At least 72 teachers from Nakuru County have undergone training on climate-smart education in a move aimed at empowering and equipping schools to become centers of innovation, resilience and practical climate action.
Participants who were drawn from both primary and secondary schools in all the 11 sub-counties, were sponsored by the Mau Forest Complex Integrated Conservation and Livelihood Improvement Programme (MFC-ICLIP) in collaboration with Packaging Producer Responsibility Organization Limited (PAKPRO).
According to Nakuru County Chief Officer for Agriculture, Engineer Margaret Kinyanjui, the initiative strengthens Kenya’s leadership in climate change education and equips schools to become centres of practical climate action.
She said the training was not just about knowledge acquisition, but about action where the teachers and learners were trained on the tools to innovate, save costs, create livelihoods, and build communities that are resilient in the face of climate change.
Mau Forest Complex Integrated Conservation and Livelihood Improvement Programme (MFC-ICLIP) is a 10-year, Sh21.5 billion worth national initiative launched in October 2025 by President William Ruto.
It targets the restoration of over 33,000 hectares of degraded forests and wetlands while supporting local community livelihoods.
The programme seeks to link environmental conservation with livelihood improvement and sustainable economic activities, including practices that support food production while reducing pressure on natural resources.
Engineer Kinyanjui stated that they brought teachers onboard to reflect and understand the meaning of climate change and the impacts on the environment.
Speaking in Nakuru during the close of the training program the Chief Officer pointed out that the initiative also sought to strengthen teachers’ capacity to establish and manage productive school nutrition gardens while equipping learners with practical skills in food production, environmental conservation and healthy nutrition.
The county official appreciated the fact that the training helped teachers recognize climate change as both global and local concern, understanding their crucial role in addressing it through inquiry-based, problem-based, and project-based learning methods.
The disastrous effects of climate change, she said had caused climate anxiety in communities, but with Climate education, the teachers will build critical problem-solving skills essential for tackling environmental challenges.
Through intensive training, teachers explored hands-on, inquiry-based approaches to climate education that integrates environmental science, social responsibility and practical skills.
Beyond enhancing teacher training, Engineer Kinyanjui noted that the programme demonstrated how environmental activities could support schools in cost-cutting measures such as school gardens, waste recycling and energy-saving initiatives, while also creating opportunities for income generation and local entrepreneurship.
The official said the training was designed to empower teachers and students to transform their schools into hubs of creativity, sustainability and community impact.
“This training aligns with the government’s vision for a sustainable, resilient and green economy and we will continue to demonstrate how education can be a catalyst for climate action, youth empowerment and community transformation,” she stated.
Engineer Kinyanjui noted that though Africa is on the frontlines of climate change, education remains an underdeveloped critical piece of the climate response puzzle.
Education, she added, is a much-needed intersection as the continent confronts the twin crises of climate change and youth unemployment.
MFC-ICLIP and PAKPRO are among the collaborative partners supporting the initiative, which seeks to promote the recovery of the Mau Forest Complex while strengthening sustainable livelihoods and environmental stewardship in surrounding communities.
Packaging Producer Responsibility Organization Limited (PAKPRO on the other hand is a Kenyan industry-led, non-profit organization that manages post-consumer, non-hazardous packaging waste under the country’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations.
Through its focus on responsible packaging waste management and circular economy approaches, PAKPRO contributes to efforts aimed at reducing environmental pollution, promoting resource recovery and encouraging sustainable production and consumption practices.
Through the collaboration with the County Government of Nakuru, MFC-ICLIP and PAKPRO, the training provides an opportunity to extend these principles to schools by equipping teachers and learners with knowledge on climate resilience, sustainable food production, nutrition and environmental conservation.
Currently, climate change literacy in Africa averages about 37 per cent, much lower than in many other continents, and shows significant gender and regional disparities. Integrating climate change into Africa’s education systems is a necessity, observed Engineer Kinyanjui.
