Kenya: UNEP, Strathmore Partner to Investigate Capital Value of Water Towers

By Duncan Mboyah

The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and Strathmore University have teamed up to investigate the true value of the natural capital of the three water towers in Kenya beyond forest products and water resources.

The project, known as the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity for Agriculture and Food (TEEBAgrifood), is aimed at equipping decision makers with tools and information to recognize the value that ecosystems provide to food systems.

According to Prof. Jacqueline McGlade, investigator at the Strathmore Business School (SBS) and the project lead researcher, the project is helping establish the economic case for transforming food systems in Kenya to become resilient to climate change and enhance environmental sustainability and improvement of human wellbeing.

Prof. McGlade observes that the TEEBAgrifood project enables comparative evaluation of agricultural practices, production methods, climate and environmental impacts, changing consumption patterns, and the effectiveness of policy and investment strategies.

“We are looking at supporting the government, policy makers, and populations to embrace the importance of natural capital in decision making,” Prof. McGlade said in Burer, Bomet County, during a meeting with the local communities and county leaders.

Prof. McGlade says that the project findings will be a transformation of food systems in Kenya so that they become resilient to climate change, and an enhancement of environmental sustainability as well as improvement of human well-being.

She said that Mau Forest complex, Cherangani and Loita water towers provide essential ecosystem services to the surrounding and far-end communities, but these areas face population encroachment, forest cover loss and expansion of agricultural land into the forests.

The scenario, she says, has limited the capacity of the water towers to provide essential ecosystem services, resulting in biodiversity loss, reduced agricultural production and vulnerability in livelihoods.

Prof. McGlade commended the previous efforts by the government and other stakeholders towards finding a solution to the problems, but the true value of the natural capital of these ecosystems is not known.

“This means that the role of nature in delivering food security, biodiversity support, climate regulation, carbon sequestration cycles and other ecosystem services are not valued,” she adds.

She notes that the two partners will be working with “citizen scientists” in collaboration with communities and other stakeholders in generating data and evidence on the drivers of change in Kenya’s agrifood sector and creating pathways to transforming the food system to become more resilient to climate and socioeconomic shocks.

Kenya’s food system currently faces extreme weather events, shifting rainfall patterns and global conflicts that disrupt commodity imports.

A decline in diverse exports further underscores the need for urgent, sustainable transformation across the agrifood value chain.

The project is also looking into the food and agriculture systems in the water towers that provide water regulation, soil conservation and biodiversity support.

“We want to generate economic evidence for positive policies and practices that enhance resilience and sustainability in Kenya’s food systems after conducting a thorough evaluation,” she adds.

Prof. McGlade notes that a study they conducted in Mau Forest conservation between 2017 and 2022 showed a decline in river networks, with a total length shrinking from 7,000 kilometers in the 1960s to 4,000 kilometers in 2019.

But restoration efforts since 2022 that involved planting of indigenous trees in riparian zones, she says, have helped recover 930 kilometers of surface rivers.

She observes that areas with higher soil carbon and less intensive farming were found to better withstand floods and droughts.

The project is being undertaken in Nakuru, Baringo, Nandi, Narok, Kericho, Bomet, Uasin Gishu, Elgeyo Marakwet and West Pokot counties, regions that play a critical role in safeguarding and conserving critical ecosystems, habitats, species and cultures.

Agriculture and forestry are central to the project region, accounting for most earnings and providing livelihoods, employment, income and food security for most populations.

The project is expected to empower government officials’ capacity to measure and value the benefits and costs of decisions and translate those measures into coordinated policies that change food system incentives.

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