Gardens of Opportunity:
Lake Victoria Watershed Agroforestry
Developed in Partnership with
The sun is barely cutting through the leaves of the trees overhead and towering maize stalks, but it promises to deliver oppressive heat by midday. Already the air surrounding Joseph’s farm is warm and dry as he sips tea and finishes his githeri, a traditional meal, before heading out for the day. Patting his children’s heads on the way out as they prepare for school, he strides over to pick up a hoe and shovel next to the house before disappearing into the forest.
He breathes in deeply the scent of damp soil and leaf litter, immediately feeling the cooler and moist temperature under the forest canopy. This is not a typical forest, however, that Joseph has chosen to plant on his farm. He’s standing in his four-year-old Forest Garden — a multistrata agroforestry system that he designed, planted, and now maintains through a partnership and training program with Trees for the Future (TREES), a nonprofit organization focused on land restoration in developing communities in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Five years ago, Joseph had few options other than farming maize and beans sustained through large doses of costly fertilizers and pesticides. The farm only produced two harvests per year for market, and no other crops for Joseph’s children or livestock to eat. Degraded soil health and poor water retention were constant challenges leaving dry, bare soil susceptible to increasing climatic pressures.
Investment from Catona Climate enabled TREES to work with farmers in western Kenya who were willing to enroll in their signature Forest Garden program. Joseph seized the opportunity to transform not just his farming practices, but his way of life. Through this up-front investment, TREES partnered with farmers to develop Forest Gardens, providing training, seeds, seedlings, equipment, and direct hands-on support to all 18,000+ participating farmers. This gave farmers the knowledge and tools to transform their land and sustain their Forest Gardens for decades to come. It’s a great example of how a project that removes carbon — in this case, an estimated 4.3 million tonnes of CO2e over its lifetime — is stronger and more impactful when it’s designed to benefit local communities and ecosystems as well.
After checking on some newly planted seedlings, Joseph weaves his way between rows of cabbages and pigeon peas to the back of his Forest Garden, where he’s growing mangos and bananas. He’s noticed more birds and amphibians on the land since he’s transformed his farm, evidence of agroforestry’s positive effects on biodiversity. He takes a machete to a large stalk laden with bananas that he plans to sell at the market tomorrow, which will provide income he can put toward school fees. He hears his children’s voices filter through the leaves as they head out for school and smiles — knowing he is not just growing new crops, but building a home that will sustain his family for generations.
Project Highlights:
Milestones &
Credit Issuance*
Project development and initial planting began in 2020 with a small number of farmers. An investment from Catona Climate followed, enabling TREES to work with farmers to scale the project, enrolling thousands more participants and hiring hundreds of local staff to deliver training and hands-on support to farmers. The project is expected to deliver its first carbon credits in 2027, and will undergo a verification every three years throughout the crediting period.
*Estimated credit issuance schedule. Subject to change.
Latest Updates
Project Summary
This project is a prime example of the multiplier effect of a strong carbon project that puts community needs at the forefront of project design and implementation, and is a great example of the potential success of community-led agroforestry.
Est. 4.3 million tonnes of CO2e. Over the lifetime of the project, carbon removals will be achieved through the planting of agroforestry trees and soil carbon from regenerative farming practices.
Forest Garden Program. Buyers can purchase carbon credits, which will in turn provide revenue for TREES to continue to implement their program.
Direct Payments. 22.5% of carbon credit revenue will be paid directly to the 18,000+ farmers enrolled in the program. Additionally, all upfront project costs (seeds, equipment, training) are covered by Catona's investment.
Community Impact & Benefits
The Forest Garden program enables farmers to transform their communities through a holistic approach to engagement and benefits, starting with farmer input on program design, contracts, grievance mechanisms, and market strategies. Feedback loops via Lead Farmer meetings and direct outreach to project technicians allow TREES to provide training and resources tailored to each farmer. Farmers benefit from increased farm productivity, achieving higher yields and gaining access to diversified markets and carbon revenues — all while learning how to sustainably manage their farms for generations to come.
Dietary Diversity & Food Security
Farmers grow up to 8 times more fruit and vegetable varieties in their Forest Gardens that are harvested throughout the year, providing nutritious food for farmer families and livestock alike.
Income from Market Sales of Produce
Higher farm yields and access to larger markets offer more opportunities for farmers to sell their Forest Garden products and increase household income.
