CABI and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Charter to work together and provide a framework to improve integrated rangeland health management in Kenya.
The agreement will support the development of a Rangelands Improvement Community Hub (RICH) which is necessary for better natural resource management and governance, and the diversification of local economies.
Core elements of RICH include adaptation finance, livestock, manure, and forage improvement, and participatory management.
Promote regenerative agriculture-based business models
The partnership will also promote regenerative agriculture-based business models in the rangelands of Kenya under RICH.CABI also signed a charter with key organisations of the Central Highlands Ecoregion Foodscape (CHEF), of which it is a collaborating member of the CHEF secretariat.
CHEF is an ambitious effort with a broad set of partners to transform the region into a regenerative foodscape where food production practices can actually help improve the health of soil and water supplies while also supporting biodiversity conservation.
Overall, the MoU and the Charter will see all parties working to widely promote regenerative agriculture practices – including ways to increase productivity for greater livelihoods and food security, protect water sources, climate, and the environment.
TNC, founded in the US through grassroots action in 1951, is a global environmental non-profit working to create a world where people and nature can thrive. It impacts conservation in 81 countries and territories: 40 by direct conservation impact and 41 through partners.
Ms Ombonyo said, “CABI recognizes that partnerships are at the heart of sustainable change. Together with The Nature Conservancy and the Central Highlands Ecoregion Foodscape partners, we are protecting Kenya’s rich rangelands and restoring farmland—combating invasive species, enhancing soil health, and promoting land regeneration through native species.
“These efforts advance integrated landscape management (ILM), ensuring lasting benefits for both ecosystems and communities. By placing local stakeholders at the forefront, we are building resilient landscapes where people and nature thrive.”
Applying expertise to solve problems in agriculture and the environment
CABI’s mission is to help improve people’s lives worldwide by providing information and applying expertise to solve problems in agriculture and the environment. Its science finds practical solutions to the most pressing problems in agriculture and the environment, whether it is working out how to stop pests destroying a crop or measuring the effects invasive species are having in a specific region.
TNC, meanwhile, has a long-term interest in the role of agricultural landscapes in nature conservation brings the advantage of “lack of abandonment” of land use initiatives.
It has global experience in shaping actor exchange relations, which plays a decisive, but so far neglected, role in the biodiversity water–climate development nexus.
TNC’s comparative advantage is in the establishment of “organic, multi-stakeholder ecosystems” that are effective than stand-alone initiatives led by government, civil society, the private sector, or academia alone.
Ms Munira Anyonge-Bashir, TNC’s Government Relations and Policy Director, Kenya, said, “By working in partnership with CABI and others, we believe the TNC is better placed to take on some of Kenya’s most pressing challenges by strengthening governance, diversifying economies for improved livelihoods, and improving natural resource management.”
In the process of advancing the ILM agenda
CABI is currently in the process of advancing the ILM agenda. This includes looking at ways to address the drivers of degradation, among them the need for energy sources, such as charcoal and/or firewood, and the importance of protecting water catchments, especially those in proximity to large urban centres.
Kenya’s Central Highlands features a range of interconnected and interdependent habitats. Water flows from Mount Kenya, the second highest peak in Africa, through highland forests and farmland, to the rangelands where livestock and wildlife search for grass. Crops grown include potatoes, snow peas, and sugar snap peas.
However, among the challenges affecting some rangeland communities are the spread of the invasive cactus – the Englemann prickly pear (opuntia engelmannii) – that has taken over grazing lands and reduces the amount of available forage.
CABI supported the CHEF programme to train over 200 community members on sustainably controlling the spread of the cactus, by introducing a sap-sucking insect called a cochineal, provided by neighbour and TNC partner Loisaba Conservancy.
Additional information
Main image: Phyllis Ombonyo and Munira Anyonge-Bashir (fifth and sixth from left) sign the agreement witnessed by colleagues from TNC.
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