aiming to restore over 1.8 million hectares of degraded land and improving the livelihoods of 1.5 million small-scale farming families, directly benefiting over 9 million people.
The programme is implemented by a consortium led by World Vision Kenya, in partnership with CIFOR-ICRAF, Africa Harvest, Self Help Africa, the Green Belt Movement, and Justdiggit.