ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION AND CONSERVATION

The proposed IMARA CBO research project is an environmental conservation, restoration, protection and agricultural in mission and character. This project will take a time of 3 years to complete.

IMARA CBO addresses the challenges of land degradation, biodiversity conservation and livelihood improvement. IMARA seeks to address the challenges of poverty, extensive soil erosion, food insecurity, population increase and environmental degradation where the community members have caused or depleted the environment through forest deforestation, agricultural activities and human activities that accelerate and promote the negative activities that interfere with the environment and cause climate change.The area experiences poverty levels of 61 % and is flooded every year from June to August and this cause prolonged period of food insecurity, poor agricultural productivity. One of the main causes of rural poverty is the under utilization of agricultural potential, poor agricultural practices, prolonged use of chemical fertilizers coupled with poor soil management practices. The main challenges to environmental sustainability and socioeconomic development in Namanjalala include: -

• Poverty and high population growth rate.
• Deforestation and flooding.
• Land degradation and land use change.
• Soil erosion and ecosystem degradation. Since farming in Namanjalala is essentially a low-input system, marked with inappropriate farming systems especially in dry lands, land degradation and extensive soil erosion is widespread, resulting in low productive land, loss of biodiversity and wildlife habitation. Weak community participation in natural resources management, poor dissemination strategies and inadequate information on good practices for combating desertification have hindered effective rehabilitation of degraded lands. Inappropriate farming practices include: -

poor land use planning and land management, absence of soil management and conservation practices, vegetation degradation due to over harvesting of forest and woodlands and overgrazing in the dry lands. The practice of mono-culture, over cultivation and the opening up of new lands for agriculture has several negative impacts to soil fertility, texture and structure, land degradation due to increased fallow periods has led to constant depletion of nutrients from the soil hence rendering it unproductive.The Imara project whose main goal: - is to contribute to the conservation of Mt Elgon ecosystem catchment mainly Sabwani river through empowering local communities to adopt sustainable livelihoods and enhancing forest ecosystem.
This restoration and conservation project will be implemented in areas characterized by high poverty levels and degradation in Namanjalala.Improvement to current farming practices, use of organic manure, sustainable agricultural land management, participatory land use planning, tree planting and agroforestry interventions alone will lift people-small scale holder farmers out of poverty, and training in land use, farm planning and water management. Adoption of nature-based solutions and conservation measures, agri-business technologies that are aimed at increasing productivity and adaptation, mitigation to be put in place, they will grow sufficient crops to feed their families with surplus to sell, thereby meeting food security needs and bringing in an income to move them out of poverty.

Our approaches are adaptation and mitigation in order to ensure food security and sustain livelihoods. We offer conservation training, capacity building and environmental awareness, and education to our target group. In fact, we are working on nature-based solutions to strengthen the resilience of ecosystems by improving the run off infrastructure on the farming fields so that the soils do not wash down in the rivers, training in land use management, farm planning and land rehabilitation using the nature-based solutions and agroforestry technologies. Our Aim: -To reduce rural poverty, increase food and nutritional security and enhance ecosystem resilience through improved agroforestry technologies. Agroforestry research of Imara CBO aims at diversifying and intensifying the supply of forest products, improving agricultural productivity of small scale farmers and enhancing environmental conservation in the farm lands. Our solutions fights climate change and desertification by applying the SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL LAND MANAGEMENT( SALM) and PARTICIPATORY LAND USE PLANNING (PLUP) methodology.
How? Methods, Steps to follow  Through forest landscapes restoration, tree planting, agroforestry and many other restoration methods. Through community based forest restoration and establish record of increasing local biological productivity to recover forest ecosystem services and augmenting local livelihoods, through capacity building, Imara CBO will conduct open air meetings that any member of the community may attend. Sensitization will be given high priority, training small holder farmers in agroforestry and nature-based solutions, tree planting through afforestation and reforestation programs, restoration of degraded environments, tree planting for rehabilitation. Building contour trenches, contour bunds, planting of indigenous trees and grass species to reduce soil erosion, indigenous trees for land cover, medicinal purpose and also to combat desertification and cooling the climate.

