Communities within Lake Naivasha basin have now moved to conserve blocks of the Aberdare forest through the formation of Community Forest Associations.
The CFAs are spearheading the Plantation Establishment Livelihood Improvement Scheme to achieve a healthy plantation of exotic trees.
Pelis replaces the shamba system, where villagers were allowed to farm in forests and plant trees. Although the two systems operate differently, the basic principle is similar.
They exploit a form of agroforestry where farmers are encouraged to cultivate primary crops (maize, bananas, beans and cassava) on previously clear-cut public forest land on the condition that they replant trees.
WHY SHAMBA SYSTEM FAILED
The shamba system, which in theory sought to involve landless communities in forest conservation, was steeped in controversy in Kenya for a long time now. By the early 1980s, many problems associated with the system started emerging – notably encroaching on natural forests and destroying trees.
Besides being open to abuse, critics point to the replacement of indigenous forests with exotic tree monocultures.
“Pelis deals with organised groups unlike shamba system, therefore making our work successful, as members comply with the law. They also make their own laws and enforce them and the enforcement of KFS becomes minimal,” says Daniel Koros, the World Wildlife Fund for Nature’s technical officer for the Naivasha Landscape Programme.
The fund has now partnered with Kenya Forest Service to rollout Pelis and rehabilitate the nearby Aberdares forest.
“There is a close relation between climate change and forests and if trees are cut down, rivers are going to dry up. About 70 per cent of rivers from the Aberdares flow to lake Naivasha,” Koros explains.
Koros says they negotiated with KFS to allow members of Kiburu forest block CFA to plant indigenous trees in the forest.
Members are not paid but they get benefits in form of user rights from the forest.
Those who own small pieces of land at their homes are provided with larger site areas in the forest where they plant trees and food seedlings that are not climbers.
The benefits include grazing, collection of firewood and herbal medicine.
In Geta Forest Block, farmers have come up with a participatory management plan that cost them over Sh3 million.
The plan outlines the various activities to be performed by CFA and the KFS whereby the CFA have the mandate of cultivating in a designated area in the forest.
The plan also outlines how long one can cultivate the land and the penalties if one misuses the land.
Jamleck Macharia, chairman of Geta Pelis, says: “We have benefited much from this forest by cutting of grass, grazing and firewood collection once per day by paying Sh100 for 30 days.”
HOW PELIS WORKS
Macharia says their CFA has more than 6,000 members and every member gets half an acre, by paying Sh750 for three years.
However, not everybody gets the land and members have to ballot.
Planting of trees takes place in one day and everybody has to participate. About 320 seedlings are planted in every half an acre of the forest.
Plantation of cypress trees is done at a distance of three metres, while that of pine is two metres squared.
Farmers can then plant any kind of crops for their own use and business as they tend the trees.
“Pelis has changed my life as I have now bought four acres of land outside and have taken my kids to school,” he adds.
Macharia says he plants 1kg of snowpeas at his land in the forest and harvests 300kg after 75 days of planting.
James Kariuki, the Kiburu CFA chairman of south Kinangop forest block, says poorer members are more favoured so they can rise out of poverty.
Frost has also been a challenge to local farmers but WWF has been providing them with crops that are resistant.
Frost has also been a challenge to local farmers but WWF has been providing them with crops that are resistant to frost, such as Kakamega 1 Napier grass.
“We are given vouchers to go and collect farm inputs from agro vets that we will use in our farms,” Samuel Gichuki Ngotho, a farmer, says.
Ngotho has been able to buy an extra piece of land and has taken his kids to school through proceeds from his farm.
Flower farms in Naivasha depend on the water from the lake directly. Although some have bore holes, this water is also considered to be from lake Naivasha.