Farmer Training
Farmers undergo four years of an extensive sixteen-part training in sustainable and organic agroforestry – improving farmer skillsets and ability to achieve greater production potential that can be maintained for decades.
Community Governance
Farmer groups elect their own Grievance Focal Points and Lead Farmers to represent them. These farmer representatives support training and monitoring needs and give direct feedback to TREES technicians and the Grievance Officer.
Climate Resiliency
Western Kenya is experiencing increasing drought and rising temperatures. The Forest Garden Approach teaches farmers how to conserve water, restore soil health and utilize new techniques to make their farms climate ready.
Additional Carbon Income
Farmers will receive 22.5% of the net sale proceeds of carbon credits, resulting in direct economic benefits for farmers and their families.
Environmental Impact & Benefits
Habitat restoration can look quite different depending on the landscape, species present, and land use goals. A key element of the Forest Garden design is directly in the name – Forest. As each Forest Garden has on average 5,800 trees planted throughout, the farmland begins to mimic a natural forest by providing habitat to wildlife species such as birds, insects, reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals. Soil health also improves as a result of regenerative agricultural practices, increasing fungal and microbial diversity. To track the change in biodiversity, TREES will focus on vocalizing species of wildlife (primarily birds) utilizing bioacoustic monitoring to study species richness over time as Forest Gardens mature.
Biodiversity Baseline Study
TREES conducted a biodiversity baseline study1 in 2023 that found over 430 wildlife species, 580 plant species and 230 fungal species in the project region.
Regenerative Agriculture and Soil Health
By reducing synthetic fertilizer and pesticides and practicing composting, low till, and cover cropping techniques, farmers will restore soil microbes and mycelium networks underground which are key to healthy habitats.
Key Biodiversity Indicator
As Forest Gardens mature, among the first signs of biodiversity change farmers report is an increase in bird species. TREES uses acoustic monitoring to track these key indicators of biodiversity change across the project.
Project Design
Designing a Forest Garden
A Forest Garden is a sustainable, multi-crop agroforestry system designed to increase a farm’s productivity, crop diversity, and carbon potential — all the while restoring soil health, increasing water retention, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and sequestering carbon. TREES has worked directly with thousands of farmers across multiple countries to develop their signature Forest Garden program and tailor its design to meet individual farmer needs. All species are selected based on production yields, local market demand (to enable farmers to sell their extra produce), and climate resilience.
Designing a Forest Garden
The Forest Garden: An Overview
Forest Gardens are intensified agroforestry systems that rely on production species that provide fruits, vegetables, timber, fodder and fuelwood for farming families. Every component of the Forest Garden has a planned purpose.
Living Fence and Alleys
A live fence of pruned trees forming a hedge around farms helps delineate land, protect from intruding animals, and provide livestock fodder. Nitrogen-fixing trees grow in alleys between permagardens, enhancing soil health and providing extra fodder or crops.
Permagardens
Multiple raised garden beds are built up to provide space for farmers’ vegetables such as peppers, carrots, and squash. Each permagarden is covered in mulch to protect new seedlings and retain moisture.
Fruit Trees
Farmers plant mangos, citrus, avocados, papayas, bananas and more throughout their Forest Gardens to provide a greater diversity of fruits for their families and to sell at the market.
Farmer Nursery
Farmers are trained on how to collect and grow seeds in their own seedling nursery so they can plant new trees in their Forest Garden each year.
Timber Lot
A sustainably harvested timber lot is grown where farmers can coppice trees or trim branches for livestock fodder and household fuelwood.
Composting
Farmers learn how to compost plant residues from their Forest Gardens and then use the nutrient-rich compost as organic fertilizer to improve plant growth.
Integrated Pest Management
Rosemary, onions, marigolds, lemongrass and other species are planted throughout a Forest Garden to naturally repel pests.
Training & Supporting Farmers
The program equips farmers to sustainably manage land, enhancing livelihoods and environmental benefits. Through a four-year, hands-on training model, farmers create productive Forest Gardens that improve household well-being and align with carbon project goals.
Beginning Phases
Farmers work with TREES technicians to design and customize their Forest Gardens, determining where they would like each component located (e.g, compost pile, permagardens, etc.) while still including all of the fundamentals of the Forest Garden design.
