AfroGrow partners came together in Kenya to practise the field methods and shared protocols used to assess agroforestry systems across the project’s Living Labs.
From soil and vegetation to insects, weather and biodiversity, understanding an agroforestry system means looking at how its different parts work together.
During an in-person AfroGrow training workshop in Makueni, Kenya, from 23 to 29 August 2026, partners explored practical methods for monitoring agroforestry systems. Hosted by CIFOR-ICRAF and led by the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZU), the workshop brought participants together to practise field assessments and learn how to collect and manage data consistently.
The training covered soil and water health, vegetation structure, insect biodiversity and environmental DNA sampling, microclimate and weather data, heat stress, bioacoustics, and data management. Participants worked with field protocols and monitoring tools that can support comparable observations across the project’s Living Labs.
By building shared skills and approaches, the workshop supports learning between project partners and helps inform the monitoring of agroforestry systems in different local contexts.
Story by: Robin Chacha, Hezekiah Nyandika, Kelvin Okumu and Zampela Pittaki
Photos by: Kelvin Okumu, Landscape Alliance (CIFOR-ICRAF)
First published by: Coalition of Action for Soil Health
Read the original article: Learning in the Field: Assessing the Impact of Agroforestry Systems Through Scientific Methods
