Smallholder farmers are now turning into production of high value vegetables and herbs. The cost of outdoor farming is high considering the vagaries of weather and lost of market opportunities. Greenhouse farming is a more sustainable technology towards achieving high value vegetables and herbs which are grown in a conducive micro-climate in the greenhouse. These can be supplied in all year round despite weather conditions. Traditional timber and galvanized steel greenhouses are very expensive beyond farmers reach due to their low incomes.
The use of low cost pole greenhouses facilitates conservation of forests towards restoration and regeneration. Most greenhouses are build from timber sourced from forests which are great watersheds and carbon sinks in Kenya. These forests have the threat of being degraded due to community encroachment for Agriculture, charcoal burring, production of marijuana and source of construction materials. MOOF -Africa promotes local planting of trees which are later harvested into poles for use in greenhouse construction . this is a sustainable wood harvesting system with cut- and -come gain types of trees.