CIFOR-ICRAF has been conducting a series of trainings on Gender and Social Inclusion (GESI) in forest and landscape restoration for Community Forest Associations (CFAs) in Makueni County, Kenya as part of the UK PACT project.

To date, the trainings have reached more than 600 individuals, emphasizing the importance of gender equity in achieving sustainable restoration outcomes. Over the past two years of implementation, some common themes have emerged, highlighting that many CFA members feel held back by their current level of skill in agroforestry practices and soil conservation techniques. In response, CIFOR-ICRAF followed up with technical, on-farm training in sustainable agroforestry practices and composting for soil conservation.

The Coalition of Action for Soil Health (CA4SH) #Youth4Soil Working Group held its inaugural Virtual Soil Solutions showcase on Thursday, 6th March 2025. The event was dubbed “We Grow We Eat” to celebrate soil as a growing medium for 95% of the world's food. The showcase provided a platform for #Youth4Soil members to exhibit the soil health solutions they are already implementing in their local contexts and interact with key stakeholders to grow those solutions.

Upendra Bhusal is a student of Agriculture at the Agriculture and Forestry University, Nepal. He is a member of the CA4SH #Youth4Soil initiative, IAAS, YPARD, FAYI, Leo Club, and more.

Learn about his unique approach to scaling soil health in his community, and his plans to scale this approach in 2024/2025.