Kenya - Environment and Climate Change
To farm or flee – The climate challenge facing Syria’s farmers
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KENYA | Environment and Climate Change
Kenya aims to plant 15 billion trees by 2032 to restore its forests, which cover 8.8 percent of the land. With billions of shillings invested in environmental sustainability initiatives, and over 12 million trees planted in Kenya, stewardship of the planet is a priority for AKDN.
Industrial Promotion Services companies are committed to reducing their carbon footprint. The printing and packaging company Allpack was awarded the overall renewable energy winner (small and medium consumer) by the Kenya Association of Manufacturers in 2020. Frigoken and The Nature Conservancy have set up 10,000 pans to harvest rainwater. Other project companies are also moving towards renewable energies, setting standards for Kenyan industry.
In 2003, Serena Beach Resort & Spa in Mombasa established a Butterfly Conservation Sanctuary at its premises. Butterflies have a unique role in the environment. They are conservational as they not only pollinate the wild flowering plants as they feed on the nectar, but also enhance biodiversity by maintaining ecological balance. Butterflies are also a key indicator on the assessment of the health of the surrounding forest. The absence of certain species of butterflies may indicate the depletion of the forest. Due to the radical shrinkage of forests, reports had indicated that most butterflies had largely disappeared from Kenya’s coast, which also prompted the Butterfly Conservation Sanctuary where indigenous butterfly species are now bred. To date, nearly 70 species have been bred and more than 250,000 butterflies have been released.
AKDN / Lucas Cuervo Moura
Serena hotels seek to conserve and benefit the natural environment, opening Kenya's first fully solar powered safari lodge in 2019. Approximately 6.7 million trees have been planted in East Africa by guests, staff, and the local community school children. Each Serena property has a seedling nursery. Serena contributes to reforestation and agroforestry, which includes the planting of fruit and herb trees to additionally enhance food security. The hotels breed 65 species of butterfly in a sanctuary and have released over 60,000 turtle hatchlings into the Indian ocean.
The Aga Khan University has been working with East African filmmakers to produce 50 documentaries on East Africa's most critical environmental crises. The series has won numerous awards and its impact has been recognised locally and internationally. Watch the films.
Shortly after she began farming, Teresia developed health problems which doctors attributed to pesticide use on her farm. After an AKF-trained Green Champion taught her how to use ingredients like cow dung, sugar, ash and leaves to make organic sprays, she no longer struggles to breathe.
AKDN / Natalia Jidovanu
More than 80 percent of Kenya is arid or semi-arid, and smallholder farmers who rely on rain-fed agriculture face declining soil fertility and reduced yields, with little access to agricultural extension services. Kenya has national policies on climate mitigation and adaptation, but putting them into practice at community level has lagged behind. The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) works with farmers, coastal communities and enterprises to mitigate and adapt to climate change through three initiatives.
Through the Maendeleo African Regenerative Farming Initiative, AKF strengthens smallholder farmers' awareness and adoption of climate adaptation and mitigation practices, with skills training in regenerative farming based on a sustainable agricultural curriculum. AKF promotes these practices through its Green Champions model, a form of community-led agricultural extension. It trains farmers through the farmer field school approach, coupled with intensive on-farm support, one-on-one and in groups, which enables farmers to adopt the practices faster.
In September 2026, AKF launched ReGeneration, a 10-year initiative to restore coastal ecosystems and strengthen livelihoods in six Indian Ocean countries, including Kenya. Through ReGeneration, AKF demonstrates replicable, scalable models for community-led coastal resilience, centred on mangrove ecosystems. AKF co-designs solutions with local communities who depend on mangrove ecosystems for their livelihoods, to address the underlying drivers of mangrove degradation, including poverty and a lack of alternative livelihoods and clean energy. It also empowers civil society, government and private sector stakeholders to lead conservation efforts. The result is the protection and restoration of mangrove ecosystems and a reduction in multi-dimensional poverty in target communities. In Kenya, AKF is working with the Kenya Forest Service to restore 226 hectares of mangrove forest, including in Gazi Bay.
AKF began designing Accelerate Clean Energy (ACE) in mid-2024, alongside an ongoing clean energy pilot that supported smallholder farmers with biodigesters to address under-served communities' low access to renewable solutions. ACE focuses on scalable, market-based financial products that are more affordable and accessible to households and enterprises. Building on learning from Accelerate Prosperity and examples of blended finance in energy, AKF is testing new ways for households and enterprises to buy energy solutions through tailored loans. These loans help overcome barriers linked to high collateral requirements, short repayment terms and exorbitant interest rates.