Maturation Phases
As live fences and alleys mature, farmers receive support to plan and execute their Forest Garden tailored to their needs and goals. In-depth training covers compost creation and use, development of productive vegetable permaculture gardens, co-planting, crop rotation, and pruning.
Sourcing & Managing Seed
Seed sourcing and supply management is critical to any reforestation or agroforestry project. There must be enough quality seed to meet planting demand at the right time of year, and in the right species mix. TREES works with multiple seed vendors to source the fruit, fodder, and timber tree species it needs to enable farmers to begin growing their Forest Gardens. Once farmers have mature trees, they’re trained on how to collect, store, and plant their own seeds so they have a sustainable supply of seeds for replanting or to expand their Forest Gardens.
Seed Sourcing
As seed supply in Kenya is in high demand, TREES sources seeds from diverse vendors throughout Kenya and regionally. Certified as a seed merchant by Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service, TREES can import seeds from neighboring countries, including from its own projects, to fully meet supply needs.
Farmer Seed Vendors
TREES also sources much of its seed directly from farmers in the program that have mature trees on their land. This provides additional income opportunities for farmers and a local supply of seeds for TREES. Seed vendor farmers are trained in seed collection, cleaning and storage, and are provided with details on TREES standard operating procedures for quality control and germination rate testing.
Seed Bank
TREES built and now manages a seed bank in Homa Bay where all seeds for the project are received, cleaned, tested, stored, and packaged. The seed bank keeps seeds dry and sorted prior to each rainy season when seeds are distributed to farmers through TREES’ technicians across the project region.
Central Trees Nursery
TREES maintains 10 fruit tree nurseries in Homa Bay, Kisumu, and Migori Counties, growing mango, citrus, and avocado tree seedlings. Each nursery grows 25,000-60,000 seedlings for two outplanting seasons, enabling TREES to produce up to 1,000,000 seedlings annually. Staff are trained in grafting techniques, enabling high-demand varieties to be grafted onto hardier native seedling rootstock.
Stakeholder Engagement
TREES uses a structured approach to engage stakeholders, identify farmer groups, develop contracts with farmers, and expand projects in Kenyan counties. This includes outreach to local governments, traditional leaders, and community-based organizations. TREES prioritizes vulnerable families such as women-headed households, and seeks buy-in through mobilization meetings and participatory planning. Farmers continue to receive direct support throughout project implementation from TREES technicians and are able to provide feedback and governance through their farmer groups and Lead Farmer representatives.
Stakeholder Engagement
Driving Local Outreach and Mobilization
TREES follows a set of criteria to identify potential farmers to join the Forest Garden program, prioritizing gender parity and existing farmer groups with market potential or organizing new groups where none exist. Community engagement starts with outreach to government stakeholders and local leaders. Community mobilization meetings then introduce farmers to the Forest Garden model and carbon project and are followed by ongoing collaboration with farmer groups and community-based organizations (CBOs).
Outreach to Local Government Stakeholders
TREES conducts outreach and holds meetings with county and subcounty level offices to introduce TREES and provide an overview of the carbon project, answer any questions, and obtain buy-in and support.
Introductory Meetings with Local Community Leaders
Coordinating and collaborating with traditional leaders such as area chiefs and village elders is an important step toward organizing further community outreach and provides the groundwork for project mobilization meetings.
Multiple Community Mobilization Meetings
These meetings provide opportunities for farmers to learn about TREES, Forest Gardens, and the carbon project. TREES targets farmers who will benefit considerably from participation and whose land meets the minimum criteria for enrollment.
Farmer Interest and Commitment
Farmers are provided with an overview of the Forest Garden program and required commitments under the carbon contract. Farmers must be willing to put in the labor and time to develop their Forest Gardens, attend all trainings, and sustain the project for the full contract period.
On-going Engagement with Farmer Groups, CBOs, and Local Organizations
These stakeholders may be included in Community Mobilization meetings or may have separate consultations, as appropriate depending on the project region.
Fair Farmer Contracting
TREES underwent a robust farmer carbon contract development process, consulting with staff, Lead Farmers, communities, and social and legal experts. The contract was designed to be clear, fair and accessible for all farmers. Multiple translations were offered and trained staff were available that could answer any questions from both farmers and local chiefs.
