SFS-CORECC

Name of the project 

Climate Change through Sustainable Forest Management and Landscape Restoration (SFS-CORECC). 

Purposes of the project: water resources management, forest conservation, drought response program, community resilience to climate change, waste management and sewerage services enhancement. 

Project Duration 

5 years 1st February 2022 to 31st January 2027

Implementing Agencies 

KFS, KEFRI, MECCF

Overall Goal

Landscape Restoration at 30% of forest cover.

Contributing to National Target

15 billion trees by 2032 through tree planting and providing quality seeds. 

Purposes of press tour. JICA in collaboration with Japanese Embassy in Nairobi organized a press tour so members of the press can get to expose the wonderful partnership between JICA and KEFRI. A purpose of the tour is to strengthen partnerships with Kenya, reaching out to the Government of Kenya and private companies through mass media. Another purpose is to raise awareness and interest in Japan's cooperation among Kenyans. 

Over the years, JICA has assisted in land restoration issues in Kenya. Restoration of degraded land e.g Daadab refugee camp where trees were burned down for charcoal. JICA has a history of co-operation in the forest sector in Kenya. 

1986 - Technical development projects that involved working with communities on forests. 

2012 - Development of drought tolerant tress.

2024 - Strengthening forest research. 

Purposes of Development Cooperation

Economic infrastructure development e.g Mombasa port, Olkaria Geothermal project.

Industrial development e.g Mombasa SE development.

Agriculture Development.

Universal Health Coverage.

Roles of KEFRI 

Research in forestry.

Disseminate or trickle down the findings to the local population.

Build the capacity of stakeholders.

Strengthen partnerships e.g JICA

Other roles include implementing vision 2030 and ecosystem restoration strategy. 

The SFS-CORECC project is divided into four components. 

Component 1 - Policy Support 

Review/ formulate policies and strategies on sustainable forest management and landscape restoration. 

Strengthen the forest monitoring and data management process. 

Coordinate all project components to achieve the objectives of the project. 

Technology 

Timber traceability system.

Tree planting registration assessment.

Tree cover monitoring e.g satellite imagery. 

School lunch tree growing club forest carbon project. Feasibility study in 4 schools in Kitui County. Such children will grow up knowing the importance of land restoration. 

Component 2 - Commercial Forestry 

Strengthen and improve policies for commercial forestry promotion. 

Promote commercial forestry in pilot sites (8 ASAL counties: Kilifi, Kwale, Taita Taveta, Embu, Tharaka Nithi, Nyeri, Kitui, Makueni). 

Strengthen technical support.

Study value addition and marketing.

Why promote commercial forestry in dry areas of Kenya?

Rising demand for timber in Kenya.

Supply is largely dependent on imports.

Imports could be replaced by domestic timber. 

Availability of ASAL's Commercial forest is more feasible than agriculture in such counties. 

Component 3 - Tree Breeding 

Develop melia volkensii breeding population.

Develop next generation of acacia tortilis.

Disseminate superiority of improved melia volkensii. 

Engmhance production and distribution of improved melia. 

Melia volkensii effectively replaces mahogany as it has the same quality of wood but less maturity period. 

Acacia tortilis. The branches can be used to produce charcoal instead of cutting down a whole tree. 

Component 4 - Regional Cooperation 

Promote regional cooperation on forestry, landscape restoration and climate change mitigation. 

Document technologies. 

Activities that involve regional training, regional workshops and document digitization. 

Some important information concerning melia trees. Avoid clay and black cotton soils since the tree will not do well in such soils. At the time of planting, use closer spacing for biomass and carbon production. Or else use wider spacing for timber production. After cutting down a mature melia tree, it will still produce. There will be both a 2nd sprout and a 3rd sprout after cutting down the tree. Actually it grows even faster since the roots are already developed. 

Site visits included: KEFRI seed orchards. Here there is intensive plantations for melia volkensii and acacia tortilis. They grow them for both research and trainings to the local population on how to cultivate them. A visit to Nyumbani Village unveiled wonderful work being done to get children to be passionate about planting trees. It is also the same case with Makosi Comprehensive School. Such children will emerge as future Champions against climate change. There was also a visit to Mr Jacob Mwanduka who is a commercial melia growing farmer. We loved his passion for trees, tree orchards and tree nurseries.