Promoting Private Clonal Nurseries Among the Youth Using Tree Biotechnology in Western Kenya

Promoting Private Clonal Nurseries among the youth using Tree Biotechnology in Western Kenya

Concept Note for Discussion and implementation

Time-Frame: 2 years

Focus Population of Youths, (both men & women): Youth in Western Kenya, age between 18 years and 32 years

Geographic Coverage: Western Kenya

Partners

Background
In Kenya, 1.7% of land is currently covered by forests which are far below 10% ideal cover. Indigenous forests are being cut down at an alarming rate to meet increased population demands on agricultural land and energy requirements of the country. Charcoal and fuel wood are estimated to provide 95% source of energy to individual households. World Bank survey among other studies have in the past indicated that 65% of the forest needs will be unmet by 2020 if no major interventions are adopted. Several agencies, both within the government of Kenya and non-governmental have taken the necessary steps to help increase the forest cover to the recommended 10%. Key among the players is the Tree Biotechnology Programme Trust with a Tree Biotechnology project that works to strengthen capacities of small holder farmers’ for localized clonal production and seedlings’ distribution networks.

The ideas envisioned under the “Promoting Private Clonal Nurseries among the youth using Tree Biotechnology in Western Kenya Project” aim to stimulate production, distribution and utilization of clonally propagated indigenous trees in Western Kenya. The project will endeavor to provide the target youths with knowledge of how clonal technology can mitigate the effects of climate change, contribute to environment & biodiversity conservation & management and viable business opportunities accruing from the project as well as forging strategic partnerships with several stakeholders, key among them financial institutions that can support the youth led project through credit and savings facilities for sustainability of this venture. The project will, in the initial stages, seek grants from donors and other well wishers, for the initial start up capital to provide to the target youths and also funds for the trainings and other management costs.

In brief, the project is expected to:

1. Coordinate the organization of the local youth population into 10 working groups composed of 30 members each. The groups are the entry points through which the project will seek to have an access to the local communities of the region
2. To conduct the training of the 300 youths within the 10 groups on topics that include effects of climate change on socio-economic development of the country and how to mitigate this effects using science & technology, biodiversity & environmental degradation, tree clonal technology & management of tree nurseries, and distribution & marketing strategies among others

1. Establish a clonal tree technology transfer project in Western Kenya targeting the youths for the locally produced and propagated indigenous tree germplasm
2. Form strategic partnership with an already set up production facility for the sake of ease of access to vegetative propagated material and to avoid duplication of already done work, paying particular attention to a facility that integrates the production process to locally available raw materials and appropriate technologies.
3. Develop district demonstration and distribution nurseries that will be managed by well trained youths and establish links with partners and other stakeholders for the efficient distribution of plantlets throughout the main tree growing regions of Western Kenya and beyond for easy access by local growers and farmers.
4. Build absorptive capacity for biotechnology application in mitigating the effects of climate change and biodiversity & environment conservation and promote interaction among the local academic institutions, relevant government ministries, local & international NGOs and commercial enterprises involved in conservation of the environment, leading to possible joint ventures and a sustainable long-term Clonal Propagation Programme in the region.

Key Objective

The major objective of the project is to allow for the participation of the Kenyan youth in contributing to the mitigation of the effects of climate change, biodiversity & environment conservation and upgrading of the youths' socio-economic status by enhancing the availability of improved tree seedlings at affordable costs through up-scaling of available novel technologies.

The project objectives are:

1. To mobilize the youths in Western Kenya and empower them to harness clonal technology for mitigation of the effects of climate change, conservation of local biodiversity & the environment and for socio-economic development;
2. To build capacity among the youths in Western Kenya on clonal propagation techniques through diffusion of tunneling techniques as well as through the conventional clonal propagation and management of clonal tree nurseries;
3. To expand participation in adoption of clonal technology by a diverse range of stakeholders within the Western Kenya region, especially the youths in and outside academic institutions; small scale farm house holds, academic institutions within the region; and government and non-governmental agencies in and outside the region among others;
4. To financially empower the young local propagators/entrepreneurs of the clonal tree technology within the Western Kenya region by linking them to micro-credit opportunities for horizontal up scaling of the project within and outside the region;
5. To develop a proper and well coordinated marketing strategy for the clonal tree seedlings produced from the nurseries and the end-products. This will be achieved through forging strategic partnerships with several stakeholders both within and outside the government agencies in and outside the region;
6. To increase household incomes arising out of the sale of tree seedlings and with the guidance of the project coordinators, the youths will be encouraged to invest the profits accrued from the sales of the seedlings in clean energy projects like biogas and solar energy production.

