Author: KBC Digital

The Kenya Forest Service (KFS) received over three million tree seedlings from Earthbanc, a global climate and agricultural technology company, in a significant boost to the Government’s national tree growing and restoration campaign under the Jaza Miti Initiative.

The contribution supports Kenya’s ambitious target of planting 15 billion trees by 2032, restoring approximately 5.1 million hectares of degraded landscapes, and increasing national tree cover to 30 per cent.

The seedlings, comprising a mix of indigenous and climate-resilient species, have so far been distributed across multiple counties including Uasin Gishu, Elgeyo Marakwet, Nandi, Trans Nzoia, Kericho, Baringo, Kiambu and Makueni. The Kenya Forest Service will coordinate planting efforts in collaboration with county governments, community groups and other stakeholders, with a focus on long-term ecosystem restoration.

Alex Lemarkoko, Chief Conservator of Forests at Kenya Forest Service, notes that the partnership reflects the importance of private sector collaboration in achieving national climate goals.

“The National Tree Growing and Restoration Campaign is a Presidential directive, and the Kenya Forest Service is committed to its full implementation. Our mandate is to reduce greenhouse emissions, stop and reverse deforestation, and restore Kenya’s degraded landscapes to achieve 30 per cent tree cover by 2032. The contribution of partners such as Earthbanc, who have donated over 3 million seedlings to us,  is a demonstration of what is possible when the private sector aligns with national priorities,” he says.

Since commencing operations in Kenya in 2024 through its local subsidiary, Earthtree Company Limited, Earthbanc has supported the production of up to six million seedlings, trained hundreds of farmers in agroforestry and sustainable land management, and donated beehives to enhance pollination and diversify rural incomes. Of the approximately six million seedlings raised, over three million have been donated to KFS.

Earthbanc Co-Chief Executive Officer, Rishabh Khanna, says the initiative reflects the company’s long-term commitment to ecosystem restoration and community-based climate action.

“Kenya’s climate restoration ambition is one of Africa’s boldest, and we are honoured to play our part. We have raised six million seedlings, and each one represents a step towards restored land, a cleaner environment, and a more secure livelihood for the farming communities who tend them. What we care about most is sharing and preserving the knowledge and tools with communities to keep those trees alive for generations. That is the restoration economy, where communities earn from the land they restore, and that is what we are building together with the people of Kenya,” he notes.

Earthree Company Limited works closely with the Kenya Forest Service, the Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (Kenya-AIST), local communities, and the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry to scale restoration efforts and strengthen community participation.

Beyond environmental benefits, the initiative integrates livelihood support through agroforestry, enabling communities to benefit from fruit trees and other non-timber forest products while contributing to national restoration targets.

Kenya’s Jaza Miti Initiative has continued to record strong progress since its launch, with hundreds of millions of trees planted, thousands of organisations engaged, and widespread participation through national tree planting campaigns.

The partnership between KFS and Earthbanc highlights the growing role of public-private collaboration in advancing Kenya’s transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy while delivering environmental, social and economic benefits at scale.