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Driving Climate-Resilient Food Systems in Kenya’s Nakuru County: A Step Toward Integrated Policy and Sustainable Land Use

By SDSN Kenya

On April 24, 2026, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network’s Kenyan Network (SDSN Kenya), in collaboration with FOLU Kenya and the County Government of Nakuru, successfully convened the “Land Use Planning, Food Systems and Policy Dialogue” at Ole Ken Hotel in Nakuru City.

Held under the theme, “Driving Climate-Resilient Food Systems through Integrated Policy and Sustainable Land Use,” the forum brought together a diverse group of stakeholders, including policymakers, non-governmental organizations, development partners, academics, researchers, and community representatives in an effort to link land use, food systems, and policy in a coherent framework. Across Africa, food systems are under growing strain from climate variability, land fragmentation, and unsustainable land use, as well as from food insecurity and fragmented policy frameworks that often fail to connect national strategies to local implementation. When land use planning, agriculture, and environmental policies operate in silos, this often results in inefficiency, increased vulnerability, and missed opportunities for sustainable growth. Nakuru reflects these broader dynamics, making it a critical case for demonstrating how integrated approaches can simultaneously strengthen food security, protect ecosystems, and support livelihoods. The forum created a multi-stakeholder platform to address these interconnected challenges through integrated, landscape-based solutions.

Key Insights from the Dialogue

  1. The Urgency of Integrated Land Use Planning: Participants emphasized that land use planning is central to sustainable food systems. Fragmented land governance frameworks continue to undermine productivity, environmental sustainability, and resilience. There was strong consensus that the use of planning must be cross-sectoral; counties should strengthen spatial planning frameworks; and planning must integrate agriculture, conservation, health, and settlement systems.
  2. Climate Resilience Must be Embedded in Food Systems Planning: The dialogue highlighted the need to transition toward climate-resilient food systems planning, particularly in the face of increasing droughts and floods, declining soil quality, and unpredictable rainfall patterns. Key strategies discussed included advancing climate-smart agriculture and agro-ecological practices, restoration of degraded landscapes, and strengthening early warning systems.
  3. Policy Coherence is Critical: A major challenge identified was the disconnect between policies related to agriculture, land, environment, and climate change. Participants called for greater harmonization of national and county policies, stronger coordination between institutions, and increased emphasis on evidence-based policymaking.
  4. The Role of Local Communities and Indigenous Knowledge: Local knowledge systems are essential for sustainable land and food system management. Key reflections included: Continuing to foster Indigenous practices that already support resilience; Involving communities actively in decision-making; and bottom-up approaches are important for enhancing policy effectiveness.
  5. Multi-stakeholder Partnerships are Key: The forum underscored the importance of cross-sector partnerships between government institutions, research organizations, development partners, civil society, and local communities. Collaboration was identified as a driver of innovation, resource mobilization, and policy implementation.

Key Outcomes of the Forum

The dialogue presented and validated key findings from an ongoing study on spatial land use analysis and policy integration. A major outcome of the forum was the validation of critical reports that will guide future decision-making in Nakuru County. The dialogue also helped to strengthen collaboration between SDSN Kenya, FOLU Kenya, and Nakuru County; foster a shared commitment to integrated land-use and food systems planning; identify priority policy gaps and opportunities; enhance awareness on climate-resilient agricultural practices; and align on the need for continuous stakeholder engagement platforms.

Next Steps

Building on the momentum from the dialogue, the following actions were proposed to the county. The initiative focuses on policy engagement and advocacy by supporting counties in developing integrated land-use and food-system policies while promoting alignment with national and global frameworks. It also emphasizes research and knowledge generation through stronger evidence-based approaches, data use, and the documentation and scaling of best practices in sustainable land use and food systems.

Capacity building is another core priority, with training for county officials and local communities on sustainable land-use planning and management, climate-smart agriculture, and effective policy implementation. In addition, the initiative seeks to strengthen partnerships by expanding collaboration across sectors and mobilizing resources to support implementation efforts. A key component is comprehensive county spatial planning, including the review of existing spatial planning and land-use frameworks in Nakuru County and the development of a sustainable county spatial plan.

Looking Ahead

The Nakuru Policy Dialogue marks an important step toward transforming Kenya’s food systems through integrated, inclusive, and climate-resilient approaches. As Kenya continues to navigate the complex intersection of land use, food security, and climate change, platforms like this dialogue are essential for building consensus, driving policy action, and scaling sustainable development solutions. SDSN Kenya remains committed to working with development partners to translate dialogue into action, ensuring that sustainable development is not just discussed but implemented at the local and national levels.

Call to Action

We invite all stakeholders — government, academia, civil society, and development partners — to join us in advancing sustainable land use management and resilient food systems planning in Kenya.

For further information, contact info@sdsnkenya.org or visit www.sdsnkenya.org.