Our members
MAIN GOALS - GENERAL ACTIVITIES - FIELD OF EXPERTISES
The Climate Smart Forest Economy Program (CSFEP) helps low- and middle-income countries in the Global South develop regional forest product industries that support forests, local prosperity, as well as climate adaptation and mitigation. In East Africa, CSFEP launched and is coordinating the Biobased Construction East Africa Coalition which convenes actors from across the forest-to-frame value chain - tree growers, manufacturers, investors, architects, property developers, engineers, researchers, and policymakers - in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda to tackle challenges in the biobased construction sector that slow innovation and sustainable market growth.
CSFEP believes that a healthy regional biobased construction economy has real potential to address many critical issues faced by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, including significant deforestation and overall forest degradation; high population growth rates with related increased demand for housing and consumer goods, which are often forest-dependent; and a growing need for sustainable economic drivers that create dignified jobs. However, the industry faces significant challenges to growth, such as lack of forest and forest products grading and certification, value chain fragmentation, insufficient resources (technical and financial), an underdeveloped manufacturing sector, and prevailing negative perspectives of biobased construction relegating it to an unaspirational, low-income housing solution.
Through the Coalition, CSFEP is working to address these barriers to the growth and sustainability of biobased construction. The ultimate goal is to ensure that this becomes a viable economic model to achieve climate benefits, lower the carbon footprint of the built environment, and provide revenue to sustainably manage and protect forests, all while growing thriving, sustainable, financially viable local businesses and improving livelihoods for local communities.
ACTIVITY RELATED TO LOW GHG AND ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND RESILIENT BUILDINGS
The Climate Smart Forest Economy Program has previously developed analytical tools, such as the 3S Framework, a forest-to-frame carbon accounting methodology. However, CSFEP's current activities are focused on supporting biobased construction actors in practical, on-the-ground implementation. Through this work, the program facilitates the collection and dissemination of lessons learned from real-world projects, providing concrete evidence of low greenhouse gas emission practices and energy-efficient building approaches. These efforts contribute to strengthening the adoption, credibility, and scalability of resilient, low-carbon building solutions within the sector.