Our Target Groups: - Small holder farmers with special focus on women, youths, children and farmers’ organizations, public and private sector and research organizations.With a population of 15,000 women, 10,000 youth and 5,000 farmers involved in farming agriculture, cultivating 1-5 acres of   land. 

Our approaches are adaptation and mitigation in order to ensure food security and sustain livelihoods.Through activities like= soil nutrient management, soil and water conservation, agronomic practices such as crop rotation, inter cropping and agroforestry for them to achieve increased environment resilience in different agro-ecological zones, and in order to to preserve and reverse land degradation. 

Impact of the Idea caused/Environmental Impacts

• Reduced deforestation and fuel wood consumption by 50% due to the use of fast growing agroforestry trees like-Sesbania Sesban, Calliandra and Leucaena.
• Reduced carbon dioxide to the atmosphere and increased carbon sequestration due to the planting of trees and use of improved wood efficient saving, cook stoves.
• Improved soil fertility due to the promotion of agroforestry nitrogen fixing trees and organic farming to 50% of the community farms.
• Increased and improved vegetation (Biodiversity) in the community of Namanjalala.
• Rehabilitated, protected and conserved water sheds and ecosystems leading to reduced soil erosion and flooding.
• Increased capacity to deal with uncertainty and increased resilience and enhanced ecosystem resilience.
• Availability of clean water, wood fuel and cooking energy to rural women in the community of Namanjalala.
• Improved number of conserved indigenous forest and river banks, streams due to the growing of grass species and planting of indigenous trees like-Syzygium, Prunus africanum, river acacia and others.
• Reduced soil erosion, water erosion, wind erosion due to the application of SALM (Sustainable Agricultural Land Management) practices and agroforestry system, nature-based solutions and through afforestation, reforestation and rehabilitation efforts.
• Availability of rainfall and replenishment of wildlife habitat and water quality.

Sustainable Development Impacts Caused

• Improved women's daily lives due to the availability of wood fuel to 90% of the households in the community.
• Improved food security, nutrition due to cultivation of agroforestry crops, maize to 80% of the households.
• Women are also able to participate in leadership positions and political sphere. Girls to compete with boys in development agendas to build the nation and women's right strengthened and laws protecting women enforced.
• Community members able to provide for their families, availability of school fees to children, members become food sufficient, poverty drastically reduced, community members able to build good houses and purchase milk cows to bring in some income and for nutrition purposes and good health. Agricultural practices changed from mono-culture to diversified crops to increase incomes from small scale farming.

IMARA CBO and partners are much placed to undertake the project, because the local community around us have discovered us to be environment healthy friendly organization and from our previous project activities addressing poverty, war against deforestation, ecosystem degradation and environment pollution, and from our activities which focus on conserving, preserving, and protecting nature through actions like restoration, prevention, protection and advocacy activities which lead to safeguarding our planet and its fauna and flora. Other actors lack knowledge of improved technological, scientific and agroforestry and nature-based solutions know how. Imara CBO, we deliver transformative science to a future with healthy bio diverse and productive landscapes for the benefit of people and the environment, provides conservation-based training to the conservation communities, that’s why we are different and why other actors cannot undertake this project. We use technology and apply techniques in our activities and learning and training of our farmers and target groups, that’s why we are much placed to undertake the project due to climate change aspects to make our farmers to be resilient and cope up with climate change and adapt to.The IMARA CBO team (on site Project Managers) are all trained in forestry, agroforestry, livestock management, nature-based solutions and are learned possessing, diplomas, degrees in their field of work.

Yes we have done some research with the community, we partnered with the Vi. Agroforestry NGO and IUCN TO IMPLEMENT AN INTEGRATED CONSERVATION PROJECT in 2013-2014, by restoring the degraded Sabwani catchment. The community has been involved in the restoration by planting indigenous tree species and the growing of bamboos along the Sabwani river banks.

