Agroforestry
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Kenya
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In progress
Rift Valley Smallholders: 2,400 farms planting shade trees in coffee, paid in shillings
Kenya. 2,400 farms, shade trees in coffee.
Location
Nakuru County, Kenya
Hectares
9,800 ha
Practice
Shade trees in coffee, mulching
Registry
Gold Standard
Status
In progress
Satellite pass 20 Jan 2026, canopy 41%
Results
+1.4 t/ha
CO2e stored, year one
Season two
Issuance expected
94%
Fields sampled
KES 61 M
Forecast payout
The challenge
Two and a half thousand farms averaging four hectares, enrolled through one co-op, with no field boundaries on record and no previous carbon programme.
What we did
Boundaries drawn on site with the co-op field team over six weeks, then stratified sampling by elevation band. Shade seedlings distributed through the co-op nursery in the long rains.
First registry we did not have to chase for data. It was already there.
What the numbers said
Year one shows 1.4 tonnes per hectare with wide intervals, as expected for young trees. Issuance is planned for season two once canopy passes 50 percent on the majority of fields.
- 2,400 farms enrolled, 94% sampled at baseline
- Payout forecast in Kenyan shillings, published per farm
- Satellite canopy score shared with the co-op monthly
Coffee under new shade trees, Nakuru, 2026.
Baseline sampling with the co-op field team.
Start a project
Your fields could be the next case study
Enrol in a week, lock the baseline in three, get paid within 30 days of issuance.