How Community-Led Restoration is Transforming Kenya’s Drylands: The Tulia Approach

   

   Across Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs), a quiet transformation is taking root—one led not by outside experts, but by local communities themselves as stakeholders and led by vibrant youths.

   At Tulia Africa Initiative, we believe in the power of the people most affected by climate change to lead the way in restoring the very landscapes they call home. From Makueni, Machakos to Kitui, we’re witnessing firsthand how community-driven action is not just healing the land—but also restoring hope. But first do we understand the challenges? Lets explore some here:

Challenge in Kenya’s Drylands

   Kenya’s drylands cover over 80% of the country and are home to millions who depend on natural resources for survival. But years of deforestation, overgrazing, and climate shocks have left these landscapes deeply degraded.

  Too often, restoration projects are implemented without meaningful involvement of the people who live on and know the land best. This results in short-lived interventions and lost opportunities for long-term impact. We believe to understand soil heath better or the regenerative practices deployed by communities, we need to first understand:

• How farmers are approaching soil Health or different practices
• What motivates them
• What holds them back
• how different practices like cover crops,agroforestry fit into their management strategies.

We’ve learned something powerful: when local people lead restoration, it lasts.
Here’s why:

• Ownership: When communities are involved from the start, they take responsibility for the outcomes, as we always say,restoration is not a project to them but a way of life!

• Traditional knowledge: Local practices like cut-and-carry, tree preservation, and seed saving are part of the solution.

• Inclusion: Women and youth, often excluded from decision-making, become key stewards of change.

At Tulia, we listen first, act second.

 Here we showcase Tulia's Approach ;

Tulia is rooted in the idea that restoring degraded land is not a one-time event—it’s a community journey.

We align our work with Makueni County’s Forest and Landscape Restoration Plan (FOLAREP) recently published by https://www.cifor-icraf.org/locations/africa/kenya/ in this publication;https://www.cifor-icraf.org/publications/pdf/plans/Makueni-FOLAREP.pdf?utm_source=cifor-icraf.org&utm_medium=site-search&utm_campaign=traffic-source

• Restoring degraded agricultural lands through agroforestry and regenerative farming

• Rehabilitating degraded hills and forests, especially in areas like Makuli-Nzaui and Kiu-Kalanzoni

• Training local champions to lead restoration efforts in their villages

• Partnering with technical organizations and county leaders to scale impact

Every tree planted, every farmer trained, every dry patch greened—these are stories of communities rising.

 What’s Ahead for Tulia

In the coming months, we’re planning:

• More community trainings on climate-smart practices

• Establishment of community nurseries for native and fruit tree species

• A pilot demonstration site to showcase soil and water conservation methods

• Deeper engagement with women’s groups and schools

Our goal? To create restoration models that can be owned, adapted, and scaled by the very people they serve.

Join Us on This Journey

We invite you to:
✅ Follow our work at www.tuliaafrica.org
✅ Read, comment, and share our blog posts
✅ Partner with us—through support, resources, or volunteering

Restoring land is restoring dignity.
And at Tulia Africa, we’re doing both—one village at a time.