Farmers lose Sh240 million in annual income as food production land in public forests shrinks

Farmers living near Kenya’s public forests have lost an estimated Sh240 million in annual income over the past five years due to a sharp decline in the size of forest land set aside for food production. (Photo: Kenya Forest Service)

Farmers living near Kenya’s public forests have lost an estimated Sh240 million in annual income over the past five years due to a sharp decline in the size of forest land set aside for food production.

Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that the area used by communities to grow food crops in public forests declined from 8,410 hectares in 2019 to 3,636 hectares in 2024.

The decline came as Kenya increased its forest cover from 3.47 million hectares in 2019 to 3.59 million hectares in 2024, following afforestation and forest restoration programmes.

Despite the expansion of forest cover by 124,003 hectares, the income earned by farmers cultivating food crops in public forests dropped by more than half.

According to KNBS, annual earnings from the farming activities fell from Sh421 million in 2019 to Sh182 million between 2022 and 2024.

The farming activities are carried out under the Plantation Establishment and Livelihood Improvement Scheme (PELIS), a community-based programme managed by the Kenya Forest Service (KFS).

“Kenya’s public forests contribute to food security through the Plantation Establishment and Livelihood Improvement Scheme (PELIS). PELIS is a community-based forest management programme implemented by the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) that integrates food production with forest restoration efforts,” KNBS says.

Through the programme, communities living next to public forests, usually organised into community forest associations (CFAs), are temporarily allowed to cultivate small portions of land in young plantation forests while planting and caring for tree seedlings.

The arrangement has enabled thousands of households living near public forests to access farming land for food production and earn an income while taking part in forest conservation.

“Common crops grown under PELIS include maize, beans, potatoes and vegetables, providing direct nutritional and economic benefits to households that often have limited access to arable land,” KNBS states.

However, the amount of land available for food production under the programme has continued to shrink, affecting farmers growing different crops.

Land used for maize production declined from 3,814 hectares in 2019 to 1,427 hectares annually from 2022, resulting in an estimated Sh120 million loss in annual income for maize farmers.

The losses accounted for half of the total income lost by communities farming food crops in public forests.

Potato farmers recorded an annual income loss of Sh47 million, with those growing cabbages and sukuma wiki experiencing a similar decline. Pea farmers also lost an estimated Sh24 million annually.

Kenya’s forests had experienced a long period of decline due to forest excisions, agricultural expansion, illegal logging and urbanisation, which contributed to the loss of about 460,000 hectares of forest cover over three decades leading up to 2019.

The situation has gradually improved since then, with forest cover increasing to 3.59 million hectares by 2024.

“However, a gradual recovery has been observed since 2019, with forest area increasing to 3.59 million hectares (6.07 per cent) by 2024, representing a net gain of approximately 124,003 hectares over the five years,” KNBS says.

The statistics agency further reports that Kenya recorded afforestation of 342,427 hectares of forest land between 2019 and 2024, while 218,424 hectares were lost through deforestation.

Under PELIS, farmers are allowed to cultivate food crops after mature trees have been harvested and new seedlings planted. They continue using the land until the growing trees mature and their canopies close, making it difficult to continue farming.

“Through this approach, Kenya’s public forests act as both a restoration area and a source of food resources, contributing an estimated Sh182–420 million annually to domestic incomes,” KNBS says.

However, KNBS notes that the actual contribution of public forests to household incomes could be higher because its estimates do not account for other food and products obtained from forests.

These include traditional vegetables, insects and other non-timber forest products that communities collect and use.