From Scarcity to Resilient Landscapes: Ndeiya’s Agroecology Shift
Kenya is advancing an agroecology transition supported by a national strategy informed by CGIAR. Through participatory approaches, partners in Ndeiya, Kiambu County, are developing scalable, climate-resilient food systems. Over 1,000 farmers were trained, 200 households created kitchen gardens, 17 schools established organic gardens and tree nurseries, and 5,000 tree seedlings support land restoration. A network of Farmer Researchers and a Participatory Guarantee System group, together with the local host training center, CSHEP, now work towards linking agrobiodiversity, school meals, and markets, improving nutrition, incomes, youth engagement, and women’s leadership.
The semi-arid and peri-urban Ndeiya Sub-County in Kenya has long been defined by scarcity. The area receives only about 500 mm of rainfall annually, and water is so limited that many families ration it strictly for drinking. Crop failures are common under these dry conditions, and conventional maize and beans often fail. Biodiversity also remains minimal. As a result, more than 2,600 households (approximately 6.5%) depended on government relief food.
Today, Ndeiya is part of Kenya’s broader transition toward agroecology. This shift has also been supported by the CGIAR Multifunctional Landscapes Program through its Biodiversity for Resilient Ecosystems in Agricultural Landscapes (B-REAL) project, funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC). The Program is working with partners such as CSHEP to demonstrate pathways towards climate-resilient food systems. Founded by Esther Kagai, a first-generation Africa Women Leaders in Agroecology mentee, CSHEP has established two training Centres and trained more than 1,000 farmers in agroecological practices such as composting, soil regeneration, crop diversification, and water-efficient kitchen gardening.
Building on this foundation, the Program connects agroecology to wider food systems through school meals, one of the world’s largest social safety nets, which reach about 466 million children globally and represent US$84 billion annually. In Ndeiya, this linkage has created a practical entry point for transforming both production and consumption. At the request of the Kiambu County government, the Multifunctional Schools Network now includes all 17 public comprehensive schools in the area, reaching about 6,000 students. More than 700 of these students participate in 4K Clubs, school-based groups that provide hands-on learning in agriculture and life skills.
Through this network, agroecological practices extend beyond farms into schools. With support from CSHEP, teachers and students have established organic gardens and multipurpose tree nurseries designed to require minimal water. Schools are also emerging as hubs for environmental learning and agrobiodiversity conservation, with plans underway to establish community seed banks to safeguard local crop varieties.
These school gardens directly link agroecology with nutrition and education. They supply vegetables for school meals while equipping students with practical knowledge on composting, mulching, biodiversity, and sustainable food production.
"In partnership with the Multifunctional Landscapes Program, we have changed the mindset of farmers, women and youth, who actively adopt agroecology as a sustainable approach to agriculture and ensure that their households are food secure. Working with the 4K Clubs in Ndeiya, we can see hope and future leaders in the food system whose capacity and skills are strengthened through our partnership." Sylvia Wangui, CSHEP program staff.
At the landscape level, restoration efforts reinforce these gains. Through incentives linked to the Farmer Research Network, farmers receive multipurpose tree seedlings during experimentation cycles, while schools participate in tree-planting campaigns. Together, these efforts have produced and planted approximately 5,000 seedlings over the past three years (starting during the Agroecology Initiative) with an additional 5,000 planned for early 2026, contributing to land restoration and strengthened climate resilience.
The impacts of these integrated efforts are increasingly visible. More than 200 households now maintain kitchen gardens improving nutrition, reducing food expenses, and generating income from vegetable sales. Youth who had previously disengaged from agriculture are returning to participate in agroecological activities, including tree nurseries and small enterprises. One example is George Muturi, whose vermicompost business has grown substantially and now employs 8 youth. With Program support, his production capacity has increased from 4–6 tons per month to about 12–16 tons per month. In the past year alone, the partnership has also empowered more than 300 youths from 15 youth groups through capacity-building in vermicomposting, Black Soldier Fly (BSF) farming, and good business practices such as proper record-keeping and marketing in Kiambu County.
To further strengthen the link between agroecology and markets, the Program has supported training and official certification of a Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) group. The Ndeiya PGS group Ki-Smart includes 74 farmers from the Farmer Research Network supported by Sylvia Wangui. This participatory certification mechanism verifies agroecological and organic practices and allows participating farmers to access the East African organic mark, Kilimo Hai. Through produce aggregation, joint marketing, and small-scale processing, PGS members can reach more stable markets and secure better prices.
Together, these initiatives link agrobiodiversity, school meals, and markets while strengthening local institutions. Ndeiya demonstrates how participatory innovation and agroecology can transform degraded landscapes into climate-resilient food systems improving nutrition, incomes, youth engagement, and women’s leadership.