Awash in Green and Gold: The Emerging Restoration Economy in Kenya

The case study highlights the growth of Kenya's restoration economy through examples like GreenPot Enterprises and Honey Care Africa. It demonstrates that restoring degraded landscapes—using bamboo for soil stabilization or apiaries for pollination—can generate significant revenue and improve farmer incomes. While Kenya's strong GDP growth and government commitment to restore 5.1 million hectares by 2030 provide a supportive environment, the report identifies a critical gap in growth capital, specifically investments in the $3-10 million range needed for scaling.

• GreenPot Enterprises demonstrates the profitability of rehabilitating degraded land using bamboo, which stabilizes soils and prevents erosion. The company manages approximately 400 hectares of bamboo and achieved over $2 million in sales within 18 months of becoming profitable.
• Honey Care Africa transitioned from a subsidized project to a mass-market honey-based snack producer, resulting in 2016 sales five times the average of the previous decade. This model supports nearly 5,000 farmers, adding $200 annually to their income and increasing crop yields by 15 to 30 percent through pollination.
• Kenya's economic environment is supportive of restoration businesses due to a 5.6 percent GDP growth in 2015 and a government commitment via the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100) to restore 5.1 million hectares by 2030.
• A primary barrier to scaling restoration enterprises in Kenya is the lack of growth capital; while seed capital of around $100,000 is available from philanthropies and impact investors, there is a shortage of investments in the $3-10 million range.

APA

Wu, A. (2017). Awash in Green and Gold: The Emerging Restoration Economy in Kenya. World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/insights/awash-green-and-gold-emerging-restoration-economy-kenya

Chicago

Wu, Andrew. Awash in Green and Gold: The Emerging Restoration Economy in Kenya. World Resources Institute, 2017. https://www.wri.org/insights/awash-green-and-gold-emerging-restoration-economy-kenya.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Wu |first1=Andrew |title=Awash in Green and Gold: The Emerging Restoration Economy in Kenya |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=24 January 2017 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/awash-green-and-gold-emerging-restoration-economy-kenya |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wu2017awash, author = {Wu, Andrew}, title = {{Awash in Green and Gold: The Emerging Restoration Economy in Kenya}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2017}, month = jan, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/awash-green-and-gold-emerging-restoration-economy-kenya}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }