The Nyayo Tea Zones Development Corporation is committed to the preservation of forests in Kenya: The establishment of so-called buffer zones counteracts deforestation by planting trees and tea. In addition to the production of environmentally friendly tea, the project benefits the resources of the forests and the livelihoods of the communities living near the forests, says project manager Wallace Gichunge.
Wallace Gichunge is a journalist who has worked as a communications manager on behalf of the Kenyan government for more than fifteen years, particularly on the issues of forest conservation and tea production. He also founded the Centre for Media & Information Literacy Kenya.
The destruction of forest cover and biodiversity in Kenya’s tropical highlands reached its crescendo towards the end of the last millennium, with the 1980’s marking an unprecedented human activity around the major forests in the country. Settlements, commercial lumbering and annexations by powerful political and business interests led to the loss of large swathes of gazetted forests in Kenya, thereby threatening food security and rural economy which relies on subsistence agriculture.
To curb this wanton loss of forestland and water towers across the country, an idea of community-friendly conservation model using tea buffer zones was mooted in 1986, leading to the birth of Nyayo Tea Zones Development Corporation (NTZDC). The 932-kilometer-long tea and trees buffer belts are ensconced between the gazetted forests and community settlements, weaving along the forest edges in Kenya’s lush green highlands thereby creating harmony between the planet, the people around the forests.
The Corporation’s unique blend of conservation agriculture and livelihoods support to peri-forest communities has heralded a successful and sustainable forest conservation model as envisaged during its inception in 1986. Over the last 37 years, the Corporation has maintained a sustainable smart-agricultural venture of tea and tree buffer zones which continuously support forest conservation and regeneration while at the same time providing an alternative source of income for daily subsistence to the forest communities who help maintain operations in the zones through planting, plucking, weeding, pruning and fertilizer application, among other agronomical activities.
Since its establishment, the Corporation has made the following achievements:
The Corporation has established 932 kilometers (9,322 hectares) of tea and tree buffer zones which protect over 975,582 hectares of gazetted forests across the country. The buffer zones have successfully stopped human encroachment into the forestland and contributed to the protection and regeneration of the protected forests.
NTZDC has recorded substantial growth in tea production and processing through its Kipchabo and Gatitu tea factories. Through its value addition and marketing unit, the corporation sells an average of 0.5 million kgs of value-added tea in the local market which contributes to food security in the country.
In addition, the Corporation contributes significantly to alternative livelihood support for peri-forest communities in the areas it operates in through employment creation for the local communities. The Corporation engages between 12,000 and 14,000 people daily as casual workers in its tea and tree plantations as well as the factories, thereby creating a strong partnership with local communities in its forest conservation efforts.
In this regard, the Corporation pays out more than Kshs. 600 million ($4.8m) annually as remuneration for plantation labour provided by the peri-forest communities in buffer maintenance activities in its operations across the country. This has proved to be a significant contribution to the rural economy which has cushioned the local communities against extreme poverty and increased their resilience to the negative effects of climate change including poor nutrition.
For sustainability through value addition, the Corporation operates two tea processing factories at Kipchabo in Nandi County and Gatitu in Kirinyaga County respectively. The two factories process the Corporation’s teas in the nearby zones and have created over 150 employment opportunities for the local community comprising of youths drawn from the factory catchment areas. The factories have also impacted their neighbourhoods through infrastructure development and other social amenities.
The Corporation’s flagship tea brands-Eco, Chabo and Gatitu teas-are sold locally across the country which contributes to food security in the country. Notably, tea is an essential item in the daily meal-plans of many households in Kenya.
The Corporation’s conservation efforts have greatly mitigated the negative impacts of deforestation on agriculture and the environment in Kenya such as soil erosion, food shortage and climate change.
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