The “Women Rise for Nature Project” in Kenya’s Trans-Nzoia County harnesses a powerful digital tool to protect land rights and fight gender-based violence

Land-based climate action: an opportunity or risk for women’s rights?

Trans-Nzoia County in Western Kenya is becoming a hotspot for land-based environmental action that aims to mitigate climate change, protect biodiversity and restore soil. To that end, several carbon market projects are planned or under implementation. This provides an important opportunity for international companies to offset carbon emissions and theGovernment of Kenya to generate financial resources through conservation and afforestation measures. Women using the land targeted for these projects receive incentives for forest conservation or planting trees for CO2 storage and are positioned to benefit from them. However, whether they benefit hinges on if projects are designed and implemented in a gender-responsive manner. Such an approach would help ensure that women’s needs and capacities are properlyintegrated into project planning and appropriate opportunities are identified so they can reap the full rewards of these initiatives.

Nevertheless, a risk remains. Carbon market projects can generate unintended consequences and risk having a negative impact on the realization of women’s rights and gender equity. For example, carbon markets add to the growing demand for and commodification of land, which often results in rise of land conflicts and women losing control over land and natural resources. TMG Research’s rights reporting tool – Haki Ardhi – has given women an accessible platform to safely and confidentially report cases of land rights violations. By reporting to local and national organizations, women have more access to local redress mechanisms to access justice. Through women’s testimonies, a link between land rights violations and gender-based violence (GBV) was revealed. For example, our data from Kakamega and Taita Taveta County, where Haki Ardhi was piloted, show that women have an increased risk of experiencing GBV when defending their land rights. Almost half of all women (49%) that faced forced eviction reported having experienced violence; 37% reported verbal violence, and 12% reported physical violence. In 75% of the cases of forced eviction, the perpetrators were family members; of that total 20% were their own husbands. In addition to domestic violence, cases of violence by government officials (12%) and companies (2%) were reported.

The realisation of other rights for women, such as equal benefit sharing and non-discriminatory participation in decision-making processes, can equally be at risk when carbon market projects are introduced, especially when implemented in a gender-neutral manner. This can lead to oversight in relation to safety risks and protection from violence for women. When women speak up to claim their rights in this context, the risk of GBV increases, with men using it to intimidate women or impose decisions. This can happen in domestic spheres, as well as by public or private stakeholders in carbon market projects.

Women RISE 4 Nature

In response to these threats, TMG Research, Kenya Land Alliance (KLA), Shibuye Community Health Workers (SCHW) and Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK) are implementing the Women RISE 4 Nature (WR4N) project in Trans-Nzoia County. This project is implemented under IUCN’s Resilient, Inclusive and Sustainable Environments (RISE) grants challenge, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad). The RISE grants challenge provides grants and tailored technical support to assist environmental organizations applying a community-based lens and approaches to addressing GBV and environmental linkages.

A key aspect of this project is to further expand and improve the rights reporting tool Haki Ardhi in Trans-Nzoia County in order to improve access to justice for women who face land rights violations and GBV. It also aims to use community-generated data to improve understanding among key actors of how land-based climate action, land conflicts, and GBV are interrelated. This systematic documentation will then provide local and national women’sorganizations with data for evidence-based advocacy to hold governments accountable for the effective protection ofwomen’s tenure rights. The roll out of this rights reporting tool in Trans-Nzoia County can support vital processes that ensure land-based environmental action does not come at the expense of women’s land rights, livelihoods and safety, but instead empowers them and secures their rights.

Project results will contribute to the design and implementation of gender-responsive carbon market projects that put women in the drivers’ seat of land-based environmental and increase accountability by governments and other duty bearers to respect, protect and realize women’s rights.

First dialogue with the community in Trans-Nzoia County

In August 2024, the project conducted an inspiring community mapping workshop in Trans-Nzoia County. Spearheaded by Kenya Land Alliance, the workshop brought together a diverse group of stakeholders, including representatives of county government and Community-based Organisations (CBOs).

Shibuye Community Health Worker, Nancy Ingonga, assists women in reporting their land rights violations to ensure they have access to justice. Photo credit: Joanna Trimble

The workshop aimed to introduce the WR4N project and Haki Ardhi to the community, and explore the critical intersections of land tenure, GBV, and carbon markets. It also served to identify the locations most impacted by these issues, as well as key stakeholders to collaborate with throughout the project. These insights laid a strong foundation for the implementation of the project with active community participation.

