The Kakamega Forest Reserve is the only surviving rainforest in Kenya. The forest provides a unique sanctuary for a remarkable diversity of endemic plants, birds and insects not found anywhere else in Kenya. It is also an important watershed for some of the rivers that flow into Lake Victoria. Due to high levels of poverty, residents of the community living adjacent to Kakamega Forest have depended to a great extent on forest resources for their daily needs, as well as their income, which they derive from various forest products, such as timber, fuel wood, herbal medicines and building materials. They also depended on the forest for new land for settlement and cultivation.
Over the years, the exploitation of the forest’s resources and encroachment on forest land has taken place in a haphazard, excessive, wasteful and uncontrollable manner, leading to the destruction of the forest and its biodiversity. The local community lacks eco-friendly alternatives for income generation and livelihood improvement. Most of its members also lack adequate awareness of the value of a healthy environment and the importance of forest conservation. This project aims to transform the existing community-based commercial production of medicinal plants and derived products at Kakamega Forest into small and medium-sized green social enterprises to enhance both local livelihoods and environmental conservation.
