Soil carbon storage can ease crop water stress availability in drought-prone regions

News June 15, 2026

A new study has found that increasing organic carbon in soils does more than store greenhouse gases: it also changes how soils hold and distribute water, with benefits that are especially significant in dry and water-limited regions. The research was led by Dr. Inne Vanderkelen and Professor Edouard Davin, in collaboration with Wyss Academy colleagues Marie-Estelle Demory and Myke Koopmans, the University of Bern, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research in the United States. Using a global land-surface model, the team ran simulations based on realistic soil carbon sequestration scenarios, including one aligned with the international “4 per 1000” initiative, which proposes increasing soil organic carbon stocks by 0.4% per year as a lever for climate action.The results show that carbon-enriched soils retain more water in the root zone, reduce water stress for plants, and shift the balance of water away from runoff and toward ecosystem use. While the effects are modest when averaged globally, they are consistent and most pronounced in regions already facing water scarcity, such as the western United States, the Sahel, and parts of southern Africa The findings add to a growing body of evidence that nature-based solutions can deliver multiple benefits at once. Soil carbon sequestration, the study suggests, should be understood not only as a climate mitigation strategy but also as a tool for climate adaptation, helping ecosystems and agricultural systems become more resilient in the face of increasing drought, especially where water is already scarce.The research strengthens the scientific case for integrated land management that addresses climate resilience, sustainable land use, and water security together.The paper was published on 11 June 2026 in Biogeosciences (Vol. 23, pp. 3829–3854). (DOI: 10.5194/bg-23-3829-2026 )

Learning from the Field: Brian Ayugi’s Visit to Kuku Site

Project Update February 17, 2026

From practice to public evidence: monitoring nature-based solutions for Kenya’s water

News November 3, 2025

The authors propose three pillars that work together: Adaptive, co-designed monitoring through living labs connects local practice to agreed protocols and continuous learning, so datasets are consistent over time and anchored in place. A national, open NbS repository built on FAIR principles makes vegetation, hydrology, and household water metrics findable, citable, and verifiable, which allows results to be checked, compared, and reused beyond single projects. Standardized indicators embedded in planning and finance ensure county plans, national strategies, and outcome-based instruments track performance in the same way—linking budgets to outcomes rather than activities. The paper also points to practical enablers: long-term monitoring, evaluation, and learning budgets; open-access publishing and co-authorship with practitioners and county officers; and careful attention to land tenure and free, prior, and informed consent to sustain monitoring access and trust. Read alongside our work in Kenya, the emphasis is familiar—pair grounded practice with shared evidence so decisions travel across levels and endure. Ultimately, the value of Kenya’s nature-based solutions will be judged not only by what is built, but by what is learned and shared. Turning monitoring into public evidence—co-designed, comparable, and open—gives communities and authorities a common reference point for decisions and finance. That is how local practice informs policy, and how water governance becomes both more accountable and more resilient over time. 

Latest Developments in the Water Scarcity Project

Project Update May 23, 2025

Show and tell

Project Update November 25, 2024

[NANYUKI, Kenya] Here at the Wyss Academy, we often ask ourselves “who is this for?” concerning our work, and the answer is always an enthusiastic “for the benefit of Nature and PEOPLE”. But what does that actually mean? It means collaboration and co-design. It means an exchange of, and respect for, traditional and scientific knowledge. Most of all, it means ownership. Nobody has a better understanding of the challenges in a landscape than the people who live in it. It is our duty to act on the needs of the people, not supersede them.  In the last few weeks, the WA Hub East Africa has ramped up its women and youth-led community engagement activities in Laikipia and Isiolo counties of northern Kenya, which were positively received by various community leaders, groups, and residents.     Meetings were held jointly with conservancy managers, representatives from county government and women’s groups, and members of Community Land Management Committees (CLMCs) and grazing committees, who met to agree on pilot sites for activities of the up-and-coming women-led Powering Local Prosperity through Green Growth project. The income generating activities are all closely tied to ecosystem health and include bee-keeping and bee related products, Aloe vera, grass seed and fodder production, and African leafy vegetables. The meetings—one in Lower Naibunga Community Conservancy (Laikipia county) and the other in Nannapa Community Conservancy in Oldonyiro (Isiolo county)—concluded with agreement on a pilot site at each location, and to begin the process of defining the specific contributions from all the stakeholders and outcomes for participating women’s groups. These resolutions demonstrate the communities’ commitment to, and support of, women championing activities related to people-nature co-existence.    Separately, and in collaboration with community-based group Green Earth Warriors (GEWs), sensitization meetings were held in relation to the over 30,000 semi-circular bunds currently regreening the Naibunga Community Conservancy. Topics covered included implementation, governance, and sustainability of the bunds. As for how residents and community groups can participate in bund-related monitoring and management, an overview of the function of soil sensors that were installed at selected bunds was shared. The sensors monitor temperature and levels of moisture in the soil, and this data is transmitted in real time to expert data analysts through the explorer.land platform, after which synthesized results will be shared with the communities. This cycle of knowledge generation and sharing further strengthens co-design of solutions. By the end of the sessions, community participants requested updates on results every four months.   On an even happier note, our journey to 100,000 bunds dug and seeded by the end of 2025 is well on its way! The residents and several women’s groups in Naibunga Community Conservancy, mobilized by the GEWs, are hard at work to realize 55,000 semi-circular bunds dug by end of December 2024, while groups in Oldonyiro have a target of 40,000 bunds dug and seeded within the same period. We are so proud of this progress and commitment to healthier landscapes, and can’t wait to see what 2025 brings.  