Empowering & Supporting Farmers
TREES’ locally-based technical staff work directly with farmers and their families to design and implement Forest Gardens. Technical staff lead each of the Forest Garden training modules for farmer groups and provide hands-on follow up support to ensure farmers are able to implement the training practices correctly. Staff are trained extensively on facilitation, participatory mapping, managing group dynamics, and holding meetings with community groups.
Low Project Officer to Farmer Ratio
TREES Project Officers oversee 10 farmer groups each, providing them with essential technical support, visiting regularly and offering hands-on assistance and additional training to help them succeed.
Forest Gardens Designed with Staff
Project Officers work directly with farmers and their families to design and implement Forest Gardens that meet their needs and future ambitions, while maintaining the Forest Garden model.
Forest Garden Trainings
Project Officers lead each of the Forest Garden training modules with farmer groups, teaching them how to effectively implement regenerative agricultural and agroforestry practices.
Lead Farmer Meetings
Project Officers hold monthly meetings with Lead Farmers to discuss any challenges or shared learnings and review farmer progress data collected by Lead Farmers. Project Officers will then follow up on any issues identified and provide more support where needed.
Extensive Staff Training
TREES technical staff undergo comprehensive training in each of the Forest Garden modules and other skills such as facilitation, participatory mapping, group dynamics, and community engagement to effectively support farmers and community groups.
Project Due Diligence
Prior Land Use
The Lake Victoria Watershed region of western Kenya is heavily dominated by smallholder agriculture with over 96% of the rural population reliant on subsistence farming.2 Most agricultural practices focus on monoculture cropping of maize and beans with a high use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers to supplement degraded soils. Without intervention, these areas face continued degradation from poor agricultural practices, biodiversity loss, and growing pressure on natural forests for fuelwood. The Forest Garden Approach puts farmers first, training them on sustainable and regenerative agroforestry practices to improve soil health, water conservation, and land productivity — transforming degraded agricultural lands, improving livelihoods, and reducing deforestation threats.
Prior Land Use
Land Use & Habitat Assessment
Land Conversion
The project location must not have been subject to land conversion in the past 10 years before the project start date. This is critical to demonstrate that the area was not degraded or deforested for the purposes of developing a carbon project.
Land Cover
This map shows how the expansion of agriculture and urban environments4 is leading to continued landscape degradation in western Kenya, reducing vegetative cover and fragmenting habitats.
Habitat Fragmentation
A baseline biodiversity study from the University of Nairobi and the National Museums of Kenya1 shows the fragmented nature of habitats within the project region.
The Impact of Project Intervention
Considering the compelling evidence of rapid transformation of land use into low-productivity cropland and few alternative livelihood options for smallholder farmers, it is expected that absent project intervention there would be a continuation of traditional agricultural practices leading to habitat and soil degradation and limited carbon removal.
Land Rights
As part of the stakeholder consultation process, TREES confirms that each farm enrolled is on privately owned land, and that the farmers have the use, access and management rights to the land planted as Forest Gardens. Landholder agreements document tenure types (e.g. direct ownership vs inherited from a family member) confirmed by local Chiefs, and if a farm is passed to another family member or new owner during the project period, the new owner is able to join the carbon project and transfer the carbon agreement.
Land Rights
Promoting Gender Equity
Male-headed households and land ownership are customarily very common in this part of Kenya, but many women farmers were interested (and targeted through outreach by TREES) in participating in the Forest Garden program. Gender equity is a priority for the project. So TREES designed the landholder agreement and participating farmer addendum to enable women farmers to fully participate and receive all program and carbon benefits even if they are not the actual legal landholder of the property.
Additionality
The project’s Forest Garden agroforestry practices and the resulting carbon removals are additional in that they would not occur under “business as usual” or in the absence of carbon markets. Additionality was determined during the project feasibility assessment of regulatory mandates, institutional barriers and regional common practice.
No Regulatory Mandate
To be deemed additional, project practices must not be mandated by laws or regulations.
Existing Barriers
The Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) conducted an assessment to identify institutional barriers that prevent widespread agroforestry practice adoption in Kenya.5
Not Common Practice
Local experts were surveyed to determine the commonality of hedgerows, alley cropping, multistrata agroforestry, fruit orchards, hardwood plantations, fodder plots, and composting in Kisumu, Homa Bay, Migori and Siaya Counties.
