, Natural Forest Conservation, Charity Munyasya, presided over the graduation ceremony){kind=link}
Kenya: Kenya Deputy Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF), Natural Forest Conservation, Charity Munyasya, presided over the graduation ceremony of Forestry Farm Field Schools (FFFS) groups from Embu, Meru & Machakos County facilitated by the Green Zones Development Support Project II (GZDSP II).
The ceremony held at Siakago in Embu County signifies the end of a year-long participatory program that aims to identify the needs of forest-adjacent groups in the participating Counties and support & incentivise them in developing non-extractive Income Generating Activities (IGA) through on-farm research.
The programme covers courses in Nursery, Agroforestry & Woodlot establishment; efficient energy systems to reduce reliance on wood fuel; innovative solutions to combat food insecurity and; proposal and grant writing to access funding for community-led livelihood development projects.
Another key programme output is centred on enhancing the skills of the participants as Trainer of Trainers () in model farms, with the graduates demonstrating their practical skills in areas of resilient agriculture, climate change mitigation & value addition in agribusiness during the ceremony.
Also present during the ceremony included the Eastern Conservancy Regional Forest Conservator Monica Ndirangu, Embu County Forest Conservator Bernard Orinda & a representation of stakeholders from the three Counties and Administrative officers from the region.
It is reported that this ceremony signifies the end of a year long participatory programme aimed at identifying the needs of forest-adjacent groups & incentivise them to develop non-extractive Income Generating Activities (IGA) through on-farm research.
Residents of the area appreciate the initiative of the Kenya Forest Service. In 2021, CCF Julius Kamau presided over the graduation ceremony of a team of Kenya Forest Service Rangers who undertook a specialised security training course at the GSU Recce Company training grounds.
The graduates took part in rigorous training aimed at enhancing KFS’s capacity in dealing with the ever-evolving, diverse and dynamic aspects of forest security and protection.