Contributing to biodiversity conservation

Project Update October 17, 2024

[NANYUKI, Kenya] It is said that variety is the spice of life, and this couldn't be more true than in nature – with its abundance of flora and fauna, and intricate networks of intra- and inter-dependencies to support various life forms. As often happens in our own lives, the “spice” requires periodic evaluation; are things working as they should (health), or is some tweaking necessary (change)? Similarly, biodiversity assessment is used to evaluate and determine the status of life in a defined area that may contain one or more types of ecosystems or habitats.  The semi-arid landscape of Laikipia, Kenya, looks vastly different in dry versus wet seasons, prompting comparative assessment to establish conservation and restoration needs. For this reason, the Wyss Academy for Nature commissioned dry and wet season (July/August, 2023, and April, 2024, respectively) biodiversity and socioecological assessments of local livelihoods in Naibunga Community Conservancy, conducted in collaboration with expert teams from the University of Nairobi, the National Museums of Kenya, Technical University of Kenya, and the Directorate of Resource Surveys and Remote Sensing.  This biodiversity assessment was the first of its kind in the Naibunga Community Conservancy and examined a wide range of taxonomic groups including birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, and plants in a restored landscape. Their presence, or absence, is used as indicators of ecosystem health.  Findings from the assessments have been consolidated in a recent report, that will be an important source of information for monitoring the impact of semi-circular bunds as landscape restoration mechanisms and for development of income generating activities. Further, the comparative season-focused data is a positive contribution for designing and identifying indicator species for long term future monitoring of changes in species composition. Concerning inclusivity in biodiversity conservation, Professor Margaret Owuor, an accomplished conservation ecologist and lead of the Integrative Biodiversity Conservation Science research team at the Wyss Academy for Nature, opines, 

Calibration and deployment of soil sensors in Naibunga and Kuku

Project Update October 1, 2024

Calibration and deployment of soil sensors in Naibunga and Kuku with our partners from the Green Earth Warriors and JustDiggit .By adding additional soil moisture and temperature sensors at our sites in southwest Kenya, we’re gathering more data to demonstrate the resilience of these landscapes. Each new insight into water infiltration brings us closer to a greener, restored planet for everyone.

Sustainable Solutions for Biodiversity and Water Scarcity in the Ewaso Ng’iro Basin

News April 24, 2024

Nature-based solutions (NbS) are actions to protect, sustainably manage and restore natural and modified ecosystems in ways that address societal challenges to provide both human well-being and biodiversity benefits. Thus, to be effective, NbS developed for biodiversity conservation and water resource management must cater for both the ecological and socioeconomic aspects of a landscape. The Ewaso Ng’iro basin in Kenya is a rich ecosystem that provides many ecological, social and economic benefits for the local communities. Unfortunately, population growth, land use change, changing consumption patterns, among other reasons, threaten the ecosystems and the communities’ livelihoods. These challenges are exacerbated by climate change. This creates a unique opportunity for NbS interventions to be used to conserve biodiversity and address water scarcity.    The ongoing semi-circular bunds incubator in the Naibunga Community Conservancy, in Laikipia County —jointly implemented by the Wyss Academy, JustDiggit, and community group Green Earth Warriors—is one such intervention. In a year since digging of the now 32,000 bunds, early monitoring results suggest that there has been improvement in vegetation cover (primarily grass), and alternative livelihoods are being explored.

More water in greener landscapes?

News April 22, 2024

Water scarcity and climate change: Fresh insights gained in Northern Kenya

News December 5, 2023