Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change & Forestry Deborah Mlongo Barasa has flagged off a nationwide distribution of coffee and avocado seedlings, marking a major push to boost sustainable agriculture and environmental restoration.
The programme aims to support farmers, improve incomes and accelerate Kenya’s plan to plant 15 billion trees by 2032.
The initiative, flagged off on Wednesday in Trans Nzoia County, marks a renewed effort to strengthen rural livelihoods while supporting Kenya’s broader climate goals.
The programme focuses on distributing coffee and avocado seedlings to farmers across the country, with the aim of increasing productivity and diversifying incomes.
CS Barasa said the initiative has already reached thousands of farmers through cooperative structures.
“By the time of this engagement, we had distributed over 157,000 seedlings to more than 15,000 farmers through 32 cooperative societies,” Barasa said.
She noted that the programme is already contributing to improved household incomes and enhancing resilience among farming communities.
With favourable weather conditions brought by the long rains, the government is now expanding the rollout.
“With the onset of the long rains, we are scaling up the programme with a target of distributing over one million seedlings by July,” she said.
The Cabinet Secretary said the programme is designed to integrate agricultural development with environmental conservation.
“Beyond the rollout, we are enhancing seedling production and promoting sustainable farming practices,” she added.
She added that collaboration with the Kenya Forest Service is helping to provide shade trees suitable for coffee farming.
“In collaboration with the Kenya Forest Service, we are also providing coffee-friendly shade trees to support higher yields while conserving our ecosystems,” she explained.
“This integrated approach ensures that productivity goes hand in hand with environmental stewardship.”
The initiative is part of Kenya’s ambitious plan to significantly increase forest cover over the coming years.
“This initiative remains firmly anchored in our national target of growing 15 billion trees by 2032,” Barasa said.
The programme aims to restore 10.6 million hectares of degraded land and increase national tree cover to 30 percent.
“To date, we have planted over 533 million trees through a coordinated effort across Government, counties and communities,” she added.
In Trans Nzoia County, the Cabinet Secretary said the programme is already delivering measurable results.
“Since July 2025, we have distributed over 157,000 coffee seedlings and more than 28,000 avocado seedlings,” she said.
These efforts have contributed to the planting of over 22 million trees, with the county’s tree cover now standing at 15.16 percent.
“These efforts were not only restoring landscapes but also transforming livelihoods,” she said, highlighting benefits such as income diversification, stronger cooperatives and opportunities for youth and women.
Despite the progress, Barasa acknowledged that the programme faces several challenges.
“As we celebrated these gains, we remain cognizant of challenges such as climate variability, pest and disease management and logistical constraints,” she remarked.
To address these issues, the government is focusing on value addition within the agricultural sector.
“In response, we have prioritized value addition through the expansion of coffee processing facilities and avocado packing houses within the country,” she said.
The move is intended to help farmers derive greater value from their produce and strengthen the agricultural value chain.
Barasa called on farmers and cooperatives to take responsibility for nurturing the seedlings to ensure the programme’s success.