Nairobi: 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 representing both primary and secondary schools across all 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 Kenya News Agency, Nakuru County Chief Officer for Agriculture, Engineer Margaret Kinyanjui, stated that the initiative aims to strengthen Kenya’s leadership in climate change education, equipping schools to become centers of practical climate action. She emphasized that the training focuses not only on knowledge acquisition but also on action, enabling teachers and learners to innovate, save costs, create livelihoods, and build resilient communities in the face of climate change.
MFC-ICLIP is a national initiative launched in October 2025 by President William Ruto, worth Sh21.5 billion, targeting the restoration of over 33,000 hectares of degraded forests and wetlands while supporting local communities. The program 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 explained that teachers were involved to reflect on and understand the impacts of climate change on the environment. Speaking in Nakuru during the close of the training program, she highlighted the initiative’s goal 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 training helped teachers recognize climate change as both a global and local concern, understanding their crucial role in addressing it through inquiry-based, problem-based, and project-based learning methods. The effects of climate change have caused anxiety in communities, but with climate education, 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 integrate environmental science, social responsibility, and practical skills. Beyond enhancing teacher training, Engineer Kinyanjui noted that the program demonstrated how environmental activities could support schools in cost-cutting measures such as school gardens, waste recycling, and energy-saving initiatives, while creating opportunities for income generation and local entrepreneurship.
The official emphasized that 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, demonstrating how education can be a catalyst for climate action, youth empowerment, and community transformation. Engineer Kinyanjui noted that though Africa is on the frontlines of climate change, education remains an underdeveloped critical piece of the climate response puzzle.
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. PAKPRO, a Kenyan industry-led, non-profit organization, manages post-consumer, non-hazardous packaging waste under the country’s Extended Producer Responsibility regulations, contributing to efforts aimed at reducing environmental pollution and promoting sustainable production and consumption practices.
Through 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 is about 37%, much lower than in many other continents, with significant gender and regional disparities. Integrating climate change into Africa’s education systems is a necessity.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) documented 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.
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.
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 engaged in practical demonstrations on avocado, tea, maize, and potato planting, acquiring 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, serving 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 programs with fresh and nutritious produce, 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, advocating for access to safe, nutritious, and diverse diets throughout the life course.
