Green Belt Movement

The Green Belt Movement (GBM) is an indigenous grassroots organization in Kenya that empowers women through the planting of trees. It is one of the most effective and well-known grassroots organisations addressing the problem of global deforestation. Professor Wangari Maathai established the organization in 1977 under the auspices of the National Council of Women of Kenya (NCWK). GBM's successes in forest conservation, education, and women's economic empowerment have gained the organisation worldwide acclaim. It is also noted for its advocacy of human rights, democratisation of access to public lands, and environmental justice issues such as the role of women's traditional ecological knowledge in addressing environmental degradation and desertification.
According to their 2003 annual report, the mission of GBM is "to mobilize community consciousness for self-determination, justice, equity, reduction of poverty, and environmental conservation, using trees as the entry point." GBM is no longer directly linked to the NCWK and coordinates a national network of women's groups that plant trees and do environmental conservation and community development work. Their work combats deforestation, restores sources of cooking fuel, generates income, and stops soil erosion. Maathai has incorporated advocacy and empowerment for women, eco-tourism, and overall economic development into the Green Belt Movement.
Since Wangari Maathai started the movement in 1977, more than 51 million trees have been planted, and more than 30,000 women have been trained in forestry, food processing, bee-keeping, and other trades that help them earn income while preserving their lands and resources. Communities in Kenya (both men and women) have been motivated and organized to both prevent further environmental destruction and restore that which has been damaged.
Maathai received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her work with the Green Belt Movement.
Deforestation is a major contributor to environmental disasters, desertification, and climate change. The Green Belt Movement (GBM) is one of the most effective and visible grassroots organisations addressing these issues.
The Green Belt Movement was founded in 1977 by Wangari Maathai and the National Council of Women of Kenya, and subsequently grew into a grassroots movement for women's economic empowerment and land stewardship. A 2005 paper by the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) stated that in Kenya, state expropriation of public lands for private use presents threats to the livelihoods and food security of peasants and the working poor, and that GBM is "deeply immersed" in the resulting struggles for control of public lands.
Maathai and the GBM connected the marginalisation of women and poverty to environmental degradation and promoted a grassroots approach to development by empowering women to control the environment. Their intention is to ensure that women have independent sources of income and also to conserve the environment through sustainable resource management.
Prior to the Green Belt Movement's founding, specifically during the 1970s, there was a restricted political opportunity structure within Kenya because the government at the time was very politically repressive. The Kenyan government was dominated by men and their patriarchal and repressive views, which created many issues for women. Many women throughout Kenya were struggling with feeding their families, getting access to natural resources (water, wood). Moreover, many Kenyan women didn't have any form of legal protection or say when it came to the politics in Kenya. Women were so repressed and treated so poorly that they weren't allowed to be in government or sit in on political meetings. Eventually changes within Kenya and its government occurred. The Green Belt Movement specifically played an essential role in changing the ways women were treated, excluded from, and used in Kenya. The framing of the Green Belt Movement as a non-threatening environmental conservation effort made an enormous impact on the government and communities during a time that many other forms of activism were seen as threats to the government. However, by encouraging women to question their place and challenge social and political institutions that keep women compliant the Green Belt Movement was eventually founded officially.
The Green Belt Movement began with Maathai founding the organization in 1977, but she founded the organization because of what she studied, taught, witnessed, learned, and wanted to change. She began with founding the movement, but prior to founding the movement she was involved she was a part of another environmental organization. Maathai served as chairwoman of the UNEP's Environment Liaison Center board, which today is called the Environment Liaison Center International. From serving as a chairwomen with the UNLEP, she later on in 1974, switched gears, and began focusing her time and energy on mitigating environmental issues. Maathai focused for efforts on battling deforestation issues, and how to fix various other forest-related issues in order to improve the overall quality of life for the women and children in Kenya.
