Description
Komaza provides farmers with the products and services to plant drought-tolerant, fast-growing trees on their land to sell as high-value wood products, thereby returning decades of life-changing income to farmers from their previously unused land. Komaza's model was designed for rural farmers living in East Africa's semi-arid lands. Dryland farmers are one of the poorest populations on earth with low rainfall and poor soil fertility, it is very difficult to grow enough to eat, much less sell a surplus at market. Low population densities mean farmers have abundant extra land for growing trees, and because trees require little labor, farmers can establish woodlots while continuing to grow all their existing crops. In coastal Kenya, Komaza's first area of operations, there are over 100,000 semi-arid farmers who could grow trees for income; we expect to reach at least half these farmers by 2025. Throughout East Africa's drylands, there are several million family farmers living in similar conditions, struggling to grow traditional crops and eager for new income-generating opportunities; after successful proof-of-concept and reaching profitability in coastal Kenya, Komaza aims to expand to other semi-arid farmers living around major cities with high wood deficits.