NAKURU, Kenya – The county government of Nakuru has signed a significant agreement with 3E Africa, aiming at promoting conservation and sustainability.
3E Africa is an NGO whose mission is to create a sustainable future through innovative approaches in environmental conservation, entrepreneurship, and energy solutions.
According to the devolved unit, the landmark agreement signed in April 2025 brings together the Departments of Environment, Agriculture, and the County Attorney’s Office to accelerate climate-smart agriculture, clean energy access, and green entrepreneurship initiatives aimed at enhancing food security and sustainable development.
Led by the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) in charge of Water, Environment, Energy, Climate Change, and Natural Resources, Dr. Nelson Maara, alongside the County Attorney General, reiterated that the collaboration has already shown promising results.
For instance, in Molo Sub-County, over 95 dairy farmers have benefitted from capacity-building training and quality fodder to boost milk production and climate resilience.
In Subukia and Solai, the revitalisation of coffee farming is gaining momentum with the distribution of 6,600 coffee seedlings to local farmers, according to the county government.
“These efforts are not only improving agricultural productivity but also supporting income diversification and environmental conservation through sustainable land use practices,” said Dr. Maara.
The MoU also prioritises the deployment of renewable energy technologies, including biogas systems, solar energy, and clean cooking solutions, especially in rural and peri-urban areas.
What is Nakuru County’s green growth agenda
On his part, CECM for Agriculture Leonard Bor said:
“This move aims to reduce overreliance on wood fuel, thereby promoting forest conservation and healthier living environments.”
Additionally, the county government argues that the partnership fosters community empowerment through entrepreneurship by supporting innovation hubs and providing training and funding access for youth and women engaged in eco-friendly enterprises, in alignment with Nakuru County’s green growth agenda.
This comes when the Governor Susan Kihika-led administration, in collaboration with the Foresight for Food Systems Transformation (FoSTr) program, is committed to the need for transformative strategies in the future food system in the county.
Nakuru County heavily relies on smallholder farmers, who contribute a great percentage of the county’s food supply. However, crop yields have consistently fallen below population requirements.
With the National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project @NavcdpKenya, we are training ToTs to equip them with skills to train 350 agripreneurs at the grassroots level ensuring efficient dissemination and adoption of the Agripreneur Acceleration Model in Nakuru.
The county government recently held a meeting on deepening and scaling the FoSTr project, which it claims has been impactful in Kabazi Ward, Subukia Sub-County, in tackling Nakuru’s pressing issue of food security.
“The model is key to building resilience and improving decision-making processes, especially in realising the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda and actively bringing in the food system actors to shape future sustainable food systems together,” the county government said in a statement.
How Nakuru County is supporting sunflower farming
Meanwhile, extension officers in the county are being capacity-built to be Trainers of Trainees (ToTs) on sunflower farming to continue the production of edible oil in the county.
Nakuru County is promoting sunflower farming as an emerging commercial and rotational crop to empower farmers economically upon the harvest.
Through the program, over 3,900 farmers in Nakuru have benefitted from the 15,000 kilograms of sunflower seeds under the edible oils crop promotion. The first batch of seeds received is set to cover an acreage of 5,000 acres across the county.
Thrilled to formalize our partnership with Nakuru County to boost conservation & sustainability! Together with local leaders, we’ll drive real change and make a lasting impact. #Earthday2025
Agriculture CECM Leonard Bor called upon the officers to encourage farmers to take up sunflower farming as a rotation crop since it takes three months to mature.
He also encouraged them to provide technical support to farmers from planting to harvesting for increased productivity.
According to experts, if all these nature-based solutions are implemented, there is no doubt that the future of sustainable agriculture is bright.
