In a remote, arid region of southeastern Kenya, a powerful experiment is underway.

Through Syntropic Agroforestry, local farmers, women, and youth are learning how to plant water, restore degraded land, and grow food — even in the driest conditions.

This campaign supports the Kwetu Regenerative Hub, a living demonstration farm and training center in Inyuu, Kitui County, led by Esther Njeri (Dee J Essy) and Roland van Reenen (The Forest Farmer).

🌍 Where This Work Is Happening

Inyuu is a remote, semi-arid region east of Nairobi, Kenya, where drought, soil degradation, and food insecurity have become everyday realities.

Yet this land is changing.

What was once bare, compacted soil is now covered with biomass, mulch, food crops, trees, and living soil — proof that regeneration is possible when people are given the right knowledge and tools.

This is not theory. This is practice — done by the community, for the community.

👩🏽‍🌾 Meet Esther Njeri (“Dee J Essy”)

Esther Njeri Wangari — known to many as Dee J Essy — is a Kenyan Syntropic Agroforestry trainer, consultant, and practitioner, and the first Syntropic Agroforestry teacher of Kenyan descent.

She is:

• A mother of two teenage sons

• A community trainer and youth mentor

• A certified Syntropic Agroforestry trainer (since 2021)

• A former professional DJ who shifted her life toward land regeneration and food sovereignty

Dee J currently runs:

• An urban agroforestry program at Mwiki Primary School (Githurai, Nairobi)

• A self-sustaining urban syntropic farm that has thrived without irrigation for over a year

• Community and youth training programs focused on food security and livelihoods

In 2023, she purchased 3.5 acres of degraded land in Inyuu — not as an investment, but as a commitment.

“My wish is to transform this drylands farm into a training center for the local community — and for everyone interested in planting water.”

🌳 Meet Roland van Reenen (“The Forest Farmer”)

Roland van Reenen is internationally known as “The Forest Farmer.”

He is a:

• Syntropic Agroforestry expert and consultant

• Permaculture designer

• Trainer of more than 1,200 people across Africa and the Caribbean

• Founder or co-creator of more than 50+ food forests

Born in the Netherlands, Roland’s path led him from music and organic food systems to permaculture — and ultimately to Syntropic Agroforestry, inspired by the work of Ernst Götsch.

Roland brings deep technical experience in permaculture and syntropic agroforestry. His Permaculture Design Course (PDC) in 2020 was taught by Geoff Lawton — one of the world’s most respected permaculture educators and a direct student of permaculture founder Bill Mollison.

Beyond completing the course, Roland went on to help teach and support Geoff Lawton’s online permaculture program in 2024, assisting students around the world as they applied regenerative design principles in diverse climates.

Since 2015, Roland has worked extensively in Curacao, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Angola, and beyond — always focused on training locals first, so knowledge stays rooted in place.

Today, Roland and Dee J are partners in life and work, building something long-lasting together.

🌱 What Is the Kwetu Regenerative Hub?

Kwetu means “our home.”

The Kwetu Regenerative Hub is:

• A living demonstration farm

• A training and education center

• A future off-grid homestead

• A community space for women, youth, and farmers

The core method used here is Syntropic Agroforestry, with a strong focus on “planting water.”

This means:

• Building soil structure and organic matter first

• Using biomass crops (cactus, sisal, vetiver, legumes) to retain moisture

• Creating shade, mulch, and living ground cover

• Letting water infiltrate — not run off

👩🏾‍🤝‍👩🏽 Community & Youth at the Center

This project is not done for the community — it is done with the community.

At Kwetu:

• Local villagers work side-by-side with trainers

• Women and youth receive hands-on training

• Young people return to Nairobi to teach others

• Knowledge spreads outward, not upward

Even Dee J’s own sons are part of the work — learning skills that will stay with them for life.

🍊 Growing Food, Income & Independence

As the land regenerates, the farm is being planted with long-term income-generating crops, including:

• Dragonfruit

• Oranges and lemons

• Cashew nuts

• Tamarind

• Dates

Over time, the farm is designed to become fully self-sustaining, providing food, income, and training for years to come.

🏡 Building an Off-Grid Future

Kwetu is also becoming home.

Dee J and Roland are designing an eco-friendly, self-insulating mud house, built using:

• Local earth

• Wood grown on site

• Passive cooling design

This homestead will stand as proof that regenerative living is possible — even in drylands.

💛 Why Your Support Matters

Your donation helps fund:

• Training materials and tools

• Community workdays

• Youth education programs

• Water access solutions (including a future well)

• Continued land regeneration

Most importantly, it supports local leadership — knowledge that stays rooted long after outside funding is gone.

🌍 A Model That Can Be Replicated

What’s happening in Inyuu is not a one-off project.

It is a replicable model for:

• Dryland restoration

• Food security

• Youth empowerment

• Climate resilience

With your support, Kwetu becomes a beacon — showing what’s possible when people are trusted with knowledge and land.

🙏 Thank You

Thank you for standing with Dee J Essy, Roland, and the Inyuu community.

Together, we are proving that even the driest places can grow food, hope, and futures.

🌱 Regreening the Kenyan Drylands — The Kwetu Regenerative Hub

By Africa Permaculture Support Network

🌱 Regreening the Kenyan Drylands — The Kwetu Regenerative Hub

A Syntropic Agroforestry Demonstration, Training & Community Hub in Inyuu, Kenya, led by Esther Njeri Wangari (aka “Dee J Essy”) & Roland van Reenen (aka “The Forest Farmer”)