Rationale

The project seeks to streamline the participation of the youths from Western Kenya in the development and adoption of biotechnology process geared specifically towards climate change adaptation, mitigation of the impacts of climate change and socio-economic development of the youths. The project seeks to tap into the large un-utilized human resources provided by the youth population in the region to initiate activities that will help in addressing the chronic issues of deforestation in the region that has contributed to climate change, excessive biodiversity loss and environmental degradation. These, in effect have led to food insecurity, malnutrition, poverty and desperation among the population in the country, and Africa as a whole. The most affected by the climate change are the rural youth population who are just in the process of trying to orient themselves to the socio-economic bearings of their societies. The project seeks to support the youths by seeking financial and logistical support from both the private and public sectors so as to enable the youths set up and maintain sustainable and environment friendly entrepreneurial projects.

Young people with viable business ideas will be able to access start up capital from PROJECT through the African Youth Bio-Entrepreneurship Fund. Funds will be allocated based on the entrepreneurial idea, size, feasibility of the idea and budget. Funding to the entrepreneurial ideas under the “Promoting Private Clonal Nurseries among the youth using Tree Biotechnology in Western Kenya Project” supported by the Youth Bio-entrepreneurship Fund will vary from Kshs. 50,000 – 250,000 per project. African Youth Bio-Entrepreneurship fund requirements are designed to make the process of accessing the funds youth friendly:

1. No collateral asked for
2. Management fee of 10 per cent
3. Grace period – between 2 and 4 months
4. Payback period – Up to 2 years based on amount awarded

Partners
The project is in the process of looking for partners who will play different roles in execution of the proposed activities within the project outline. The project is keen to involve the participation of the government of Kenya through the relevant ministries and agencies. The project is also keen to involve the participation of local financial institutions, local and international donors, CBOs and NGOs among others.

Strategy / Activities

Through establishing a close collaboration with the government through the relevant ministries and departments, donor communities, youth agencies and the established youth groups, the project seeks to undertake the following activities:

1. Undertake an economic survey of the targeted districts in the region and the households of the targeted youths. The study will also document the key players in environmental conservation in the region and their contribution
2. Identify 300 rural dwelling youths from Western Kenya, who are economically vulnerable and organize them into 10 working groups of 30 members each
3. Form strategic partnership with a local financial institution that will provide credit and saving information and services to the 300 youths organized in the 10 working groups
4. Form strategic partnership with the ministries of Forestry & Wildlife, Environment & Natural Resources and Youth Affairs and also other non-governmental agencies involved in Climate Change Mitigation and Environmental & Biodiversity conservation so as to liaise in the project execution, especially the training sessions for the 10 youth groups focusing on the relevant topics
5. Form strategic partnership with an already set up production facility for the sake of efficient production of vegetative propagated material, paying particular attention to a facility that integrates the production process to locally available raw materials and appropriate technologies.

1. The project will develop a proper and well coordinated marketing strategy for the clonal tree seedlings produced from the nurseries and the end-products. This will be achieved through forging strategic partnerships with several stakeholders both within and outside the government agencies in and outside the region;

1. The project will source for a donor to support the strengthening and expansion of the components of the project, hence enable it to effectively support the youths' initiative and in effect contribute to the overall objective of mitigating the effects of climate change, Biodiversity & Environmental conservation and empowerment of the youth socio-economically.

Implementation

The implementation of the project is expected to be in three phases namely;

1. Testing,
2. Commercialization and
3. Regional Expansion,

At the project initiation, the first phase will entail efforts to transfer the clonal technology to the local youth population of the region by building capacities and enhancing understanding of the key institutional arrangements needed for successful adoption and expansion of the project in the subsequent two phases. The youth population will be trained on the various aspects of the technology as well as topics like ways of mitigating the effects of climate change, environment & biodiversity conservation and community engagement in the restoration of the forest cover among others.

During the first phase, the project will establish strategic partnership with the several stakeholders, key among them a facility with the capacity to supply the clean clonal materials to the 10 youth groups for establishment of the clonal tree nurseries. The tree nurseries will be established and managed by the youths with closer supervision from experienced personnel who have knowledge in management of the clonal tree nurseries.

The second phase will entail the marketing of the clonal tree seedlings to the target market. The project targets the following for sale: learning institutions in and out of the region; non-governmental organizations involved in the reclamation of Kenya's major water towers and conservation of biodiversity & environment; private and public sector institutions within and outside the region; individual businesses in the region; and individual small scale farmers/households among others.

Marketing will be strategically optimized so as to attract higher sales, and towards this end, marketing shall be done centrally through the 10 groups.

The third phase of the project will entail regional expansion and diversification from the target area to other districts and regions of the country. In this third phase, the project will seek to use the successes of he first two phases as a bargaining tool for more support and/or sponsorship from donors as well as to convince youths who were not part of the initial stages of the project to engage in the clonal tree venture, not just for conservation alone, but also as a commercial enterprise.

Throughout the three phases of the project implementation, important lessons, experiences and challenges on the technology transfer pathways will be learned and documented through a regular and effective monitoring and evaluation component that shall be incorporated by the key implementers and stakeholders.

