Our initial projects were at Kajiado, Transmara, Machakos,Narok and Kisumu where we helped establish growers networks with the aim of creating awareness and promoting commercial afforestation.

Upon successful impelementation in Transmara, Narok and Kisumu, we are now more actively involved in Kajiado, Kitui and Narok

LINKS

Kajiado
Our field office is based at Kisaju, in Kajiado, which is just off the main road, 25 km from Kitengela and approximately 15km from Kajiado Town.

This demo plot, established in 2004 is a testimony of what can be done productively in arid areas in terms of tree planting not only for biodiversity purposes but also for food, fuel and fodder.

It is also a show case of organic, permacultural land management systems in dry land areas where both indigenous and exotic trees grow together in harmony

Organic
The Trust promotes "good practices" in holistic natural resources management. Dominant in our philosophy is organic production systems characterised by:

• Chemical-free inputs

• Near Zero carbon dioxide emissions

• Production and use of renewable energy (solar water pumps) agroenergy farming systems, etc

• Community participation and ownership of technologies

Permacultural land management systems

Permaculture is a land use module and a philosophy that emphasises working with nature rather than mindless conquests of it.

It is a land use system that ensures that land is permanently producing yields and meeting people?s needs in a humane and sustainable way. It promotes and enhances biodiversity, bio linkages and biological actitivies. It is a system that heavily borrows from nature and employs these natural principles to promote long term ecological harmony, land wholesomeness and integrity.

At our Kisaju demonstration plot, we have taken into cognisance the essential role design plays for the success of this system.

Unless a permacultural system is properly designed, then energy and water (the key ingredients) are likely to dissipate and be inefficiently applied likely to dissipate and be inefficiently applied.

Ultimately, then our permacultural system is highly design intensive, we heavily rely on what we learn by careful observation of the natural world and use that as the basis for our designs.

Our crop guilds and regimen are also a mosaic blend of runners, climbers, tubers, legumes, grasses (maize), indigenous and exotic species of trees. All these co-exist and benefit each other, the land owners and enrich the soil.

With this kind of system, there are no borders, only new frontierato discover. It is a truly remarkable and practical land use module.

Narok
In close liaison with Olerai Farm Ltd , we have been working around the greater Narok area in encouraging both exotic and indigenous afforestation.
By planting exotic forests, we hope that the pressure from the natural indigenous forests will ease off.

In partnership with Intrepid/Guerba Trees for Africa initiatives and Ilariak Eco lodge, The Trust is establishing a 100 acre private arboretum to act as a seed orchard, organic biopharmacy, as well as CO₂ reduction facility


Kitui
Working closely with Nyumbani Children of God Village , the Trust has been able to start off a dryland riparian permacutural system which involves community members in non-resident ?shamba? system on private land.

Shamba system
This is a method introduced in pre-independence times as a way of managing plantation forests for the government. The government provided the land and the seedlings whilst the local communities provided labour and in turn benefited from crops.

The Trust is working on applying this system on private land by improving access to land and water for farming by landless rural families