Durability
Based on decades of experience delivering agroforestry training programs, and in partnership with farmers consulted throughout, TREES has structured and designed the Forest Garden program for maximum sustainability, durability and market opportunity. It is tailored to the farmer-identified needs that will sustain practices and carbon removal throughout the full 40-year permanence period. TREES will also monitor the project throughout this period and report any loss events to Verra so the project’s carbon credit buffer pool can be deducted accordingly.
Durability
Long-Term Sustainability and Benefits
Program Benefits. When farmers join the Forest Garden training program, they receive seeds, seedlings, equipment, four years of agroforestry training, and ongoing hands-on support from TREES — all at no cost to them. Further, at each verification, farmers will receive 22.5% of net revenue from the sale of carbon credits. These benefits allow farmers to get a head start on growing their Forest Gardens, paired with ongoing technical support to help them maximize productivity, biodiversity, and carbon removal on their land.
24 -Year Contract. Farmers enroll in the Forest Garden program for a contractual period of 24 years. Farmers commit to implementing regenerative farming practices, collaborating on monitoring activities, and maintaining the trees in their Forest Garden for this period.
Farming Transformation. The Forest Garden program is designed to empower farmers to transform how they farm on their land beyond the contract period — increasing productivity without degrading the soil and ecosystem. Farmers see significantly increased agricultural revenues from the sales of products they grow year-round, and decreased costs to manage their farms due to little to no demand for fertilizers, pesticides, or food from the market for their families. The result is a sustainable and highly beneficial agricultural system that farming families can maintain and pass on to future generations.
Devising Market Strategies for Long-Term Sustainability
Larger Market Opportunities. Most farmers sell their produce at small local markets. Although these markets are close to home, they generally do not fetch higher prices as they must compete with other farmers from the area. TREES is developing a market strategy to address this challenge that will include a market assessment to identify additional options for farmers to sell their Forest Garden products to larger regional or international markets, target a different customer base, or look to identify alternative higher-value products that could be produced from Forest Gardens.
Permanence Through Revenue. The aim of this market strategy is to drive increased agricultural revenue and greater economic output from a Forest Garden, resulting in more sustainable income streams for farming families and supporting long-term permanence.
Climate Permanence
Western Kenya is faced with unavoidable climate-driven challenges from rising temperatures and increasing droughts. Temperature is expected to increase in the project region6,7 across all Share Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP)8 scenarios as shown in the graph above, highlighting the need for increased climate resilience.
To counter these climatic trends, the Forest Garden training program is designed to teach farmers how to integrate soil, water, and nutrient conservation practices into their Forest Gardens.
Climate Permanence
Conserving Soil and Water
Climate-driven carbon reversals due to drought or rising temperatures can cause challenges in the Lake Victoria Watershed. To mitigate this, TREES integrates soil and water conservation practices into their farmer training program such as raised bed permagardening, water retention practices including mulching and garden design mechanics, and composting to improve soil health.
Monitoring Risks to Permanence
TREES and Catona track meteorological data, vegetation growth, fire risk, and landscape change to monitor progress and identify reversal risks throughout the full 40-year permanence period. Any identified risks or reversals are mitigated through direct farmer engagement, hands-on training, and by following the Verra buffer pool loss event process.
Threat of Flooding
Local and regional meteorological data9 helps identify extreme rainfall and flooding events in nearby rivers and understand their potential impact.
Threat of Drought
Temperature trends9 and drought indices are monitored both on the ground and from remote sensing methods.
NDVI Vegetation
Using remote sensing indices, such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), we can monitor regional vegetation health and collaborate with TREES to understand fine scale details.
Threat of Fire
The presence of fires is monitored using NASA near real-time (NRT) data10 to quickly identify potential risks.
Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV)
Monitoring Carbon
Accurate carbon measurement is critical for correct carbon estimates and verifications. The majority of carbon in a Forest Garden is contained in the woody biomass of trees and vegetation with the remaining stored in the soil. Woody biomass will be measured prior to each verification event (approx every three years), and soil organic carbon will be assessed every five years following the VM0042 methodology for accurate monitoring and RothC11 model calibration. Soil cores from both project areas and reference sites outside of the project area are collected and analyzed in the laboratory. Beyond this, Catona monitors aboveground biomass every year across each Forest Garden using remote biomass data from our partnership with Chloris Geospatial.12
Carbon MRV
Measuring Woody Biomass
As a Forest Garden is a unique collection of segmented, yet interwoven agricultural elements, a specialized and tailored woody biomass measurement plan was designed. Every enrolled farm boundary was measured in-situ with a GPS unit and then geospatial software used to randomly generate sampling plots. Permanent 10m diameter and 10m linear sampling plots were established in each of the individual Forest Garden components (fruit orchard, timber plot, tree alleys and living fence). All trees greater than 5cm DBH (diameter at breast height) will be measured in the plots prior to each verification period. Tree species and DBH will be recorded, and allometric equations will be used to estimate the total above and belowground biomass. For the living fence that surrounds each Forest Garden, the width, height and species of the 10m linear plot will be measured.
Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) Measurements
To track soil organic carbon, a combination of in-situ soil measurements and modeling is used. Soil cores from both project areas and reference sites outside of the project area are collected at 0-15 cm and 15-30 cm depths and analyzed in the laboratory following ICRAF Standard Operating Procedures.13 A baseline sampling campaign was conducted at the start of the project to establish a baseline and calibrate the RothC model with soil, farming practice, climate and agroecological data. New soil measurements are taken every five years following this to track progress and ‘true-up’ the RothC11 baseline model, ensuring it is well-calibrated to accurately assess SOC stocks.
Remote Monitoring Aboveground Biomass
Through our partnership with Chloris Geospatial,12 Catona goes even further to measure carbon stock, tracking aboveground biomass over every Forest Garden at 10 m spatial resolution each year. Chloris utilizes high resolution satellite imagery paired with AI-generated models that have been trained and validated through LiDAR (a remote sensing method that uses light from a pulsed laser to measure distance to the Earth) to generate accurate aboveground biomass datasets. Combined with remote and in-situ canopy height and cover data, Catona utilizes these datasets to analyze the change in forest growth over time and to develop accurate estimates of aboveground carbon stock (the carbon stored in trees).
Monitoring Environment
TREES uses acoustic monitoring to track species richness and satellite imagery to assess vegetation changes in Forest Gardens, data critical to adaptive management, farmer support, and compliance with Verra carbon credit permanence requirements.
Bioacoustic Monitoring. TREES and Catona have partnered with WildMon to utilize bioacoustic monitoring technology with AI-driven data analysis to measure wildlife species richness (number of different species) in Forest Gardens as they mature.
Terrestrial Monitoring. TREES and Catona use high-resolution satellite imagery to track forest cover and vegetative changes in project farms, assessing landscape evolution within the project region. Spatial data is also used to monitor project risks and support adaptive management through direct communication of any risks to project management on the ground.
Environment MRV
Acoustic
Monitoring
TREES monitors wildlife species richness in Forest Gardens using AI analysis of acoustic recordings through their partnership with WildMon. In an agroforestry system, vocalizing species such as birds are an excellent indicator of biodiversity change as their calls can be easily recorded. The project hypothesizes that as Forest Gardens mature, more favorable habitat will be available for wildlife and overall biodiversity levels will increase.
Specialized Listening Devices
Small camouflaged audio recording devices are attached to trees in Forest Gardens and in comparative reference sites outside of the project area to record acoustic data over a two-week period.
AI-Enhanced Acoustic Analysis
After the recording period, acoustic data is uploaded to WildMon’s online platform where they conduct AI-driven analysis of the spectrogram data against their inventory of known species to identify individual species and create occupancy estimates.
Sampling Strategy and Design
The sampling design was randomized and geographically representative. It provided comparative data between project and non-project areas, and across different ages of Forest Gardens. Data collection will take place annually for the first four years of the project and then every five years thereafter.
Terrestrial
Monitoring
TREES and Catona use multispectral satellite imagery, as well as optical drone and LiDAR data, to monitor changes in land cover and vegetation health. Forest Garden growth and canopy cover can be tracked over time, and farms that are underperforming can be flagged for management teams on the ground to deploy hands-on support.
Satellite Monitoring
Satellite imagery is used to track vegetation change within each farm polygon, assessing current forest cover relative to expected forest cover in line with the Forest Garden standards.
Drone Monitoring
TREES has trained drone pilots who conduct data collection over Forest Gardens to obtain high resolution vegetation data. Catona and TREES recently collaborated on a LiDAR survey to build 3D models of Forest Gardens to assess canopy height and forest structure.
