Nairobi: The Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Environment, Climate Change, and Forestry, Dr. Deborah Barasa, has held in-depth discussions with the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Jane Njuguna, on the institution’s mobile and web-based restoration platform. The discussions also covered the Jaza Miti initiative during her visit to the Institute.

According to Kenya News Agency, Jaza Miti, copyrighted to KEFRI, supports tree-growing through science-based species-site matching and is the official platform for the 15 Billion Trees Strategy. Dr. Barasa described it as a transformative, multidisciplinary tool that integrates scientific and technological expertise to guide effective tree growing.

The platform offers scientific support for climate-resilient restoration, agroforestry, and commercial forestry, aligning with Vision 2030 and the goal of achieving 30 per cent tree cover by 2032, noted the CS. She further added that Jaza Miti also serves as the national digital system for monitoring restoration efforts.

Dr. Barasa highlighted its key features, such as enhanced seedling survival, real-time dashboards, nursery mapping, public APIs, and AI-powered validation. Additionally, she announced that the ministry is raising awareness on carbon markets and working with the Kenya Forest Service to improve tree-planting data accuracy.

The platform now records 50,000 active users, over 76,000 downloads, 5,523 registered organisations, and 4,623 nurseries, stated the CS, adding that more than 733 million trees have been documented since January 2023. Equally, Dr. Barasa affirmed that Jaza Miti is transforming restoration efforts, improving livelihoods, and advancing national climate goals.