By Waweru Wairimu
Kenya has officially launched the Integrated Natural Resources Management Programme (INReMP), an eight-year KSh34.1 billion (US$264 million) initiative designed to strengthen climate resilience, restore degraded ecosystems and improve food security for vulnerable farming communities.
Jointly financed by the Government of Kenya and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the programme will directly benefit more than 407,000 rural households across ten counties in western Kenya: Bungoma, Busia, Kakamega, Vihiga, Siaya, Kisumu, Homa Bay, Migori, Kisii and Nyamira.
The programme seeks to address some of the country’s most pressing climate-related challenges through investments in climate-smart agriculture and sustainable farming practices, restoration of degraded forests, catchments and landscapes, and soil and water conservation.
It also seeks to improved watershed management, sustainable natural resource management, livelihood diversification for rural communities, and strengthen resilience to droughts, floods and erratic rainfall.
The State Department for Crop Development said the initiative adopts an integrated landscape approach, recognising that agricultural productivity depends on healthy ecosystems, reliable water resources and sustainable land management.
By combining ecosystem restoration with improved farming practices, the programme aims to reduce land degradation while increasing farm productivity and rural incomes.
Western Kenya was selected because of its high agricultural potential alongside mounting environmental pressures, including soil erosion, declining soil fertility, deforestation and degradation of key water catchments.
These challenges have been compounded by increasingly unpredictable rainfall patterns associated with climate change, affecting crop production and household food security.
The programme also supports Kenya’s broader climate commitments under the Climate Change Act, the National Climate Change Action Plan (2023–2027) and the country’s adaptation goals under the Paris Agreement.
It complements ongoing national efforts to promote climate-smart agriculture, restore degraded landscapes and build resilient food systems capable of withstanding future climate shocks.
With agriculture contributing about a fifth of Kenya’s GDP directly and supporting millions of livelihoods, the success of INReMP will depend on effective collaboration between the national and county governments, community participation and sustained investment over its eight-year implementation period.
If successfully delivered, the programme could become one of Kenya’s largest integrated climate adaptation and sustainable agriculture initiatives, providing a model for landscape restoration and climate-resilient rural development across the country.