Data-Driven Support
Geospatial monitoring will be used to track progress, enabling remote or on-ground follow-ups if problems are identified. This allows TREES to provide support to farmers as needed to maintain carbon credit quality.
Monitoring Community
TREES conducts socioeconomic surveys every three years, tracking food security, dietary diversity, agricultural revenue, and project-scale employment. Surveys are randomized to ensure fairness, while metrics highlight the program’s economic and social impact.
Community MRV
Baseline Measurements
Baseline Survey
At the start of the project, a socioeconomic survey captured key indicators such as food security, dietary diversity, and agricultural revenue, establishing baselines for measuring long-term impact.
Data Collection Tools
TREES enhances survey data collection efficiency and accuracy using mobile applications like TaroWorks. These tools enable offline data collection, real-time updates and standardized entry, reducing errors and improving data quality. Collected data is synchronized with cloud-based databases for efficient storage, organization, and analysis.
Community Engagement
TREES works closely with farmers to collect data, monitor program outcomes, and address grievances through feedback mechanisms. This collaboration bolsters transparency and includes community voices. By integrating these perspectives, the project remains responsive and impactful, aligning with local needs and priorities.
Ongoing Monitoring
Every three years, TREES will conduct socioeconomic surveys of a sample of farmers, expanding and adding new farmers as the project grows. Socioeconomic monitoring allows TREES to understand the impact the project is having on farmer livelihoods and food security, and address any unexpected trends.
Based on TREES’ decades of experience delivering agroforestry programs, farmers should see enhanced farm productivity leading to increased agricultural incomes, as well as greater food security and dietary diversity, from the multitude of fruits and vegetables they’re able to grow. Surveys will also track farmer agricultural expenses for costs such as fertilizer, pesticides, labor, and equipment with the expectation that these expenses should decrease as farmers implement sustainable Forest Garden practices.
Monitoring Updates
Project progress is tracked closely by TREES and Catona using a blend of in-situ data collection activities and remote observations, with the goal of maximizing impact to deliver the highest-integrity carbon credits.
Climate Monitoring Updates
Carbon removals are measured at each project monitoring event prior to verifications where aboveground and belowground biomass and SOC data is collected. Alongside this, Catona tracks estimated aboveground biomass and CO2e each year using remotely sensed data to assess if the project is on track to meet its credit deliveries.
Last Updated: Dec. 2024 | § Biomass data from Chloris Geospatial is utilized by Catona solely for tracking project progress. This data does not influence, guide, or alter credit issuance in any capacity. Credit issuance is independently governed and controlled by Verra in accordance with its standards and methodologies.
Measuring Real Climate Impact
In 2024, Catona and TREES collaborated on a successful LiDAR and optical drone study measuring forest canopy height across the project area. The data will be used to further understand Forest Garden structure and species’ growth rates, as well as to calibrate remote sensing datasets and as training data for ongoing AI modeling activities.
Measuring Real Climate Impact
In September 2024, Catona’s Monitoring & Engagement team, in collaboration with TREES’ technical staff, conducted a very successful LiDAR drone, optical drone, and ground sampling study measuring forest canopy height across the project area. This study took place at nine participating farms spanning three counties (Homa Bay, Kisumu, and Migori) from Forest Gardens in Years 1, 2, and 4 of the project. The drone image survey was designed to facilitate the creation of digital surface models (DSMs), calibrated by ground measurements. Catona and TREES are using this data to further understand Forest Garden structure and growth rates of different garden species.
It’s also being used to calibrate remote sensing datasets, such as high-resolution aboveground biomass data, and as training data for ongoing AI modeling activities. As a result of this collaborative study, we now have high-accuracy 3D models of Forest Garden environments in different regions and at various years of maturity. Catona and TREES will continue collaboration throughout the data analysis stage to fully integrate the data into remote monitoring toolsets, and will incorporate new variables to study the differences between each Forest Garden and identify factors for success.
Community Monitoring Updates
Catona works closely with TREES to develop and track indicators over time to understand how to best support community members on the ground. Through monthly calls, quarterly reports, annual surveys and ongoing monitoring, both teams work directly with local communities to ensure their livelihoods are impacted in a meaningful way.
Last Updated: 2/7/25 | †Muthini, D., Nzuma, J. & Qaim, M., 2020. The impact of market access on smallholder farmers' participation in maize markets in Kenya. Food Policy, 95, p. 101956. ‡ Trees for the Future. 2024. Socio-economic Household Survey for the Lake Victoria Watershed Agroforestry Carbon Project (LVWCP), Western Kenya.
