What does it take to build a food system that works for children, women, and communities in Kenya's most water-scarce landscapes? On 13th May 2026, researchers, government officials, community leaders, farmers, and educators came together at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO) headquarters in Nairobi to answer that question and to officially launch Kenya's Community of Policy and Practice (CoPP) for school feeding and regenerative agriculture.

What does it take to transform a school lunch into a catalyst for community resilience? In the semi-arid landscapes of Kenya's Kajiado County, the answer is taking root in the school farms, kitchen gardens, and women-led cooperatives emerging from a bold pilot programme reshaping how communities think about food, farming, and the future. On 14th May 2026, a field visit team travelled to Namanga, Kajiado County, to see the results for themselves.

Our first policy brief, Utilising Geospatial Data Analysis to Enhance School Meals and Regenerative Agriculture Interventions mapped the socio-ecological “hotspots” where key socio-ecological variables converge in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, and Rwanda. The analysis allowed us to identify the regions where these intersecting challenges are most severe.

This project explores how gender-sensitive, climate-smart school farming initiatives can help address food insecurity while navigating deeply rooted social norms in pastoral communities of Kenya.

The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), in collaboration with Imperial College London, have established a planet-first demonstration farm. The farm is being used as a training site for school teachers and farmers on regenerative agriculture practices. KALRO envisions that the demonstration farm will encourage the reproduction of planet-first farms in schools and farms throughout the semi-arid region of Kenya.

This policy brief uses geospatial data to analyse challenges and opportunities for linking school meals programmes (SMPs) and regenerative agriculture (RA) interventions in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, and Rwanda. It maps key socio-ecological variables—including population density, biodiversity threats, agroecological zones, farm size, water risk, land degradation, poverty levels, and school attendance—to gain insights into food production demand and supply barriers.

In Kenya and Rwanda, stakeholders involved in country SMP initiatives recently convened to discuss and analyze pathways through which SMP and RA interactions may open opportunities for influencing and transforming national food systems. This brief shares findings from the two workshops.

This policy brief includes findings from a recent analysis of existing government policies and SMP modalities in Kenya. It includes an overview of the current school meals landscape, key results, and recommendations for improving school meal delivery.

Through the establishment of climate-smart learning centers on school farms in pastoral Kenya, the project seeks to leverage local agriculture to support SMPs. This project spotlight details the status of the intervention in Kenya.