There is a critical need for collaborative efforts, both locally and globally, to address the escalating problem of climate change in Africa. Implementing effective measures for both mitigation and adaptation is crucial to combat the negative impacts.
In Kenya, the government established a national tree-planting campaign to plant over 15 billion trees by 2032 to increase its tree cover by 30%.
Though seemingly out of reach, the campaign has gotten different entities from corporations, individuals, communities, organizations, and many more to chip in and help achieve the goal.
One such entity is Foster Green Community Organisation, a youth-led organization founded in 2020.
“We aim to conserve the environment and increase Kenya forest cover contributing to the nation’s bold tree-growing initiatives, ” states Grace Kimaru one of the founders.
The initial drive to start the organization was driven by 3 young people who simply wanted to give back to their community.
“We came from the same village and desired to give back to our community,” explains Kimaru. “We realized we shared a passion for environmental conservation, so we decided to pursue that by establishing an environmental club at our former primary school.”
What started as a small group of passionate individuals in a rural village has now grown into an influential organization working across three different counties of Murang’a, Kiambu, and Nyeri
The organization’s flagship program involves tree planting fruit trees in particular. Through the program, they have provided communities with a tangible source of food security, which has also boosted incomes through the sale of surplus produce. Their programs have been able to reach over 30 different communal groups including seven women groups in the counties donating fruit seedlings to them.
“Once we grow those trees, we do a follow-up through capacity building training, bringing on board different environmental experts to help in training these groups and ensure we have a lasting impact on those projects, “she explains.
The organization has also established youth-led environmental clubs in local schools. At the clubs, the participating students are taught about environmental conservation with the hopes of taking up the mantle to become future environmental leaders.
“Our environmental education and mentorship is mostly in schools and institutions. We are training young people and community members not just to plant trees, but to understand the bigger picture—why conservation matters and how they can take action in their own lives. Seeing them take charge of the projects is one of the most rewarding parts of our work,” Kimaru says.
During World Environment Day, the organization involved pupils at Matuto Primary School in Nyeri County in a tree planting event. Among them was Lewis Kamau a grade six pupil at the school.
“We planted trees with Foster Green community organization together with community members to mark World Tree Planting Day. I and my fellow pupils each planted 10 trees and we have been taking care of them by mulching, protecting them from being eaten by animals, and also watering them. The trees will give us shade, clean air and beautify our school, “stated Lewis in a testimonial during the organization courtesy visit for follow-up.
Role of technology in conservation…
For Foster Green, the technological advancement in the century has presented better ways to incorporate large-scale environmental conservation seamlessly, especially in advocacy. The use of social media platforms has come in handy in linking up with different individuals for partnership.
“When it comes to advocacy many groups are using their social platform. On our platform we are trying to advocate for sustainable practices especially in the cities as they contribute up to 70% of global emissions,” Kimaru points out. “By using our platforms to raise awareness, we hope to inspire more sustainable practices in urban areas and get people thinking about their environmental footprint.”
The of use digital tools has also played a vital role in conservation efforts specially in identifying the gaps that are there. These tools have made it easy to track the progress of their tree-planting projects.
“We are currently doing a course on National Forest Monitoring through GIS and a tool called SEPAL. Such tools are more effective and efficient in large-scale environmental conservation efforts like ours. With the tools we can see the degraded areas in the different counties we work in. We can also get real-time news and follow-up on matters of environmental conservation,” explains Kimaru.
SEPAL primarily focuses on the procession, analysis, and visualization of Earth observation data to support environmental monitoring and land management. GIS on the other hand analyses spatial data to identify critical areas for restoration, monitor changes in ecosystems, and predict the impacts of climate change or human activities.
Challenges
However, as is often the case technology comes with its own set of challenges which include the high cost of purchase and maintenance.
“Access to these tools can be difficult, especially in rural areas where internet connectivity is poor,” Kimaru explains. “We’ve had to pay for Wi-Fi and internet bundles, which adds to our costs. These tools are invaluable, but the expenses are something we have to work around.”
With such expenses, the organization’s efforts to secure funding have also been a struggle. To manage the activities and projects they have been relying on their personal contribution and partnership to sustain their operation.
“We’ve written many grant applications, but the support has not been forthcoming,” says Kimaru. “At the county levels, we hear there are grants allocation to courses such as ours but even the application process is unbeknown to us. Yet there are many organizations at the grassroots level doing remarkable work on matters climate justice and would benefit from such grants.”
Future outlook…
Despite these challenges, Foster Green Organisation is proud of the achievements they have seen across the communities they serve. Currently, they working toward establishing their tree nursery to produce seedlings for future projects. The nursery will serve as a sustainable source of tree seedlings and generate income for the organization.
“We have already acquired a small piece of land in a public school and are currently in talks with KEFRI to donate some seedlings. Then we’ll have the support of Kenya Forest Association to monetize the nursery so that we are now able to be official distributors in the country, “said Kimaru.
As the organization looks toward the future, its vision is clear: to create a self-sustaining network of community-based environmental leaders. Their dream is for local groups to continue the work independently, even without their direct support.
As Kimaru puts it: “Our goal isn’t to be the center of attention but to create many ‘Foster Greens’—communities that continue this work on their own, long after we’ve moved on. When people see the impact—like better food security and improved ecosystems—it motivates them to keep going.”
