Kenyan Smallhold Carbon Project: Carbon Sequestration and Land Rehabilitation in Smallhold Landscapes of Western Kenya 

A two-day meeting of 40 stakeholders was convened by FORMAT and SACRED Africa on 15 and 16 April 2004 at the Savona Isle Resort in Kakamega. The purpose of the meeting was to mobilize and familiarize the stakeholders with The World Bank Biocarbon Fund, and, to refine and operationalize a joint proposal to the Fund. The meeting was also used to identify cooperators willing to participate in the project, identify candidate tree species and sources of their seeds, and establish the costs of tree seedling production. The meeting was a major undertaking by the organizers to open up access to the benefits of carbon finance to smallholders, build local capacity to benefit from carbon finance and to demonstrate local capacities to the World Bank Biocarbon Fund. The conditions, procedure and format of the proposals to be submitted to the fund were presented.

The resource persons covered the definitions and applications of carbon sequestration, methods and tools for measuring carbon. A demonstration on field measurements of carbon and a tree-based carbon projection utility using Microsoft Excel spreadsheet was given. A short field demonstration within the hotel was conducted to measure the circumference and estimate the diameter of trees. The spreadsheet is intended to develop carbon projections from tree plantings in the tropics based upon 11 user-defined inputs with options provided for tree root and soil C gains.  Carbon is priced as CO₂ Emission Reductions.  The projections run on a quarterly time step expressed as years (0.25 = 3 month intervals) and may be generated from scales ranging from the individual field (> 0.1 ha) to the project (thousands of ha) level for a maximum of a 20-year project lifetime.

Several farmer associations, research, business and non-governmental organizations attending the workshop indicated their willingness to participate in the project in different capacities. Farmer associations, CBOs and NGOs will mobilize farmers to establish tree nurseries and plant seedlings in their farms, schools, churches and hillsides. The research, government and business organizations will provide technical assistance to the project in nursery establishment, seed selection, forest management and agroforestry training. Most of the organizations have existing tree planting activities with some being small scale at group level while others are large scale, extending across various districts. The organizations are involved in reforestation of degraded lands and forests, training and promotion of agroforestry and forestry, and various environmental conservation activities. This work is being undertaken through farmers’ associations, schools and youth groups. A new network for carbon sequestration was proposed among participants while other organizations with experience and established farmer networks will also be recruited into the group.

Participants observed that it is important for FORMAT and SACRED-Africa to harmonize the budget to cater for new and emerging needs, and to ensure no conflict of interest arises between the groups’ objectives and carbon sequestration activities. It was recommended that participating groups to undertake tree nursery establishment and sell the seedlings to the project. Assuming that all the twenty districts will participate in the projects, then each will provide five farmer groups. The participants proposed formation of a task force comprising stakeholders. The task force will

• network with stakeholders and sensitize them on the Biocarbon Fund

• identify CBOs to participate in the proposed project activities

• Capacity building for farmer groups on carbon measurement and monitoring

• Monitoring and evaluation of the activities of selected CBOs

• Tripartite MoU involving lead agency, district level task force, and farmer groups

• The payments for carbon sinks to go to individual farmer groups

• Possibility of paying farmer group members token fund to manage the tree nurseries

Participants were drawn from 21 districts including Trans-Nzoia, Bungoma, Kericho, Kakamega, Kisumu, Rachuonyo, Homabay, Teso, Mt. Elgon, Butere/Mumias, Lugari, Teso, Migori, Nandi, Busia, Siaya, Bondo, Vihiga, West Pokot and Nyando. Two sugar companies (Mumias and Nzoia) and some NGOs (Africa Now, Adventist Development and Relief Agency, and VI Agroforestry) seem prepared to contribute significantly to the project given their on-going tree planting activities with farmers, reforestation of hills and tea estates. Mumias and Nzoia Sugar companies indicated that they plan to plant up to 300 and 100 ha of their deforested tree estates, respectively. The companies also have established agricultural extension systems in various districts of the region. The stakeholders will raise about 4 million seedlings and mobilize over 86000 farmers (about 287 groups of 30 members each) to participate in the project in 22 districts of western Kenya region. An average price of KSh 25 per tree seedling was calculated from the various proposals put forward by the participants.  There will be a need to improve marketing capacities for participating groups for the fruit products derived from the project trees. Issues that may arise during the project include change of ownership of land on which trees are planted, theft, fire and change in priorities at the international and national levels. Integration of additional groups and farming activities into the project may strengthen its sustainability.

Criteria to be used in choosing suitable carbon project groups

Proposed trees species: A mix of fruit, woody and agroforestry trees was recommended in order to minimize the risk of tree harvest by expanding opportunities for food aong participating households. Tree species considered by most organizations include avocado, mango, tamarind, moringa, guava, neem, casuarina, calliandra, leaucaena, elgon teak, bamboo, Spathodea campanulata, Acacia abbysinica, Acacia polyacantha, Albizia coriara, Warburgia ugandensis, Prunus africana, Albizia gummifera, Annona senegalensis, Juniperus procera, Bersama abysinica, Ziziphus mauritiana, Grevillea robusta, Milicia excelsa, Combretum mole, Markamia lutea, Entada abbysinica, Podocarpus falcatus, Cordia abbysinica, Zythoxylum Gillettii, Ficus natalensis, Zyzigum cumminii.

About the World Bank Biocarbon Fund

The World Bank has established a $100 million fund to facilitate carbon-offset projects, The Biocarbon Fund. The fund is to provide carbon finance to projects that sequester or remove greenhouse gases in forests, agricultural and other ecosystems. This fund does not award grants, rather it “purchases” carbon for $10 to $15 per ton that is sequestered through “Clean Development Mechanism” compliant projects, such as tree planting (reforestation) in lands where forests were cleared prior to 1990 and are currently used to produce annual field crops. The minimum project must forecast 100,000 t C sequestration, worth about $1 million with 15% ($150,000) paid in advance.  More details about the PIN form and subsequent application procedures may be obtained from the Fund’s website www.biocarbonfund.org.

About the Kenya Smallhold Carbon Project

This project seeks to secure a loan of US $225633 (= KSh 17.3 million) to establish and maintain 500,000 trees over two years on smallholder lands in western Kenya, to document resulting carbon gains and sell them through the World Bank Biocarbon Fund. The strategy includes sensitization campaigns to promote participation of smallholders in carbon sequestration activities; establishment of tree nurseries and subsequent planting of trees in woodlots, contour strips and hillsides; monitoring of tree growth and estimation of tree carbon; repayment of the loan to the World bank and thereafter C payments issued to the project and its cooperators. Households will be recruited through their local landcare associations and self-help groups. It is anticipated that the project will be in position to repay the loan within five years and the trees will remain the property of the farmers at the end of the project. Useful products will also be obtained from the trees which will greatly exceed their values as carbon, which in turn would contribute to permanence of the trees planted.