The Mt. Kenya Sustainable Landscape Development and Management Plan (SLDMP) 2024-2029, developed by the Mt. Kenya Sustainable Landscape Management Board with support from the Rainforest Alliance and IKEA Foundation, is a comprehensive framework designed to nurture nature and enhance lives in the Mt. Kenya Landscape. This ambitious plan addresses pressing environmental challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation, and ecosystem degradation, while simultaneously aiming to improve livelihoods and foster resilience among local communities.

The SLDMP’s primary goals include increasing forest cover, fostering economic growth and diversification, and enhancing sustainable livelihoods for 50,000 households by 2029. It also commits to inclusive programming, targeting at least 30% women, 10% Persons Living with Disabilities (PWDs), and 10% youth.

The plan is structured around four strategic pillars:

• Regenerative/Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) and Natural Resources Management (NRM), integrating sustainable agricultural practices and resource conservation to tackle climate-related issues and enhance productivity.

• Sustainable Crop Production, focusing on high-value crops like tea and coffee, promoting climate resilience, productivity, and economic returns through value addition and market access.

• Landscape Finance and Resource Mobilization, which develops innovative financial mechanisms like blended finance and green enterprise investments to fund sustainable development.

• Advocacy, Communications, Social Inclusion, and Monitoring & Evaluation, crucial for raising awareness, fostering social inclusion, and tracking progress.

Underpinned by an Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) approach and a hybrid governance structure, the SLDMP brings together public, private, and community stakeholders in a collaborative platform to achieve its vision of a thriving Mt. Kenya Landscape for present and future generations.

This pillar integrates sustainable agricultural practices and natural resource management to address climate related challenges, including the adoption of regenerative and Climate Smart Agriculture techniques. This approach aims to sustainably increase agricultural productivity and incomes, build resilience and adapt to climate change, and develop opportunities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.