Uasin Gishu farmers embrace carbon credits, transforming idle land into fortunes

A silent revolution is sweeping across the expansive farmlands of Uasin Gishu, Trans Nzoia, and Elgeyo Marakwet counties, as farmers with vast tracts of idle land embrace a lucrative new frontier: carbon credit compensation to unlock significant financial gains from land once considered dormant inheritances.

For generations, these idle lands were set aside as future legacies for children and grandchildren but now, hundreds of farmers are transforming them into flourishing indigenous forests and fruit orchards, driven by the irresistible promise of earning substantial income from carbon credit organizations within the next five years.

The initiative is not only set to line their pockets but also plays a critical role in conserving the environment and restoring native ecosystems.

Earthtree, a prominent climate change mitigation organization, reveals compelling statistics: at least 7,500 acres of idle land across Uasin Gishu, Trans Nzoia, Elgeyo Marakwet, and parts of Nandi have already been committed to agroforestry.

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While some farmers are opting for fruit trees like mulberries and avocados to double their future benefits, a significant movement is seeing the return of indigenous species such as acacia seyal, croton, markhamia, elgon teak, prunus, olea, warbughia, and cedar.

These native trees were once on the brink of extinction in Uasin Gishu, having been largely replaced by commercial maize and wheat plantations. Meanwhile, other elders eyeing timber are strategically planting cypress, eucalyptus saligna, eucalyptus grandis, whistling pines, pinus, and grevillea.

One such pioneer is Alfayo Kuruna, a farmer from Mogon Block 3 farm in Kipsomba, Uasin Gishu County. Inspired by the carbon credit plan, Kuruna has dedicated 20 acres of his idle land, previously a grazing field, to mulberries and other trees.

“I was introduced to the idea by other farmers. Earthtree explained the benefits through carbon credit compensation and I bought the idea,” Kuruna explains, inspecting his burgeoning trees. “I grow mulberries on a 20-acre piece of land which has been a grazing field for years and a separate eight-acre piece, because during the period, I will harvest fruits as I earn from my efforts to conserve the environment.”

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He laments the historical shift, noting, “My village was a forested area before trees were replaced with commercial farming. Through the climate initiative, we are going back to indigenous trees that were almost endangered.”

Kuruna, along with numerous other farmers in the region, has signed a 45-year agreement with Earthtree a deal that guarantees them carbon credit earnings for at least four decades. Under this arrangement, Earthtree provides the tree seedlings, and as the trees mature, the farmers are directly linked to global carbon credit markets. This innovative contract farming model is also expected to curb land fragmentation and sales, turning what was once idle inheritance into a continuously profitable asset.

Belfast Sang, a farmer in Soy, echoes the sentiment of a lasting legacy. “The advantage is that the farmer remains the owner of the land and the beneficiary of the proposed carbon credit compensation,” Sang stated, highlighting the long-term benefits for landowners.

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Stephen Kosgei, another landowner who has planted eucalyptus on his idle farm, believes these promised compensations will significantly boost Kenya’s forest cover, pushing it beyond the crucial ten percent minimum. He is also looking forward to additional lucrative earnings from the timber harvest of mature trees, beyond the carbon credits.

“By planting trees and earning from them, we are teaching our children and grandchildren that tree growing is an alternative,” Kosgei affirmed.

Earthtree has confirmed that their environmental conservation contracts with farmers explicitly guarantee these landowners substantial benefits, ensuring a truly symbiotic relationship between ecological preservation and economic prosperity.

By Cornelius Korir

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