A significant new initiative has been launched to enhance maize and coffee farming while conserving the Mount Elgon Forest, thanks to a partnership between three national organizations and two county governments. The Kenya Forest Service (KFS), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) are working in collaboration with the Trans Nzoia and Bungoma County governments under a program named the Integrated Landscape Management for Conservation and Restoration of the Mt. Elgon Ecosystem.
Governor George Natembeya announced that the program, allocated over Ksh 683 million, will run for the next five years. The initiative will empower farmers to practice agroforestry, which combines farming with tree planting, creating benefits for both agricultural production and forest conservation.
Charity Muthami, representing KFS, emphasized that the program will play a key role in supporting the national goal of planting 15 billion trees by 2032. Targeting 7,000 hectares of land, the program will benefit approximately 10,000 community members in Trans Nzoia and Bungoma counties.
Muthami added, “By the end of five years, the program will have benefited 60,000 farmers,” making it a transformative effort in boosting agriculture while preserving the vital Mt. Elgon ecosystem.
