" This project is based on an ideal . We promote the substitute usage of land as a means to counter the global phenomena of mood change and disforestation . We think that this project can be a source of inspiration for anyone interested in nature conversation , biodiversity , and get down or compensating atomic number 6 emanation , " says Bob van der Bijl , CEO and father of Capital Africa Natural Capital Investments . In 2018 , he set off for Malindi , Kilifi County , Kenya to select and purchase the land that would grow into the 500 - acre Koromi Farm . Here , in the coastal woodlands , he and his team propagate and grow a intermixture of trees to raise tone , ( decorative ) oils from tree seed , and honey . The company cooperates with nature preservation NGOs and local residential area , aiming to regenerate local ecosystem .
Koromi Farm
Putting possibility in practiceBob : " I used to be an agribusiness advisor , and I expend many days writing reports and providing advice . At a certain point I felt the need to lend to something more tangible that mitigate the effects of climate variety . I think that woods and Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree help to stabilise clime variety and are life-sustaining for biodiversity . For this grounds , I decided to start an agroforestry project in Kenya , as this area increasingly suffers from deforestation and forest degradation . A friend of mine told me that Kenya ’s East coast is an ideal location for this sort of labor , as there is a mickle of affordable nation usable and the rain is still sufficient for the planting of tree . That ’s how I ended up in Malindi . "
Bob van der Bijl
AquaforestryInitially , Bob and his team had to find out how to put their knowledge and ideas into drill . They not only had to find out which variety of Tree grow well in the region , but also how they could cope their water provision . Bob : " Water was the biggest challenge of this project . After planting trees , in our semi - desiccated climate it is important to allow the seedling with additional watering to secure a eminent selection rate . I thought a bore - trap would do , but the pee turned out to be too saline . Later we try dams , but that was n’t a solution either . Eventually we opted for rainwater harvesting basins with Pisces in it , and soon we will create natural pool and swales . Irrigating the trees with the discharge water from fishponds provides the trees with some additional plant food and chip in us some additional revenues from fish production . This is plainly also interesting for local community of interests , and we have call up this conception ' aquaforestry ' " .
Drought - resistant treesThe modified amount of H2O useable also made Bob and his squad interchange the scope of their project . " We had initially thought of mingle yield Tree with instinctive tree , but at our project emplacement they did not grow well due to a lack of water and rain that was well below 600 millimetre per year in some year due to La Niña . accordingly , we are now focusing on drought - immune trees for timber , and we are presently search the possibility of carbon funding . ab initio , we focalise on trees for tone , but now we also grow tree diagram for ( cosmetic ) oils , and we are increasingly doing sundry planting to stave off a monoculture . This more diverse mix of tree has a greater positivistic impact on the realm ’s biodiversity . We want to make biodiverse systems rather than green deserts . Most of our trees are local trees that are valuable for their timber , tree seed crude , and bee pasturage . We also plant a whole kitchen stove of tree and shrubs that are at risk of extinction . About 50 % of our trees are Melia Volkensii trees , the other 50 % dwell of different tree diagram types . At the moment , we have constitute over thirty different tree diagram species . "
The squad at employment
PartnerhsipsBob trust that partnership with local biotic community , nature preservation organisation , other agroforestry companies , and commercial-grade investors are crucial to have a live wallop on the region and its biodiversity . " Nature conservation organizations like Nature Kenya , and other NGOs give us a lot of input on how to control in a sustainable way . Similarly , we get together with Dutch water and extension experts , such asAcacia WaterandGrowpact , to meliorate our body of water management and culture methods . These collaborations are also underpin by the Dutch politics via the Agricultural Council of the Netherlands Embassy in Nairobi . "
When it come to the local community , Bob finds that they are by and large quite interested in planting and growing trees : " First of all , in Kenya there are no frigid winter , allowing tree to maturate class - pear-shaped . For this reasonableness , we provide the locals with seedlings , and when they grow a tree , they can sell the forest or Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree seeds to us . In summation , some trees such as the Moringa Olifeira can be used for consumption , adding important nutrient to the local diet . If local residential area would also have carbon - credits for their Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree planting activities , this would be a self-aggrandising game changer , and we are presently very busy to develop that . Carbon credit are a form of payment that honour eco - well-disposed practices . "
Seedling distribution to local schools ( Moringa Olifeira )
Yet , Bob highlight that increasing the scale of the project is important to be able to develop a carbon undertaking : " 2000 hectares of trees is the lower limit , so we have to increase at least tenfold . We are modernise a concept whereby we increase our own landholdings , but also fetch conservation NGO ’s land , and Edwin Herbert Land of local communities on board . We are always looking for parties that are concerned in atomic number 6 - task , and companies that are willing to apportion their technical and refinement knowledge . "
Kenya and beyondAccording to Bob , his approaching to agroforestry has potentiality in the rest period of Kenya , and other parts of the world . " We are in the east of Kenya for five years now , and we know which trees grow well in this semi - desiccated surface area , and we have developed a catalog with monitoring reports that gives us deep insights into the tree diagram specie that are most suitable for the region . Throughout the age , we got involved in tree propagation to have quicker - produce and straighter Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . "
" Currently , our direction is on Kenya ’s east coast and our initial expansion will be here . In the long run we could also expound our conception to the rest of the state , and other parts of the world . We retrieve that our approach is particularly interesting for other semi - arid region , such as the Middle - East . We believe that our experience is valuable for any rural area in which there is an interest in biodiverse reforestation , and carbon - step reduction . We are n’t an NGO , but our goal is to have a convinced local impact , " Bob concludes .
For more information : Capital Africa Natural Capital InvestmentsBob van der Bijl+254 725 707 814[email protected]www.koomifarm.com
