The SIANI expert group Dryland Agroforestry in East Africa just launched its first policy brief at a well-attended webinar where leading experts shared their insights and experiences. Kenya is one example of a country that invests in agroforestry to strengthen its food security and climate resilience.
Agroforestry, the deliberate integration of trees into agricultural landscapes, can be a powerful nature-based solution also in dryland areas. How this can be achieved is described in the policy brief “Scaling Agroforestry as a Climate Resilience and Food Security Solution in Drylands of Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania” from Vi Agroforestry and the SIANI expert group on dryland agroforestry. It was presented at a webinar on 3 July, where many speakers called on Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda to integrate agroforestry into their national agendas and to collaborate regionally.
This message was well received by Kenya’s Principal Secretary, State Department for Environment and Climate Change, Dr. Eng. Festus K. Ng’eno:
“Kenya welcomes Vi Agroforestry’s proposal for a regional agroforestry coordination platform. Such a mechanism could help harmonise national strategies, facilitate knowledge exchange, and support joint research on dryland agroforestry models.”
The Principal Secretary emphasised the importance of drylands, which make up 89 percent of Kenya’s territory and play a key role in the country’s food production, biodiversity conservation, and livestock-based economies. He noted that the policy brief launch comes at a critical time as East Africa grapples with the combined pressures of land degradation, food insecurity, and climate extremes. Between 2020 and 2023, Kenya experienced five consecutive failed rainy seasons, leaving over 4.5 million people food-insecure at the height of the crisis.
“As we seek solutions, agroforestry offers a practical, proven, and inclusive pathway forward… Agroforestry is a frontline solution for the climate crisis, food insecurity, and land degradation in our drylands. I thank Vi Agroforestry for convening this dialogue and for your continued partnership,” Dr. Ng’eno said.
Kenya aims to scale up agro-pastoral woodlots, farmer-managed natural regeneration, and agroecological approaches that blend productivity with ecological integrity. This is well in line with the country’s National Agroforestry Strategy (2021–2030), which seeks to increase tree cover on farms by 10% and integrate agroforestry into at least 50% of agricultural landscapes.
Agroforestry as a policy priority
Leif Newman, Vi Agroforestry’s Regional Director for East Africa, described how his organisation has worked with smallholder farmers and communities across East Africa for more than 40 years.
“We have seen the power of agroforestry not as an abstract concept but as a living solution. It restores degraded landscapes, secures livelihoods, empowers men and women and youth and builds resilience in the face of a changing climate.”
The new policy brief builds on these experiences, serving as a strategic advocacy tool grounded in evidence and shaped by local realities and lived experiences.
Both Leif Newman and SIANI’s Programme Director Madeleine Fogde expressed appreciation for the work done by the expert group, not least how it brings together different sectors and countries.
Engines of resilience
The regional perspective was further emphasised by Dr Lilian Lihasi, who is the Executive Director of the African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS), a continental platform for mutual learning and innovation related to agricultural extension and advisory services. She challenged the participants to make this the beginning of a collective journey to transform drylands into engines of resilience and prosperity and move from policy to practice.
Dr John Recha, member of the expert group, noted that East Africa’s drylands are grappling with climate change impacts, food insecurity, and governance failures in natural resource management. Recurrent droughts, rapid land degradation, and worsening water scarcity have intensified competition over dwindling natural resources, sparking conflicts between pastoralists and farmers, human-wildlife clashes, and conservation-related displacements—all of which systematically erode human security. Without decisive interventions, these pressures will escalate, further destabilising livelihoods and regional security.
To enhance uptake of agroforestry by youth who are impatient when it comes to agriculture, Elizabeth Githendu, a youth advocate and researcher at the University of Nairobi, pointed out the need to make agroforestry attractive to youth. In her view, agroforestry could be combined with hybrid income pathways like digital storytelling and advocacy, social media marketing and agro photography.
“As young people, we learn a lot about farming from TikTok. Regardless of the location, one can reach a wide and diverse audience,” she said.
Dr Joan Nyika, a lecturer at the Technical University of Kenya, highlighted the barriers that women face in trying to manage agroforestry activities. She gave practical and actionable ideas on how policymakers can address the gender disparities that prevent women from having access to resources such as land and water, for example, the issue of land ownership. Dr. Nyika called for a gendered agroforestry system that encourages women to take up agroforestry activities and participate in decision-making. Done right, agroforestry can be a pathway towards gender equity.
Dr Monica Nderitu, the lead in the expert group, echoed sentiments from the participants, saying there is a need for Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda to ensure that agroforestry is embedded in a wide range of policies. It is also important that youth, women and the private sector are part of the conversations. She also cited the need for an East African Platform to finance agroforestry and the involvement of the East African Legislative Assembly.
The policy brief could help make this happen, Dr Nderitu said, and hoped to see a high-level stakeholder dialogue later this year to take stock of progress.
The policy brief launch was attended by almost 100 participants, including policymakers, researchers, journalists, and practitioners, to catalyse cross-sectoral collaboration and commit to scalable agroforestry solutions.
Watch the recordings from the launch below.