• Analysis of the Problem/Needs, Constraints and Opportunities: -The community faces enormous energy problem, people have to travel long distances to obtain firewood, poverty, hunger and environmental degradation coupled with inappropriate farming practices over 90% of rural households use firewood for cooking while 80% of urban households depend on charcoal as a primary source of fuel for cooking, 5% of the population has access to electricity. Low income. Unemployment and ecosystem degradation and lack of funds constitute the bulk of constraints that affect the Namanjalala community.
• Increased poverty and food insecurity due to declining incomes and employment, limited surplus land for agriculture and declining soil fertility require more efficient use of available land.      

                                  COMMUNITY NEEDS: -

• Small industries for development and processing for value addition
• Agro-vet shops for animal feeds and medicines.
• Agricultural policy and development training, workshops and seminars.
• Access to affordable housing and secure land tenure, participation in decision making.
• Diversification of livelihoods through income generating activities.
• Flood control mechanisms, construction of more water pans, dams, contour trenches and etc. and rehabilitation of the existing ones.
• Value addition on the products they produce, dairy products projects, poultry, and horticulture.
• Capacity building of the community on diverse issues, agroforestry, land restoration and improved storage facilities
• Improvement of infrastructure, roads, dispensaries and hospitals.

                                       COMMUNITY CONSTRAINTS

• High poverty level in the community.
• Excessive rains during the month of July-August that prolongs flooding in Sabwani, Buyanzi, Maliki, Milimani and Lurare villages.
• Low tree density, grass cover and forage production.
• High cost of farm implements.
• Livestock damage to trees and grass species.
• High percentage of bare land at 25% in average.

                               COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITIES

• Extension services, Rainfall availability    
• Water availability, Good weather conditions
• Vi. Agroforestry Project NGO, Lake Basin and ICIPE NGO, Forest Dept.
• Training and capacity building, education and manpower, grants from government and networking with diverse stakeholders for development.

Project Innovativeness:- Our project idea is innovative approach in terms of pursuing agroforestry technologies and in using modern engineering technologies in fighting environmental degradation and climate change, pursuing effective conflict resolution and redress for human right and land rights violations and providing rehabilitation measures to restore, conserve the environment with guaranteed representation of indigenous people and other first peoples and forest dependent communities using Sustainable Agricultural Land Management and Participatory Land Use Planning Methodology for economic development in the changing climate. Is innovative in terms of recognizing the importance of agriculture in adaptation and mitigation efforts climate smart agriculture, as an approach to agriculture that sustainably increases productivity, enhances adaptation and mitigates emissions where possible has gained ground in IMARA CBO to inform discussions on improved design targeting monitoring of Imara Investment in Nature-Based Solutions and to highlight intervention in Namanjalala where Imara is working that create both mitigation and food security benefits. It is also innovative in terms of addressing new methods and technologies and involving local farmers and empowering new target groups. Imara CBO is innovative in the form of information and technologies dissemination through various channels that include: -

• Field-days
• Open learning days
• Exhibition and Agricultural shows
• Through Media-Radio talks.
• Through training and the application of SALM and PLUP methodology.

Proposed activity description will cover the following 7 key areas: -

• Public awareness campaigns
• Tree planting and tree seedlings production 1,150,000.
• Outreach and education to the community to foster the vision and mission of Imara.
• Mobilize the public and private sector to get involved in the protection and conservation of the environment especially the catchment areas and mountain land cover vegetation.
• Dissemination of environmental message through extension unit and media.
• Encourage Kenyans to move and act to make an informed society on environmental issues, creating awareness on environmental challenges and solutions. Waste management and clean up campaigns

Goals Concise and Brief

• To strengthen community institutions in biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation while producing sustainable livelihoods through agriculture and land productivity.
• Improving food security, environmental stability through productivity and crop diversification and rehabilitation of the degraded environments in community.
• To meet and advice at least 3,500 small scale holder farmers in agroforestry and tree management and practice good agricultural system through SALM and PLUP.
• To produce tree seedlings (Agroforestry) through our nurseries and offer free extension services and education to farmers in the community of Namanjalala.

