14,000 Nyatike Residents to Benefit from Fruit Tree and Poultry Farming Initiative

Key Highlights

• 14,000 residents in Nyatike Sub-County to benefit from a land restoration and value chain programme.
• Initiative led by Restore Africa International under the Global EverGreening Alliance.
• Focus on fruit tree planting and poultry farming to boost food security and incomes.
• Migori County sets aside KSh20 million to support fruit tree planting.
• Programme also links farmers to markets and promotes climate resilience.
• Goal: restore 250,000 hectares of land and sequester 11.1 million tonnes of carbon across five counties.

Some 14,000 residents in Nyatike Sub-County are set to benefit from an international value chain initiative focused on fruit trees and poultry farming, aimed at restoring degraded land and improving livelihoods.

The programme, spearheaded by Restore Africa International in partnership with the Global EverGreening Alliance, seeks to capture carbon from the atmosphere while building resilient farming systems in semi-arid areas such as Kadem and Kachieng Wards.

Restore Africa International Programme Coordinator in Kenya, Kennedy Oyugi, said the initiative is farmer-led and designed to put more land into productive use.

Nyatike, though semi-arid, has vast unproductive land that could be irrigated using Lake Victoria’s waters.

Besides land restoration, the programme will distribute fruit seedlings and poultry chicks, while also linking farmers to markets.

“We want to ensure that farmers not only produce food for their families but also generate income and build sustainable livelihoods,” Oyugi noted.

Migori County has pledged Sh20 million to support fruit tree planting efforts. According to Deputy Director of Agriculture Kennedy Ogutu, the county has already issued 10,000 seedlings to farmers.

“We want to support our farmers to have decent farming activities and build on what our partners have started,” he said.

Local farmer Martin Duro, a teacher from North Kadem, said his pawpaw and mango farming venture—started in 2022—has already transformed his income.

He welcomed the programme’s market linkages but called for more extension officers to guide farmers.

The Restore Africa Programme is also active in Elgeyo Marakwet, Kilifi, Kwale, and Narok counties, with an ambitious goal to restore 250,000 hectares of degraded land and sequester 11.1 million tonnes of carbon by 2052, benefiting over 250,000 smallholder farmers and pastoralists.