We believe that smallholder farmers are key to growing a better world—for their families and communities, and for the environment too.
Growing trees protects soil from erosion and degradation, captures carbon, and helps prevent the destruction of local, indigenous forests. By turning underutilized land into a network of thriving microforests, we can make a massive environmental impact, as well as a profound impact on the lives of the people whose lives are rooted in the land.
How does it work?
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1. Farmer enrollment
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2. Planting
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3. Growing
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4. Harvesting & processing
Our planned expansion to 20 sites by 2030, with 1 billion new trees in sustainable rotation will make us Africa’s largest forestry company.
Planting trees on this scale makes an impact: reviving the productivity of degraded lands in the world’s most deforested areas, revitalizing landscapes and capturing carbon. As a highly scalable way to sequester atmospheric carbon, we believe this is the best way, on every level, to drive change.
Current plantings will yield nearly $50m for tens of thousands of farmers, and by 2050, we aim to be generating $125m/yr farmer income for farmers and their families. We’re creating tens of thousands of jobs, in areas with few other employment opportunities, and we’re committed to top-class training and career progression.
Komaza makes a fundamental raw material (wood) for 80% less than plantations. There’s a $30bn market deficit, which competitors cannot scale to meet—and we can, fast.
1. Farmer enrollment
Our planned expansion to 20 sites by 2030, with 1 billion new trees in sustainable rotation will make us Africa’s largest forestry company.
2. Planting
Planting trees on this scale makes an impact: reviving the productivity of degraded lands in the world’s most deforested areas, revitalizing landscapes and capturing carbon. As a highly scalable way to sequester atmospheric carbon, we believe this is the best way, on every level, to drive change.
3. Growing
Current plantings will yield nearly $50m for tens of thousands of farmers, and by 2050, we aim to be generating $125m/yr farmer income for farmers and their families. We’re creating tens of thousands of jobs, in areas with few other employment opportunities, and we’re committed to top-class training and career progression.
4. Harvesting & processing
Komaza makes a fundamental raw material (wood) for 80% less than plantations. There’s a $30bn market deficit, which competitors cannot scale to meet—and we can, fast.
From seedling to sawmill
Our nursery in Kilifi county is one of East Africa’s largest, with a production capacity of 2 million seedlings annually—and the ability to plant more trees every year than in the past decade combined. Our dedicated team is at the forefront of sustainable growing research, constantly innovating to make sure we’re growing the best seedlings in the most responsible way.
Our new sawmill has an innovative modular design, so it’s built to scale fast. From local businesses and retailers looking for a solid source of structural and industrial timber, to foreign buyers on a mission to find high caliber hard wood with a water-tight provenance, our customers can trust our quality, and rely on our supply.
Learn more about our wood
Learn more about our wood
FAQs
Farmers
Our Field Extension Network teams provide on-farm training and support. They collect data and monitor the trees – and everything is coordinated through our tech platform.
Most of our field staff are tree farmers themselves, and are our most important brand ambassadors. By hiring locally, we immediately tap into local social networks and deep on-the-ground logistics knowledge.
We are a leading employer in the region, providing valuable work opportunities – and intensive professional training and capacity building. We pride ourselves on offering good salaries and benefits, and work hard to build positive, productive team cultures.
This is a low-risk enterprise for farmers – that’s one of the founding principles of Komaza.
This isn’t a loan. Nobody owes us money. We give our farmers the seedlings. If they don’t grow, neither of us gets paid. Farmers do have to set aside land for the crop, but this isn’t prime farmland – generally, other than trees, not a lot else will grow on it. Plus growing trees improves the quality of the land.
Trust – and truly aligned interests! We work closely with our farmers to nurture their crop – and they trust us to connect them to the harvesting, processing and market they need to maximize their investment. We cultivate an environment of trust by working with integrity, honesty and transparency. We have good intentions – and we follow through. Our record of growing and success speaks for itself.
Trees are not a fast crop. But being patient really pays.
- 3-6 years – initial income from early thinning
- 8-15 years – significant income from harvesting, depending on the species and growth rate
That’s life-changing, community changing income – especially for many of our famers who are subsistence farmers.
Once the trees are harvested, processed and sold (initially as thinnings, and then as a mature crop). They get paid when we do. We both share the risk and reap the rewards.
We harvest twice – once to thin the crop to allow the best trees to thrive, and again when the trees are fully grown. Our field team and remote management technology regularly monitors and measures the trees, so we know when they’re ready. Our specialized team cuts the wood, then we ship it to our centralized saw mill for processing.
Trees
Natural climate solutions are currently the most scalable and cost effective means to extend earth’s runway.
We’re a sustainable forestry company, growing trees in the most responsible way to meet a market need – which enables us to grow even more trees.
For our farmers
Trees turn underutilized land into a long-term savings plan. We’re equipping our farmer-partners with the opportunity, means and resources to reap the rewards of their work.
- Trees are a high-value crop, generating life-changing income.
- Trees grow on land where nothing much else will – making them a low-risk crop for a farmer – you’re not displacing a food crop to grow a tree, it’s only a plus.
- Trees are resilient. They can deal with erratic rainfall. Their roots protect against erosion – benefiting other crops.
Once trees are planted, they’re low-effort. They need a little early weeding, and that’s it – the ideal “set it and forget it” investment, so farmers can focus on other crops while the trees mature.
Right now, we plant 3 kinds of tree – all fast-growing, hardy, and producing excellent wood.
Eucalyptus grandis
- Well established and high-performing commercial species
- Fast growing and straight – ideal for sawn timber
- Self-pruning (small branches drop off as the trees grow)
- Coppice after harvesting (they regrow from the stumps several times)
Eucalyptus grandis x camaldulensis
- Hybrid variety from South Africa
- Fast-growing, straight, and drought resistant
- Self-pruning (small branches drop off as the trees grow)
- Coppice after harvesting (they regrow from the stumps several times)
Melia Volkensii
- Indigenous to East Africa’s drylands
- Fast-growing, drought resistant, thrives in harsh conditions
- Produces a timber comparable to mahogany – yielding high prices
- Ideal intercrop tree. Over time, Melia can rebuild site fertility and improve the yields of surrounding food crops.
Eucalyptus is one of the most efficient biological machines for growing wood – plus, when used properly, it can help restore highly degraded sites. We’re committed to preserving and restoring our natural environments and we’ve worked with leading foresters and conservationists to make sure our planting is responsible and safe.
- Eucalyptus can cope with poor soil and drought conditions, where not a lot else will grow. It’s fast growing, low-maintenance, and regrows from stump after harvesting – great for our farmers.
- It’s a quick way to capture a lot of carbon – great for our mission to tackle climate change.
- It’s strong, knot-free and easy to work with – great for our goal of providing a local, sustainable source for Africa’s wood deficit.
- A lot of trees impact the soil in the same way as Eucalyptus (secreting a chemical that suppresses other growth, so the tree can thrive) – and that impact dissipates quickly with average rainfall once the tree is felled.
Learn more about the challenges and opportunities of Eucalyptus.