Across the planet, farmland is becoming scarce due to climate change and overuse, putting our farmland, freshwater, and ecosystems at risk. At NARA Climate, we use saltwater, whether from oceans or underground sources, to support biocultural regeneration in areas with limited freshwater access.

We do this by farming halophytes—salt-tolerant plants that thrive in saline soils worldwide— to create biodiverse carbon sinks that bolster local livelihoods, all without using freshwater or chemicals.

We grow these plants without freshwater!

We have worked in over 10 countries and are currently focused on a project near Kenya’s Lake Turkana, the world’s fourth-largest salt lake. This arid region is experiencing an unprecedented five-year drought, threatening traditional livelihoods that depend on cattle herding.

The landscape near Lake Turkana, Kenya.

Some of our local collaborators.

We are collaborating with local communities and government to regenerate 100 hectares of land through a five-step process:

1. Removing invasive Prosopis trees
2. Producing biochar from the wood
3. Applying the biochar to degraded land
4. Growing halophytic (salt-tolerant) crops using salty groundwater
5. Feeding these crops to local livestock, which are central to the local economy

One of our pilot sites in Kenya.

Funding from this GitCoin raise will be used for the procurement of water pump parts and solar irrigation systems, as our projects are entirely off-grid.

This project excites us because it leverages an abundant resource—saltwater—to regenerate both the landscape and the culture that depends on it. Our long-term goal is to develop a regenerative halophytic animal feed that can be sold locally and across Kenya.

Preparing the prosopis for the biochar kiln.

Meeting with our local team.