The Chief Officer added that without embedding environmental literacy into formal curricula, Africa risks raising generations unprepared to withstand the continent’s mounting climate challenges.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) documents that at least 2 million learners in Kenya faced school closures in 2024 due to impacts of climate change including flooding.
Eng. Kinyanjui stated that equipping teachers with climate-smart agricultural skills will help schools promote food security while preparing learners to adapt to the effects of climate change.
“Schools provide an important platform for introducing young people to sustainable agriculture,” said Kinyanjui.
The Chief Officer noted that by equipping teachers with practical skills, the County Government of Nakuru is helping learners understand the importance of food production, environmental conservation and climate-resilient agriculture.
Chief Officer for Livestock, Fisheries and Veterinary Services, Dr. Michael Cheruiyot said integrating nutrition into school-based agricultural activities would help learners appreciate the link between food production, healthy diets and overall well-being.
“Nutrition-sensitive agriculture gives learners an opportunity to understand where their food comes from and how diverse, nutritious foods contribute to healthy growth and development,” Cheruiyot said.
Dr Cheruiyot stated that nutrition-sensitive agriculture seeks to maximize the contribution of food production to improved nutrition by promoting the availability, affordability and consumption of diverse and nutritious foods while integrating nutrition considerations into agricultural interventions.
He regretted that climate change continues to pose challenges to agricultural production and food security, increasing the need for farming practices that enable communities to adapt to changing weather patterns while maintaining productivity and protecting natural resources.
The integration of climate-smart and nutrition-sensitive agriculture in schools, Dr Cheruiyot stated, provides an opportunity to introduce learners to sustainable food production, healthy diets and environmental conservation while giving them practical skills that can be applied at home and within their communities.
He affirmed that the County Government of Nakuru will continue to promote sustainable agricultural practices, food security and improved nutrition through capacity building and partnerships aimed at strengthening community resilience and improving the well-being of residents.
Dr Cheruiyot observed that the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) includes elements of environmental stewardship from early primary levels where students learn about clean energy, conservation, and climate justice through project-based learning.
For curricula to succeed, the Chief Officer pointed out that teachers must be equipped with knowledge and teaching tools that are locally relevant and scientifically robust.
“Kenya’s Climate Change Act (2016), amended in 2023, now includes education as a core pillar. Poor environmental literacy will spread misinformation. Inadequate climate skills will shrink job opportunities, and without climate-conscious citizens, policies will falter,” stated Dr Cheruiyot.
The training sessions covered Climate-Smart Agriculture, Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture, School Nutrition Gardens, Water Resources Conservation, Environmental Conservation and Waste Management.
The training emphasized the importance of sustainable farming practices in enhancing food security, improving nutrition and building resilience against the effects of climate change.
To complement the classroom sessions, participants took part in practical demonstrations on avocado, tea, maize and potato planting, giving them an opportunity to acquire hands-on knowledge on proper planting techniques and crop management.
The practical sessions also highlighted the importance of crop diversification in school gardens, enabling teachers to understand how different crops can contribute to food security, nutrition and learning activities.
The knowledge gained is expected to enable teachers to establish and strengthen school gardens that can serve as learning laboratories where students acquire practical skills in food production, environmental conservation and sustainable agriculture.
The gardens will also provide an opportunity for schools to supplement feeding programmes with fresh and nutritious produce, while exposing learners to the importance of balanced diets and healthy eating habits.
FAO emphasizes the need to build resilient agricultural and food systems capable of withstanding climate-related shocks as countries seek to address food insecurity, environmental degradation and the growing effects of climate change.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes good nutrition as a foundation for healthy growth and development, particularly among children, and advocates for access to safe, nutritious and diverse diets throughout the life course.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) also emphasizes the importance of adequate nutrition during childhood, noting that good nutrition supports children’s growth, learning and development while helping protect them from disease.
By Esther Mwangi and Caroline Nyakio
