How we can tap into nature and beat climate crisis

Flooded house in Got Agulu, Bondo, Siaya County. [Isaiah Gwengi, Standard]

Kenya should urgently transform its food and land use systems to adapt to devastating effects of climate change and adopt solutions that enable people and nature, prosper.

As a result of extreme weather conditions, food and nutritional security is on the brink of collapse. An estimated 4.5 million people urgently need humanitarian assistance and approximately 2.4 million livestock have died from drought.

Agriculture sector contributes about 33 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product. As a result, our economy is struggling and households grappling with high food prices.

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) offer an integrated approach to tackling food insecurity, nutrition and development challenges. NbS are actions to protect, sustainably manage and restore ecosystems, which deliver climate adaptation and mitigation while providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits.

They are not only a critical part of the National Climate Change Action Plan, which prioritises afforestation and reforestation, but could also push the country closer to newly pledged Global Biodiversity Framework Targets. A recent study estimates that a suite of 18 solutions could mitigate emissions of approximately 80 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year by 2050, while delivering significant gains for biodiversity protection, food security, nutrition, and livelihoods.

Adopting NbS in agriculture through practices such as agroforestry, enhanced soil organic carbon in croplands and grasslands, nutrient management, integrated water management, including catchment protection, holds the strongest potential in mitigating effects of climate change.

They can help improve water infiltration, promote soil health, reduce local temperatures, and increase resilience to droughts, erratic rainfall and high temperatures.

Fortunately, the government is recognising the mitigation and adaptation potential of these solutions. It has made the bold commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 32 per cent and restore 300,000 hectares of forests annually by 2030. However, just 0.1 per cent of the GDP, estimated at US$90 million, is invested in NbS every year, a far cry from the total US$1.2 billion required to unlock their full potential by 2050.

Opportunities exist to attract more investment from global sources, where momentum for NbS is gathering steam. This is particularly true among international corporates seeking to align their value chains with a net-zero future.

The government must accelerate the creation of a supportive policy environment, including a transparent benefit-sharing mechanism that puts communities on the frontline of climate change at the front and centre. It must implement measures such as corrective subsidy reforms that help farmers shift towards sustainable land management practices, securing land tenure and engaging with corporates around the net zero agenda. This could crowd in up to US$1 billion in private sector investment.

-The writer is Director of Vital Landscapes for Africa at the World Resources Institute