Strategic Strengths of the Project

The project seeks to implement the following set of ideas that will ensure at least 90% success:

1. The project will seek to ensure that the participating youths, apart from understanding their participation as an effort to mitigate the effects of climate change and contributing to the conservation of the environment and biodiversity, will also consider this as an economic enterprise with the capability of lifting them from unemployment and poverty hence give it their full support and participation
2. Allocating mentors to the youths in the project: Encouragement and support are essential to the start of a new venture. Success does not just happen; it is a process that requires nurturing through sound management and proper organization. At the heart of the project is the mentor, an experienced person with plenty of knowledge on clonal tree technology, who will work with the youths as a guide, teacher and friend through the critical stages of the project.
3. Visiting the projects: Visits to the youth projects, both in the nursery stage and in the market by the mentors, field officers, sponsors and well-wishers will be a major boast to the project. The community around the youths will begin to notice them and respect them for attracting regular ‘foreign’ visitors. It will above all give them a sense of belonging, which will result in increased self-esteem. This will be a big plus for the project as the youths would work extremely hard to ensure that their efforts are a success.
4. Tapping into the local and regional business support network: This will involve a local support network of business people, companies and other entrepreneurs who will provide the project with financial and moral support through donations and/or purchase of the clonal tree seedlings. The project will seek to develop strong links with the business community/private organizations including funding private sector partners such as Companies, Banks, and Government agencies.

Expected Outputs.

The following outputs will be realized:

1. Output 1: The economic status of the targeted districts and households of the targeted youths are known. Information on the key players in environmental conservation in the region, with their percentage contribution, is made available to all stakeholders in the project.
2. Output 2: 300 rural dwelling youths from Western Kenya, who are influential in their community but economically vulnerable are identified and organized into 10 working groups of 30 members each. They act as community champions to spearhead the diffusion of the clonal tree technology into the region
3. Output 3: Strategic partnership with a local financial institution is formed on the agreement that the institution supports the project by providing to the youth credit and savings facilities within the groups so as to expand on the benefits accrued from the sale of the clonal tree seedlings. This eventually has the effect of optimizing on the benefits accrued from this project and an increase on the number of tree seedlings supplied by the youths not only to the local market, but also outside the Western Kenya region is realized.
4. Output 4: Strategic partnership with the ministries of Forestry & Wildlife, Environment & Natural Resources and Youth Affairs and also other non-governmental agencies involved in Climate Change Mitigation and Environmental & Biodiversity conservation is formed and they participate in the project especially the training sessions for the 10 youth groups focusing on the relevant topics as outlined in the concept paper. The partnership also ensures that the government and non-government agencies participate in mitigation of the effects of climate change by agreeing to purchase a specified quantity of tree seedlings annually from the project and planting within and outside the region
5. Output 5: Strategic partnership with an already set up production facility is entered into and that the facility supplies clean vegetative propagated materials to the youths for setting up of the clonal tree nurseries
6. Output 6: The set up clonal nurseries are well managed and able to produce a monthly average of 40,000 clean tree seedlings for sale
7. Output 7: A proper and well coordinated marketing strategy for the clonal tree seedlings produced is developed. Through the strategy, at least 40,000 clonal tree seedlings are sold to potential buyers every month
8. Output 8: A model project to showcase successful application of modern biotechnology practices in the mitigation of the effects of climate change, biodiversity & environmental conservation and youth enterprise is set up and managed sustainably
9. Output 9: A donor to support the strengthening and expansion of the components of the project, hence enabling it to effectively support the youths' initiative and in effect contributing to the overall objective of mitigating the effects of climate change, Biodiversity & Environmental conservation and empowerment of the youth socio-economically is available and willing to commit financial and logistical support for the expansion of the project.
10. Output 10: Other opportunities are available for the youths to exploit that are environmental friendly, e.g. clean energy projects like solar and biogas energy production and distribution

Expected outcomes.

With the implementation of the project objectives and activities, the following outcomes are expected to be achieved:

1. Capacity building and training of the youths from Western Kenya and the project volunteers in clonal forestry propagation and commercial plantations. The training will be done by personnel with experience in clonal technology; these youths will then transfer the skills they acquire to other members of their community.
2. Establishment of 30 clonal tree nurseries in the region with the capacity of producing at least 40,000 clean clonal tree seedlings every month.
3. The project will contribute at least 480,000 clean clonal and improved tree seedlings annually to the Kenya afforestation and re-forestation program
4. The project will contribute to the mitigation of the effects of climate change by providing, in the long term, efficient carbon sinks to reduce the atmospheric carbon concentrations
5. An effective distribution and delivery network for seedlings and clones to target groups will be made operational through collaboration with public extension agents, non-government organizations (NGOs), the private sector, learning institutions and direct delivery to individual growers and this will ensure wider coverage and impact of the project