Location
Main Biome
Ha. Being Restored
Overview & Impact
At the foot of the hills in Kanyerus, West Pokot County, Kenya, a powerful transformation is underway in an area once scarred by border conflicts. Surrounded by over 300 households and a pastoralist community of 5,000, livestock (cattle, goats, sheep, camels, and poultry) roam freely in search of pasture and water.
The land has long suffered from overgrazing, erosion, water scarcity, and a loss of wildlife and biodiversity, worsened by deforestation, charcoal burning, and sand harvesting. The result? Droughts, floods, dying livestock, and a struggling community.
But change has begun. Kanyerus Border Peace School has donated 10 acres of land to serve as a living classroom and training center. Here, the community is learning how to restore the land — creating food forests, improving pasture with holistic grazing, restoring erosion gullies, and harvesting water and biomass for energy. Using permaculture and regenerative practices, the site has become a hub of hands-on learning and revival. It’s a space where the community comes together to learn, unlearn, and relearn — healing the land, restoring livelihoods, and rebuilding resilience for generations of communities to come.
Impact story
Impact: 4-returns of ecological restoration has been introduced as a tool for peace and regenerative livelihoods.
Increased Social Capital: Direct involvement of 17 villages of Kanyerus and a primary school has positively impacted more than 5,000 people, improving land use practices, promoting soil health, regenerating biodiversity and improving livelihoods. Boma Ikolojia Kanyerus is bringing communities together to work for a common goal to restore degraded landscapes, and promoting social cohesion through cross-border businesses and dealings. Over 40 years of peace in the region has been maintained through collaborative efforts.
Increased Ecological capital: More than 250 ha of degraded pastureland and natural forest is being restored, and biodiversity improved. Restoring the soil, harvesting water runoff for reuse and restoring gullies is improving groundcover (pastures). Enclosures, food forests and individual kitchen gardens are improving biodiversity and building a healthy ecosystem in addition to the production of healthy food and fruits for both nutrition and income. Beekeeping has increased pollination and plant diversity, as well as provided honey and wax for income. The tree nursery has increased the tree population, as well as created income for the youth.
Increased Economic Capital: Local livelihoods have improved through upskilling in different conservation techniques, tree propagation, and the production of food and honey. Holistic grazing is maintaining a high quality of both meat and milk.
Inspiration: Boma ikolojia Kanyerus is bringing hope and inspiration to this community and inspiring neighbouring communities.
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Achievements & Partners
Boma Ikolojia Kanyerus has established an interconnected set of initiatives that involves the whole community and which has laid the groundwork for the regeneration of landscape and livelihoods.
• Women: More than 60 women from 17 villages have been empowered to grow vibrant regenerative kitchen gardens improving nutrition, soils and biodiversity, and increasing household income. They have also become skilled in mixed poultry farming.
• Youth: More than 20 youths have been empowered to propagate, manage and grow tree seedlings for reforestation to increase tree cover and boost income.
• Men and elders: More than 30 men (Elders) have been empowered in pasture improvement and management, and beekeeping to improve ecological functions of the landscape and boost income.
• Biogas stoves and a small panel solar for lighting has been installed at the school.
• Potable water from a natural stream has been distributed to areas in different villages for easy access for household and livestock use.
• A 10-acre demonstration site has been developed which serves as a training center for the community to showcase good practices and different zones and systems i.e. kitchen garden area, food forest area, improved pasture area, etc.
• A site office has been built to enable easy interaction with the community.
• Restoration and tree planting exercises have been carried out regularly to improve the entire landscape and inspire the community to embrace these practices in their farms.
Partner organisations
West Pokot County Government, World Vision Kenya, Kenya Forest Service, Inclusive Small Firms Africa (ISFA), Regenerosity.
Restoration Activities on Site
Water retention
Tree planting
Food growing
Erosion control
Soil building
Cover cropping
Agroforestry
Community building
Restoration of livelihoods
Regenerative entrepreneurialism
Volunteer Facilities on Site
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