Planting a Wageningen Forest in the Heart of Kenya

She has known about Lukenya for several years. Back in 2021, one of its student teams took part in the Food Systems Innovation Challenge with an inventive hydroponics project designed for their dry region. “They built this hydroponics system in one of the driest places imaginable,” Mirjam recalls. “It was basically a big pit filled with water, with pumpkins planted on top so the water would not evaporate. It was such a clever setup.”

At the time, photos and videos of the campus told a stark story: red soil, scarce vegetation, a place where farming seemed nearly impossible. “It was one of the driest places I had seen,” Mirjam recalls. “But the students’ creativity and determination stood out immediately.”

Now, a few years later, she is here in person. When the van finally pulls through the university gates, Mirjam’s reaction is instant. “When I arrived, it was like stepping into a completely different place,” she says. “The last time I saw it, everything looked so dry. Now it’s green. So green. They have planted trees everywhere. They have built a hospital and schools. It feels alive.”

That transformation is no accident. In 2023, Lukenya University launched its "10 Million Trees in 10 Years" campaign, an ambitious effort to restore degraded land, mitigate climate change, and improve local livelihoods. It grew out of a youth pastoralists' workshop and aligns with Kenya’s national target of planting 15 billion trees by 2032.

The initiative is about much more than tree planting. It combines ecological restoration, food security, economic empowerment, and education, with students, farmers, and community members all playing a part.

“When I visited, they let me plant one of the trees myself,” Mirjam recalls. “They even made a small wooden sign: 'Mirjam’s Tree.' It may seem like a small thing, but planting that tree, getting my hands in the soil, and being part of their story was deeply moving.”

At Lukenya, trees are not just planted. They are cared for. Through innovations such as the Geo-Hydro Deep Root Technique and a careful selection of indigenous, drought-resistant species, the campaign boasts a survival rate of over 80%. Students are trained in sustainable land use. Farmers receive guidance and seedlings. Local shopkeepers take responsibility for saplings outside their storefronts.

The trees themselves serve multiple purposes: food, shade, medicine, fodder, fuel, and income. Mango, guava, tamarind, baobab, neem, and moringa are just a few among dozens of species chosen not only for their ecological value but also for their cultural and economic importance. Most are grown in Lukenya University’s own nursery, while others come from community-run nurseries that generate income for local families.

In just the first years of the campaign, more than 600,000 trees have been planted, benefiting over 30,000 people in Kibwezi East and beyond. Strategic partnerships with organisations such as TARDA, Kenya Forest Service, Kenya Forestry Research Institute, and UNESCO have helped expand the programme across schools, churches, farms, and marketplaces. The university’s annual "10 Million Trees Marathon" now draws participants from across the country.

In June 2025, Wageningen University & Research formally joined Lukenya University’s reforestation effort by supporting the planting and long-term care of 1,000 trees on campus. Modest in number, perhaps, but meaningful in intent. For Mirjam, it was never about a single visit or a symbolic gesture. It was about standing alongside a partner university whose work so clearly reflects WUR’s own mission: advancing sustainability, biodiversity, and responsible land use worldwide.

“I didn’t want this to be a 'Mirjam project',” she explains. “I wanted WUR to stand alongside Lukenya. Because this is what global responsibility looks like. We are not just here to solve problems at home. We are part of something bigger.”

That shared responsibility became tangible in December, when Mirjam returned to Kenya to officially inaugurate the Wageningen University Forest at Lukenya. Surrounded by students, staff, and community members, she saw how ideas once exchanged through collaboration and challenge-based learning had taken root, quite literally.

More than a collection of trees, the forest stands as a living symbol of partnership: of knowledge crossing borders, communities shaping their land, and universities embracing their role in restoring ecosystems and supporting livelihoods beyond their own campuses.