Kenyan Farmers Hope Carbon Market Reforms Will Reward Tree Conservation

Kenyan farmers who have kept trees and wetlands on their land instead of selling to developers are watching carbon credit reforms closely. New rules under the Climate Change (Amendment) Act, 2023 require at least 40% of carbon project revenue to go to communities and landowners. Some groups like Boreka are already committing 60% to farmers, hoping to make tree growing pay off as an economic activity rather than just an environmental duty. The article profiles a coffee estate in Limuru that has resisted real estate offers to preserve natural ecosystems. The owners hope structured carbon trading will eventually reward that choice. Boreka has registered over 1,500 farmers and trains them on carbon credit basics, linking tree planting directly to CO2 removal. A partnership with NCBA Bank has planted about 3,000 trees at the estate so far. The piece is worth reading for anyone tracking how benefit-sharing rules play out on the ground in African carbon projects. It shows the gap between policy intent and farmer expectations, and highlights the practical question of whether carbon revenue will actually compete with development pressure.