Women Leading the Green Transition: Lessons from Laikipia’s Grassroots Climate Solutions

What does a green transition look like when it is led by women who have lived on the land for generations?

The answer does not come from a policy paper or a conference room. It can be found in a solar pump humming at dawn, seeds carefully preserved for future seasons, water harvested in dry landscapes and 315 women standing on 70 acres of community land, land they organized, advocated for and secured.

This is the story emerging from Laikipia, where grassroots women are demonstrating that climate action is not only about technology or infrastructure. It is about leadership, knowledge, ownership and communities shaping solutions from within.

GROOTS Kenya hosted a delegation of international and regional partners, the Global Fairness Initiative (GFI), the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA), the Joyce Banda Foundation, and Project Dandelion for a learning exchange visit to Laikipia East and Laikipia North sub-counties in May 2026, to witness firsthand the Green Village practices being pioneered by grassroots women and community champions. The visit builds on the momentum of GROOTS Kenya's participation in a SEWA India exchange visit in February 2026 part of an ongoing journey of cross-country learning, documentation and solidarity.

For over three decades, GROOTS Kenya has built a grassroots movement where women-led community organizations identify challenges, design solutions and lead transformation within their communities. Through the Champion Model, grassroots women are not positioned as beneficiaries of development but as organizers, advocates, decision-makers and drivers of change.

The Green Village framework, as contextualized by GROOTS Kenya, spans six thematic areas: green energy solutions, agroecology practices, land restoration, water conservation and harvesting, clean cooking and financial inclusion through GROOTS Sacco, the movement's own savings and credit structure that enables grassroots women to finance themselves.

In Solio Village II, the delegation met Judy Njoki, a farmer and member of the Rehema Self Help Group, whose farming journey reflects the power of practical climate solutions.

Judy has integrated solar technologies into her farming system, using solar power for household lighting and water pumping. What appears to be a simple transition has transformed how she manages her farm, reducing dependence on costly energy sources and enabling more consistent agricultural production.

Her farm has become a learning space where other community members can see how clean energy solutions can support livelihoods, strengthen resilience and improve productivity.

The visit to the Jiinue Ever Green Youth Group in Naro Moru further demonstrated how young women are leading innovation at community level.

The group of twelve young women has established a demonstration site that functions as both a learning centre and an income-generating enterprise. Farmers from neighbouring communities visit the site to learn about sustainable farming practices and see how climate-smart approaches can be integrated into everyday livelihoods.

At Tigithi Ward, Esther Gathoni, a lead farmer showcased her organic farming practices, including preparation of biofertilizers and biopesticides, as well as the use of solar drying technologies to reduce post-harvest losses and add value to farm produce.

Her work demonstrates that agroecology is not simply about farming differently, it is about building systems that protect the environment while creating economic opportunities for women.

The Nanyuki demonstration farm extended this learning further through an integrated agroecology ecosystem involving seed banking, banana crisps, porridge flour production, herbal products and sustainable farming practices designed for both resilience and prosperity.

The spirit of Laikipia North is perhaps best captured in a single image: an electric fence surrounding 70 acres of community land, erected not to keep people out, but to protect what women have organized, advocated and fought to secure.

Mary Maasai engages partners during a field visit, showcasing land managed by the Naitumtum Women’s CBO

Naitutum Women CBO, coordinated by Mary Masai, brings together 315 women from 18 sub-groups. Mary, the first woman from her community to be elected to the Community Land Management Committee (CLMC), represents a new generation of women leaders influencing decisions around land governance.

For many pastoralist women, land access has historically been tied to cultural systems where ownership and decision-making spaces have often excluded women. Securing community land represents more than access to a physical resource it represents recognition, security and a stronger voice in decisions affecting their livelihoods and future generations.

Through years of organizing, advocacy and engagement supported by the GROOTS Kenya Movement, the women of Naitutum have transformed land access into an opportunity for collective development.

The land is not just secured ,it is a platform. The women of Naitutum are actively building their Green Village vision on these 70 acres through agroecology, beekeeping, beadwork, cultural heritage promotion.

In the Musul community, the delegation witnessed water conservation and harvesting innovations that are quietly reshaping life in arid and semi-arid areas, turning a resource scarcity into a managed asset. Further engagements in Segera Ward highlighted the power of integrated approaches: agroecology combined with water harvesting, creating resilient systems that address food security, climate adaptation and natural resource management in one.

Across every community visited, one message stood out clearly:

Women are not waiting to be included in the green transition. They are already leading it.

They are building renewable energy solutions, restoring ecosystems, protecting land, conserving water, preserving seeds and creating sustainable livelihoods.

Through GROOTS SACCO, grassroots women are also strengthening their own financial systems creating opportunities to save, invest and grow enterprises on their own terms.

From Laikipia to India and beyond, the lesson is clear:

Investing in grassroots women is not simply investing in a project.

It is investing in a movement.

And when women lead communities, ecosystems and movements, they transform everything.