Maathai began with introducing tree planting programs and regimes into local communities/ targeting communities with little access to basic natural resources such as water or rice. The first tree planting the GBH facilitate occurred on 5 June 1977, and involved seven ethnic tribes being honored through the planting of trees. It took place in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, and trees were planted, marking the beginning of what would become an internationally influential movement that challenges the hegemonic structures of that oppress rural communities in Kenya. However, the tree planting programs and regimes took a significant amount of time for involvement to occur within communities. There were several trials done and eventually Maathai and the various employees of the GBM established successful programs. Maathai often told her coworkers in the GBM, "We are on a track that has not been explored before. We are on a trial-and error basis. If what we did yesterday did not produce good results, let's not repeat it today because it is a waste of time".
However, during the implementation of the tree planting program, the GBM also experienced many setbacks because of its lack of funding and support. This led to Wangari Maathai joining the National Council of Women of Kenya as a member of the executive committee. From Maathai joining the council the Green Belt Movement was able to get international attention and support from women and governments. The GBM also was able to gain much more help when it came to facilitating tree planting initiatives and educational programs. Maathai even was able to further the Green Belt's movement through expanding its public outreach (media networks/supporters), gain more funding towards tree planting projects/ climate change initiatives, and overall more support to ensure the success of the organization.
After joining the National Council of Women of Kenya, Maathai went on to educate communities and facilitate permanent outreach programs. Eventually the GBM implemented its tree planting program throughout Kenya. The Green Belt Movement planted thousands of tree seedlings in long rows to form green belts of trees, thus marking the beginning of the Green Belt Movement. "These "belts" had the advantages of providing shade and windbreaks, facilitating soil conservation, improving the aesthetic beauty of the landscape and providing habitats for birds and other small animals. During these local tree-planting ceremonies, community members usually turned out in large numbers. To conceptualize this fast-paced activity of creating belts of trees to adorn the naked land, the name "Green Belt Movement" was used." Because it gained support and funding from the National Council of Women of Kenya, the GBM was able to successfully continue its work and efforts throughout Kenya.
Through Maathai's attitude, persistence, and efforts, the movement gained a large amount of traction in Kenya and throughout the world. Eventually, the second tree planting occurred in 1979 and involved the planting of trees by hundreds of women on a rural farm in Kenya. After the second tree planting the GBM was able to continue to grow as an organization and they also were able to conduct a significant about of research and studies on Kenya and its environmental problems. From the amount of research and activism the GBM continued to do, they were able to identify the need that rural communities and women especially needed. From their research, they started to consistently pass out seedlings to women and rural communities. The GBM also facilitated the implementation of income generating activities, and taught communities about environmentally sustainable practices.
After its second tree planting, and the establishment of several other projects and initiatives led to the GBM participating and facilitating a wide range of political activism. Specifically during the years of 1989–1994, the Green Belt Movement maintained its non-confrontational goals, while Wangari Maathai openly challenged the political arena. Maathai and the GBM partnered with organizations and community members throughout Kenya to advocate for environmentally sustainable practices, women's rights, and various other environmental problems. Moreover, throughout the Green Belt Movement, the organizers of the movement had been able to educate community members on non-violent resolution practices. Through educating the community on non-violent problem solving practices and on politics, the GBM in combination with international organizations and community members have been able to initiate changes within the Kenyan government, and social, political, and economic norms in Kenya. Moreover, women throughout Kenya have been able to participate regularly within Kenyan politics, which has forced changes in Kenya to occur.
Throughout the establishment of the Green Belt Movement, the movement faced a variety of problems and harassment. Specifically in the 1980s, the Green Belt Movement was being harassed significantly at the grassroots level within communities and at the central office. For example, the Green Belt Movement was evicted from the government-owned office they had worked in for 10 years. But nowadays, the Green Belt Movement highlights the focus on direct social and economic transformation of communities to ensure they are not identified as having a political agenda. By highlighting the lack of direct threat, this organization is able to function without alarming the decision-making elite who currently benefit from the inequities in Kenya. Moreover, the movement has made immense strides in helping local rural communities, restoring and improving natural resources and ecosystems, and educating/ empowering women throughout Kenya.
