The Upper Tana-Nairobi Water Fund is an initiative of the Nature Conservancy that was founded on the principle that it is cheaper to prevent water problems at the source than it is to address them further downstream.

The Upper Tana River Basin is one of the country’s most important agricultural areas and supplies 95% of Nairobi’s water.

The Fund allows urban users to invest in upstream watershed conservation efforts for the benefit of farmers, businesses and more than 9 million Kenyans who depend on the Tana River for their fresh water. 

This initiative provides nearly 15,000 farmers with training and resources to improve soil productivity, river health, and crop yields by converting steep hillsides and areas of wetlands into agriculture, all while mitigating the issue of sedimentation in the river that can result in water insecurity.

nature.org