A collective dialogue: insights from community feedback

Participants shared their insights on the key topics of land tenure, carbon markets and GBV. A mix of methods such as plenary discussions, group work, role plays, and mapping exercises enhanced the workshop’s impact and engagement of participants. The following findings emerged:

Barriers to women’s land ownership: The participants indicated that only 3 to 8% of women in Trans- Nzoia County own land independently, with joint ownership figures reaching about 35 to 40%, typically in partnership with spouses. Factors hindering women’s access to land were pointed out, including poverty, non-literacy, and limited knowledge about land rights. Cultural practices such as polygamy, patriarchy, and wife inheritance were also highlighted as significant barriers, with tribal clashes and health related issues (like sexually transmitted infections) adding layers of complexity to land ownership challenges. The WR4N project will further examine the extent to which land rights influence women's participation in carbon market projects and whether, and how, these projects exacerbate women'sland ownership challenges.

Drivers of GBV: Economic hardship emerged as a primary driver of GBV, with the participants linking GBV to poverty, a lack of awareness of rights, and limited participation of women in household decision-making. These factors also increase dependency and reduce possibilities of women to defend their rights. Substance abuse, particularly drug and alcohol addiction, was identified as an exacerbating factor, creating an environment that fosters violence against women in vulnerable communities. KLA and SCHW highlighted in this context, that verbal and physical domestic violence, is often used by men to secure access to and control over natural resources, which explains the rather high levels of GBV experienced by women who reported land conflicts through the rights reporting tool Haki Ardhi in Kakamega and Taita Taveta counties. The WR4N project will further explore the linkages between carbon market projects and GBV.

Access to justice and GBV reporting channels: A key objective of the WR4N project is to strengthen access to justice for women facing land rights violations and GBV linked to land conflicts. To achieve this, it is essential to thoroughly assess the GBV response network in Trans-Nzoia County so that women who report GBV can be referred to effectiveGBV support actors. Against this background, participants of the workshops emphasized the prevalence of traditional reporting methods. For many women, the village elders (Mkasa) constitute the primary means to report GBV. The Mkasa system also plays a key role in settling land tenure disputes. Through close collaboration with traditional authorities in the WR4N project, SCHW aims to ensure that solutions found through these mechanisms are survivor-centred, non-discriminatory for women, and compliant with national laws and policies that protect women’s tenure rights.

Priority locations: Based on the community feedback, three critical sub-counties were identified out of the five sub-counties in Trans-Nzoia county as the focal project areas.

Saboti sub-county: Known for its proximity to Mt. Elgon ecosystem, Saboti’s ecological importance and tenure challenges made it a high-priority area. Machewa and Saboti wards, located near the forest, were specifically chosen.

Cherangany sub-county: Similar to Saboti, Cherengany was considered a high-priority area due to its connection to the Cherengany Hills, that are crucial to forest conservation efforts and livelihoods. Suwerwa, Sitatunga, Motosiet, and Sinyereri wards were chosen.

Endebess sub-county: Endebess was highlighted as a high-priority area, particularly for tenure challenges due to its active farming and forested areas. Matumbei Ward was chosen.

Haki Ardhi: new opportunities to report rights violations

As participants were introduced to Haki Ardhi, they gained newfound awareness of the different channels available to report GBV and land tenure violations, moving beyond traditional systems. This will broaden women’s options to claim their rights and access women-led local support networks. This knowledge empowered the participants, particularly the women, instilling confidence to report on rights violations and call for support to claim their rights and get redress. This includes referrals to effective GBV response actors that can provide the appropriate psychosocial, physical and legal support to women who experience GBV, in the context of land conflicts or participation in carbon market projects.

One female participant expressed hope that the tool would empower women to navigate the corrupt monetary demands of certain rogue village elders and local administrators. “It is our hope that Haki Ardhi will provide not only a confidential but a no cost way of reporting our cases. ” This shift symbolises a vital step forward in equipping women with the tools to advocate for their rights and safety effectively.

The data collected through Haki Ardhi will also provide evidence of the unintended consequences of carbon market initiatives in the county, such as land conflicts and GBV, and strengthen efforts to push for policies that address these issues. With the community’s support, the project is poised to drive meaningful change, encouraging a culture where rights are respected, voices are heard, and women are empowered to participate in shaping the future of their communities.

Building momentum to overcome challenges together

Community members collectively expressed their support for the WR4N project, highlighting its relevance to their lives and as a viable solution to their challenges. Through a unanimous vote, stakeholders endorsed the project and even recommended expanding it across the county, recognising the broader impact it could bring to all the communities in the county.