"African women in general need to know that it's ok for them to be the way they are to see the way they are as a strength, and to be liberated from fear and from silence." – Wangari Maathai
Before founding the GBM, Maathai had done a variety of traveling, studying, teaching, and volunteer work, which allowed her to take notice of major issues occurring in rural communities from a global perspective. But when Maathai returned to Kenya in 1969, she began working with civic organizations. She joined the board of the Environment Liaison Center and became a member of the National Council of Women of Kenya (NCWK). Both these organizations allowed Maathai to gain knowledge, do research, and understand the issues taking place within her community. "While serving in the Environment Liaison Center, Maathai was exposed to conversations regarding the environmental degradation occurring in her own backyard. In the NCWK, Maathai listened to the voices and stories of hundreds of rural and urban women who suffered malnourishment and poverty. The decline in available firewood meant mothers could not cook their traditional foods. Instead they began cooking enriched white rice and other imported products that, although high in carbohydrates, lacked vitamins and minerals. Children were inflicted with diseases and malnourished" (1). From seeing the horrendous conditions women throughout Kenya were facing, Maathai connected the dots between environmental degradation causing and forcing large communities to suffer. The large number of issues surrounding Kenya's forest included deforestation, extinction of vegetation, harmful agricultural practices (crops and farmland), and high amount of soil degradation (soil erosion, sediment delivery, etc.). These issues impacted the people of Kenya so significantly that women and children were starving and dying consistently. Maathai took it upon herself to do something about it, which is what led to the Green Belt Movement being formed in 1977. From the Green Belt Movement being formed, it initiated women to become involved in the politics and in the various politics surrounding Kenya's natural resources and ecosystems.
At first the involvement of women began with the tree planting program and it slowly grew into even more than just the tree planting program. The GBM started passing out seedlings to women and teaching groups of women how to properly plant and grow trees on their own. The GBM also provided free lessons to women in rural communities so they could grow their own food and feed their starving children. Through the GBM taking a very hands on and invasive approach to improving the rural communities within Kenya, many women were able to get the natural resources they needed/need to survive and continue to grow their families. From the GBM involvement within Kenya, women continued to go to the GBM and seek help and resources. The amount of resource and support the GBM provided especially to women, allowed for women to become activists for the movement. It also allowed women to gain access to a variety of educational resources and join the GBM's efforts, activism, and overall contributions to rural communities. The variety of activism and political awareness that was sparked and continues to grow from the GBM can be evaluated through the lens of Black feminism.
Black feminism addresses the realities of intersectionality related to identity and the multiple forms of oppression, Black women specifically, experience. The concept of black feminism though was sparked and begin with Maathai. Maathai is responsible for initiating and growing the GBM, and overall spreading feministic views, knowledge, and educational materials throughout Kenya. She spread her feministic views and knowledge due to the fact she witnessed and endured a variety of discrimination, racism, and gender inequality throughout her life. Through her experiences in Kenya, she made it a goal for the GBM to incorporate empowering women and fostering their success. This in turn initiated Black feminism, which has become a known concept and a movement of its own. Since Maathai incorporated black feminism within the GBM, the number of women getting involved in their local communities politics, state-wide politics, and politics related to the GBM has increased dramatically since 1977. Women would typically not be aware or have access to political information or resources, but through the GBM, African American women have become involved with politics.
Specifically through the GBM, Maathai continued to foster black feminism. She did this through the GBM allowing women in Kenya to be key stakeholder in the organization. Being a key stakeholder has allowed for women to discuss and bring awareness to more communities and educate more women throughout the world. Moreover, it has helped to educate the leaders and organizers of the GBM so the GBM can effectively help and access communities that especially need help. The GBM also continues to foster black feminism through organizing seminars, speaking engagements, and various community based meetings/discussions. The organized seminars facilitated by the GBM, allowed women from various rural Kenyan communities to discuss their experiences of environmental degradation, political views, discriminatory experiences, etc. From the variety of discussions and seminars that take place, women are able to create solutions from subjugated knowledge to resist marginalization and cultural knowledge about their communities. The strategies used by the GBM and initiated by Maathai have contributed to benefiting women in Kenya tremendously and have allowed women to stay involved with the politics occurring in their rural communities.