To achieve the above stated goals, 5 immediate objectives have been identified as follows: -

• Diversification of products for food security, firewood, income generation and agri-business for improved livelihood.
• Promoting improvement of soil fertility and productivity at community levels through use of manure and soil fertility enhancing crops, promoting water conservation harvesting and management through appropriate technologies and supporting livestock production for dairy cows and networking with diverse stakeholders.
• To identify practical actions and agricultural system that can be implemented at farm level and household and provide technical assistance to farmers through our extension community facilitators (CFs).
• Promoting entrepreneurship and employment for youth, women and farmers, grow high value crops for income generation.
• Sensitize farmers on the severity of soil erosion and convince them to undertake conservation measures for monitoring land degradation.

Use of advanced improved technological, scientific and agroforestry and nature-based solutions know how.And use of techniques, like- tumbukiza, digging of water pans for small irrigation, water canals, use of contour bunds, contour trenches and grass strip growing along the contours. The application of PUSH-PULL technology in the agricultural fields to fight pests without using chemical pesticides for human safety and soil organisms safety.These technologies are used to cope up with the climate change aspects in today's world of changing climates.

THE IMARA CBO SOLUTIONS TARGET TO REACH 6,500 SMALL SCALE HOLDERS AND MORE THAN 1,200 HOUSE HOLDS WITH A POPULATION OF 2,525 PEOPLE IN THE 23 VILLAGES IN NAMANJALALA, THAT COVERS AN AREA OF 42 KILOMETERS SQUARE. NEXT YEAR WE HOPE TO REACH UP TO 13,000 FARMERS THROUGH OUR PROJECT INTERVENTIONS. THIS WILL BE DONE THROUGH OUR EXTENSION UNIT, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR PARTNERS, Vi. AGROFORESTRY NGO, NEMA-KITALE OFFICE, LAKE BASIN AUTHORITY, ICIPE NGO.

• Increased poverty and food insecurity due to declining incomes and employment, limited surplus land for agriculture and declining soil fertility require more efficient use of available land. 
•    Lack of ownership of the problems and poverty 

• High poverty level in the community.
• Excessive rains during the months of July-August that prolongs flooding in Sabwani, Buyanzi, Maliki, Milimani and Lurare villages.
• Low tree density, grass cover and forage production.
• High cost of farm implements.
• Livestock damage to trees and grass species.
• LACK OF FINANCIAL AND CAPITAL RESOURCES, OUR PROJECT NEEDS ABOUT 4,203,592/= TO IMPLEMENT THIS WORK.

IMARA CBO PARTNERS: -Vi. Agroforestry Project NGO, NEMA Kitale, Forest Dept, Ministry of Agriculture and Lake Basin Authority, ICIPE NGO. In sharing ideas, training and joint activities.

TREE SEEDLINGS PRODUCTION, FREE EXTENSION SERVICES TO THE COMMUNITY, TREE SEEDS COLLECTION AND EXTRACTION FOR SALE TO INDIVIDUAL FARMERS AND GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS FOR REVENUE. TRAINING AND CAPACITY BUILDING, FREE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND CAMPAIGNS AND ADVOCACY ACTIVITIES IN THE COMMUNITIES.

The project management will make sure that 30% is deducted from all sales of all income generating activities for the purpose of sustainability.
 By working through research partnerships with women's groups, youth, researchers, and farmers' organizations in Namanjalala, we shall form a community committee which shall spearhead the project's activities so we will still identify the locally available resources and mobilize the funds to keep us moving and create other projects to be run to help us continue.  By forging new partnerships with investors, funders, this will contribute towards sustainability of our income generating activities through shared experiences, knowledge exchange and accessibility to cheaper and more readily available resources and expertise.  And networking with other business organizations, will ensure the survival and sustainability of our projects and signing new agreements (M.o.U) with county governments and other collaborators. Team leaders and committees to be formed at all villages and extension workers (Volunteers selected) to oversee the continuation of our project activities in the community. By working through partnerships, and shared experiences, knowledge exchange and networking with various groups we'll still pursue our ambitions.