Community & programmes

Our 18 operating nurseries can raise up to 15M seedlings a season: indigenous, exotic, fruit and mangrove species, with seedlings certified by KEPHIS. By supplying seedlings close to where they are planted, we support community-led tree planting and a sense of ownership of the result.

Nurseries are also places to learn. People who work in them learn how to raise trees, care for them after planting and replace those that don't survive, because we treat restoration as a process, not a planting event.

12,900+ women and youth have been engaged in our work (as of October 2026). On the Kenyan coast they are the backbone of mangrove restoration: they raise seedlings in community nurseries, plant, scout sites and are paid for supply and labour.

In Kwale alone: 40 self-help groups on the I&M programme at Mwache, 17 groups on Iberafrica's Bonje site, and women made up about 80% of the people planting for DTB.

Next, we are developing aquaculture value chains with these groups (seaweed farming and crab fattening beside restored mangroves) and soya on farms, so that restoration also earns a steady income. These are in development; we'll share results as the pilots report.

• Coastal value chains →
• Green Scholars Programme →

The Green Scholars Programme is our climate leadership and green skills pathway for young people aged 12 to 24, in three stages: Junior Green Scholars, Senior Green Scholars and Green Fellows. It runs through school eco-clubs, bootcamps and micro forests.

In our pilot with the ARISE Foundation in Kilifi County, 89 Grade 9 learners took part in a five-day bootcamp. Topic conversance rose from 51% to 87%, and they planted 110 trees to start a school micro forest.

On the I&M mangrove restoration in Mwache, Kwale County, 40 self-help groups took part and seedlings were sourced from the community (management-reported, documented in the July 2026 completion report).

Sustainable fuels & biofuels (planned): Exploring castor value chains and the restoration of Prosopis-invaded land as feedstock for biofuels and sustainable aviation fuel.

AI-assisted monitoring (planned): Training models on our own field data to speed up project onboarding and monitoring.

Semicircular bunds, Mwache catchment (proposed): Half-moon bunds, native trees and grass on 150 ha to cut runoff and silt and recharge groundwater, with the Water Resources Authority, the Kenya Forest Service and local groups.

Coastal aquaculture (in development): Seaweed farming and crab fattening with women and youth groups beside restored mangroves.