However, even after the variety of support and momentum the GBM has gained throughout the years, the politics the GBM, and all women in Kenya face, are extremely controversial and patriarchal. For example, women are prevented from obtaining equal capital by the social and political restrictions in land ownership for women and being prevented from joining decision-making meetings. Luckily, the Green Belt Movement overall is an organization that seeks to mitigate oppressive practices by ending land grabbing, deforestation, and corruption. The GBM also focuses on educating women about politics and encourages them to take on leadership roles within the GBM (especially in the 21st century). The GBM even provides legal services and advice to women who are in need of help of any kind. Through the amount of activism and education the organization has spread, it has contributed to a shift in patriarchal norms and politics. Specifically, nowadays, the network consists of more than 4,000 community groups in Kenya that volunteer to protect their natural environment and practice day to day liberation for women. The number of people who have joined the GBM has made the roles of women and men's views toward women change in Kenya. The more the GBM influences and educates Kenya and its people in general, the more changes in Kenya's laws, women's roles, and overall environmental laws/regulations will occur.
The Green Belt Movement works in five principal areas known as "core programs"
Each of these programs is aimed at improving the lives of local inhabitants by mobilizing their own abilities to improve their livelihoods and protect their local environment, economy and culture.
The Green Belt Movement is involved in four main areas of activity that foster the improvement of the natural resources and ecosystems surrounding communities throughout the world. The four main areas of activity the GBM include:
Tree planting and water harvesting activities are arranged, designed, installed, and overall monitored by the GBM. However, it also fosters communities to help conserve the natural resources and ecosystems around the world. The tree planting and water harvesting activities are conducted by the GBM through using a "watershed based approach". Which involves the GBM getting communities to contribute to conserving the biodiversity surrounding them, to restoring local/public ecosystems, and to reducing the impact of climate change.
A major area of activity for the GBM is focused around there Climate Change Program. The program that the GBM created focuses on reducing climate change, by providing educational resources/information to impoverished and rural communities. The program also focuses on raising awareness throughout the worldwide, targeting rural communities with educational resources, programs, and various other resources.
The mainstream advocacy activities of the GBM includes advocating "for greater political accountability and the expansion of democratic space in Kenya. GBM has called for, time and time again, an end to land grabbing, deforestation and corruption".
Furthermore, the Gender Livelihood and Advocacy the GBM is includes a combination of international and grassroots advocacy tactics. The GBM on a grassroots level focuses on creating "climate resilient communities through restoration and protection of forest watersheds, and the creation of sustainable livelihoods for communities in Kenya and across Africa. GBM's approach empowers communities to take action against climate change, the impacts of which are already being witnessed across Africa, through food security and water harvesting activities (adaptation) and planting the appropriate trees in appropriate places (mitigation). At the international level, GBM advocates for environmental policy that ensures the protection of natural forests and community rights, especially communities living close to and in forest ecosystems in sub-Saharan Africa and the Congo Basin Rainforest Ecosystem".
The Green Belt Movement since its founding in 1977 has been involved a wide variety of projects. The projects that have been completed by the GBM are listed below.
Tree Planting Projects:
Advocacy and Climate Change Projects:
Community Empowerment and Education:
Tree Planting Projects:
Advocacy & Peace Building:
Tree Planting:
Advocacy and Climate Change:
Community Empowerment and Education:
Tree Planting Projects:
Corporate Partnership Projects:
Climate Change:
Gender, Livelihood, and Advocacy:
Tree Planting & Water Harvesting Projects:
Community Partnership Projects:
Gender, Livelihood, and Advocacy:
Since the establishment of the Green Belt Movement they have participated in a variety of activism throughout the world. They have gone from doing a very little amount of activism to expanding worldwide. The GBM does their activism through the Community Empowerment and Education program (CEE). The CEE allows community members from all over Kenya to come together and learn about human activities and how they affect the environment and cause environmental degradation. Moreover, the CEE provides a space for individuals to unite and discuss gender inequalities towards women in Kenya. The GBM from their outreach and activism has been able to get involved a variety of advocacy since their founding.
1. Jump up ^ Peace Profile: Wangari Maathai and the Green Belt Movement: Peace Review: Vol 25, No 2