Kenya's forest restoration drive leaves farmers with Sh240m income loss

Kenya's drive to restore its depleted forests has come with a heavy financial burden for communities that have traditionally relied on public forest land to grow food, with farmers losing an estimated Sh240 million in annual earnings as cultivation areas continue to shrink.

The losses have emerged as the country records an increase in forest cover, raising concerns over the declining economic opportunities available to households that have for years depended on food production within public plantations.

A report by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that the country's forest cover expanded from 3.47 million hectares in 2019 to 3.59 million hectares in 2024, representing an increase of 124,003 hectares.

During the same period, however, land set aside for food production by communities living near forests declined from 8,410 hectares to 3,636 hectares.

The reduction has translated into a major drop in earnings for farmers who participate in the Plantation Establishment and Livelihood Improvement Scheme (PELIS), a programme that allows communities to cultivate crops in designated sections of public forests while supporting tree planting and conservation.

According to KNBS, farmers earned Sh421 million annually from food production in public forests in 2019. By the 2022–2024 period, the figure had fallen to Sh182 million, representing a decline of more than half.

The scheme is managed by the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and provides temporary farming opportunities to people living near public forests through community forest associations (CFAs).

Under the arrangement, members are allocated small portions of land in newly established plantations where they grow crops while planting and looking after young trees. They are permitted to continue farming until the trees mature and their canopy becomes too dense for crop production.

The programme has helped families access food and generate income, particularly in areas where agricultural land is limited.

"Common crops grown under PELIS include maize, beans, potatoes and vegetables, providing direct nutritional and economic benefits to households that often have limited access to arable land," KNBS states.

Maize growers have experienced the biggest financial setback following the reduction in land available for cultivation.

The area used to grow maize in public forests dropped from 3,814 hectares in 2019 to 1,427 hectares annually from 2022. This resulted in an estimated Sh120 million loss in annual income for farmers producing the crop.

The amount represents half of the total earnings lost by households that previously relied on food farming in public forests.

Potato farmers recorded an annual income reduction of Sh47 million, while growers of cabbages and sukuma wiki each suffered losses estimated at Sh47 million.

Pea farmers were also affected, losing approximately Sh24 million in annual earnings as the area available for cultivation declined.

The changes have taken place against a long history of forest destruction in Kenya, where large sections of woodland were lost through agricultural expansion, illegal logging, urbanisation and the excision of forest land for other uses.

These activities contributed to the loss of about 460,000 hectares of forest cover over three decades leading up to 2019.

However, the country has recorded an improvement in forest coverage since then, with the total area rising to 3.59 million hectares, equivalent to 6.07 per cent, in 2024.

KNBS attributes the recovery to increased tree-growing and forest restoration activities across the country, with the area brought under afforestation exceeding the land lost through deforestation.

Figures in the report indicate that 342,427 hectares of forest land underwent afforestation between 2019 and 2024, compared with 218,424 hectares that were lost through deforestation.

Through PELIS, communities are allowed to grow food crops in areas where mature trees have been harvested and replacement seedlings planted. Their access to the land is temporary, ending when the young trees develop sufficiently and their branches and leaves form a closed canopy.

The approach allows public forests to serve two purposes: supporting the recovery of tree cover while providing food and income to neighbouring communities.

"Through this approach, Kenya's public forests act as both a restoration area and a source of food resources, contributing an estimated Sh182-420 million annually to domestic incomes," KNBS says.

The statistics agency further points out that the actual contribution of forests to household livelihoods could be higher than the recorded figures.

Its estimates do not capture the additional food and resources that communities obtain from forests, including traditional vegetables, insects and other non-timber forest products, which also contribute to household welfare.