Uplifting Community Voices
TREES revamped its community grievance mechanism last year by building out a process for submitting, evaluating, and addressing grievances in an accessible and rapid manner. Farmers gave input into how they would like to submit grievances and be represented, which resulted in the establishment of local community Grievance Focal Points who are elected farmers from each community that have a direct link to the TREES grievance officer.
Uplifting Community Voices
This past year, TREES established the Community Advocacy Relationship Engagement (CARE) Office, which focuses on grievance management, advocacy, support, training, and capacity building — serving as a hub to transparently address any and all concerns. A crucial part of this grievance mechanism was the ability for farmers to elect their own community Grievance Focal Points (who are other farmers in the program) to represent each farming community. Each Grievance Focal Point representative receives additional training from the CARE Office on how to address minor grievances such as livestock trespassing onto another farm. The CARE Office also holds quarterly group meetings with all Grievance Focal Points so they can share the types of grievances they have been receiving, exchange ideas for handling grievances and share general lessons learned to improve farmer support.
Farmers can either share grievances with their community Grievance Focal Point, with Lead Farmers during community meetings, or directly with the TREES CARE Office. Grievances can be submitted to the CARE Office via phone, email, in-person or through an online web portal. All grievances are recorded and addressed respectfully and quickly, and monitored for a six-month follow-up period to see that the grievance is fully resolved. This robust grievance mechanism and feedback process is just one example of how TREES works to make sure farmers can fully participate in the program and that communities feel supported throughout the project.
Environment Monitoring Updates
From seed to Forest Garden, TREES and Catona track progress across every scale and every stage of the project. To date, 44.9 million trees have been planted, transforming farms into healthy and thriving Forest Gardens. Increases in biodiversity are tracked using AI-driven bioacoustic technology.
Last Updated: 2/7/25
Bioacoustic Study Results
TREES and Catona partnered with WildMon, a tech-forward biodiversity monitoring organization, to track biodiversity change over time as Forest Gardens mature. The bioacoustics study was expanded in 2024 to include additional Forest Garden sites and baseline conventional agricultural sites across Homa Bay and Migori Counties. Study results were encouraging with 148 species identified during the last sampling in 2024 and a clear trend that as Forest Gardens matured they provided greater habitat suitability for wildlife.
Bioacoustic Study Results
The establishment of Forest Gardens serves an important role in the increase of biodiversity across the Lake Victoria region. As Forest Gardens more closely mimic a natural forested habitat compared to traditional monoculture fields, it’s expected that there will be an increase in biodiversity as wildlife are attracted to this habitat. WildMon, a leader in biodiversity monitoring, has partnered with TREES and Catona to bring their cutting-edge AI-driven bioacoustic monitoring expertise to the project. WildMon utilizes AI-driven sound recognition, template matching and expert validation to analyze data and assess species richness and acoustic space use.
The bioacoustics study was expanded in 2024 to include additional Forest Garden sites and baseline conventional agricultural sites across Homa Bay and Migori Counties. Study results were encouraging with 148 species identified and a clear trend that as Forest Gardens matured and restored vegetation they provided greater habitat suitability for wildlife. In particular, the number of bird species (richness) was significantly higher at Forest Garden sites compared to conventional agriculture sites, with species richness increasing with years of program enrollment. Further, both woodland and forest bird species increased by 50% or more,15 supporting the hypothesis that mature Forest Gardens provide critical habitat for these species.
Figure: This graph demonstrates that as vegetation health increases (measured by NDVI satellite data) in a four year old Forest Garden, the probability of species occupancy increases (95% credible intervals as shaded areas).15
Figure: This map highlights the total species richness at each sampling site across 2023-2024 deployments. Species richness is a measure of how many species were detected.15
Figure: Mean estimated species richness (number of species) for forest and woodland habitat specialists at each bioacoustic sampling site (light purple circles). The overall mean for years since registering in the Forest Garden program is represented by light green diamonds, with credibility intervals shown as vertical bars for each group year.15
Registry and Documents
Project Design Document
Climate Monitoring Plan
Forest Garden Model Design
Forest Garden Farmer Training Calendar
Forest Garden Technical Manual
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References
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