The Turkana region in Kenya, where South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Uganda meet, is an area shaped by extremes. Drought returns in five-year cycles, encroaching bush takes over the land, poverty is widespread, and decades of conflict have made Turkana home to one of Africa’s largest refugee communities.

The NARA Kenya Community Drylands Project, in partnership with Criou, is joining forces with local communities to regenerate the land. As the world’s first refugee-led carbon project, it is turning encroaching bush into biochar and applying agroforestry techniques like species selection and smart irrigation — transforming depleted soils into fertile farmland that feeds families, sustains livelihoods, and removes carbon.

Each tonne of carbon removed is tracked and verified through Planboo’s MRVin platform, generating high-integrity credits and new income streams for refugees and local communities participating in the project.

What was once written off as wasteland is becoming a source of food security, income, and climate action.