Taita Farmers Stories

Hope for farmers as Taita Taveta embarks on coffee revival plan
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Sep 11, 2025

Many of the county’s more than 5,200 coffee growers abandoned their plantations between 2017 and 2018 after years of poor earnings, pest attacks, and...

Africa risks becoming global hunger epicentre by 2030 if reforms are not put in place, report warns
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Sep 10, 2025

The report emphasises that Africa has the tools to transform its food systems, from climate-smart farming and digital finance to stronger governance a...

Maize, rice and wheat imports drop following bumper harvest
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Sep 10, 2025

Government pricing through the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) was lowered to Sh3,500 per bag, down from Sh4,000 the year before.

Kenya scraps taxes on packaging materials to boost tea exports
Rachael Mutabasi  |  Sep 06, 2025

The CS added that the policy will not only improve the market appeal of Kenyan tea but also channel greater profits back to producers and the business...

89 per cent of Sudan’s farmers facing reduced yields amid civil war - report
Bashir Mbuthia  |  Sep 03, 2025

89 per cent of smallholder farmers reported lower crop yields since fighting began, while more than half said insecurity had prevented them from harve...

Kenya records first decline in export earnings since 2019 amid weak tea, coffee sales
Lucy Mumbi  |  Sep 01, 2025

Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that overall exports stood at Sh554.08 billion, down from Sh571.6 billion in the same p...

Government to allow raw sugar imports to ease 400,000 metric tonne shortage
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Aug 29, 2025

Investments, Trade and Industry Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui said Kenya faces a gap of nearly 400,000 metric tonnes of sugar, a deficit that has le...

Garissa farmers to benefit from Sh45 million irrigation project aimed at boosting food security
Issa Hussein  |  Aug 27, 2025

The 1,500-acre Bulla Adey Irrigation Scheme in Kora Kora will draw water from the River Tana to support farmers shifting from livestock to crop farmin...

Agriculture and Food Authority licenses 152 coffee dealers, rejects claims of export monopoly
Lucy Mumbi  |  Aug 26, 2025

The authority noted that the licensing procedure is open and transparent, dismissing concerns that one company or a group of companies could be handed...

Kenyan-led forces retake Télcos Station from gangs in Haiti
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Aug 26, 2025

MSS spokesman Jack Ombaka said that specialized units, working with the Haitian National Police (PNH), carried out a night raid and seized the Télcos...

Governor Anyang' Nyong’o warns redundancy approval could push sugar sector into crisis
Lucy Mumbi  |  Aug 23, 2025

Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o said the layoffs affecting over 5,000 sugar workers contradict the purpose of leasing the mills, which was to revive the sect...

High Court lifts rice import ban, cuts volume by half
Lucy Mumbi  |  Aug 19, 2025

The orders come days after Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe warned of the consequences if the government failed to secure rice imports.

33 million women grow food on plots in Sub-Saharan Africa: Greener farming can boost their earnings – Study
The Conversation  |  Aug 14, 2025

Despite this, many smallholder women farmers are still seen as farmers’ wives, rather than farmers in their own right, and don’t get the support they...

Kenya risks severe rice shortage, price hikes if duty-free imports are stopped, government warns
Lucy Mumbi  |  Aug 14, 2025

Kagwe told the court that the country’s annual rice demand stands at about 1.3 million metric tonnes (MT), while domestic production accounts for only...

High Court freezes Cabinet decision allowing importation of 500,000 tonnes of duty-free rice
Carolyne Kubwa  |  Aug 11, 2025

Justice Edward Muriithi halted the July 28, 2025 gazette notice approving a tax waiver on rice imports until December 31, 2025, after certifying the f...

From crisis to cultivation: Haiti’s farmers build resilience one seed at a time
UN News  |  Aug 11, 2025

There are now over 200 GPAS located throughout Haiti, which cultivate high-quality seeds to distribute to other farmers with the goal of increasing fa...

Over 70 trained in aquaculture to boost fish farming profits in Taita Taveta
Farhiya Hussein  |  Aug 10, 2025

Each is now expected to train at least 50 farmers in their area, enabling them to adopt better aquaculture practices and earn more from the trade.

Kenya pushes for strict pesticide ban across COMESA bloc
Rachael Mutabasi  |  Aug 08, 2025

Kagwe stressed that effective food safety in the region cannot be achieved without a unified regulatory framework.

Scientists discover that tomato is 'mother' of potato
XINHUA  |  Aug 05, 2025

The study showed that the potato originated from an ancient hybridization event between the tomato plant and a potato-like plant about 9 million years...

Turkana engages farmers, stakeholders on draft agricultural policy which seeks to boost farming
Issa Hussein  |  Aug 02, 2025

Farmers from various irrigation schemes in Loima, Turkana West, Turkana South and East sub-counties, as well as from Kakuma, Kalobeyei, Letea and Lopu...

Kenya approves duty-free import of 500,000 tonnes of rice
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Jul 30, 2025

Although over 8,500 rice farmers in Kirinyaga and surrounding counties had urged the government to support local production before opening up to more...

Sugarcane farmers to earn more as State raises price to Sh5,750 per tonne
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Jul 26, 2025

The Ministry of Agriculture confirmed that the new pricing was informed by recent trends in the sugar market, especially the average ex-factory sugar...

Boost for communities as Kwale unveils marine hatchery, seaweed centre
Farhiya Hussein  |  Jul 24, 2025

The marine hatchery is expected to boost aquaculture by supplying fingerlings and other aquatic species, while the Kibuyuni facility will enable local...

Audit exposes fake firms, unsafe inputs and lost billions in Ruto's fertiliser subsidy plan
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Jul 24, 2025

What was intended as a critical support scheme for farmers to boost food production has instead exposed a troubling mix of negligence, irregular contr...

Northern Kenya needs better weather forecast communication, says met department
Issa Hussein  |  Jul 18, 2025

Ebla Hassan, the secretary of the Garissa Farmers Network, echoed the call to strengthen early warning systems, particularly for farmers along the Riv...

Court stops sugar board from blocking cane sales in western Kenya
Lucy Mumbi  |  Jul 17, 2025

The board, in a directive dated July 11, ordered the closure of milling operations for three months, citing a shortage of mature cane.

Taveta farmers push for banana factory to boost local economy and curb post-harvest losses
Farhiya Hussein  |  Jul 13, 2025

Many farmers described the factory as a vital lifeline, especially now that traditional markets such as Mombasa have become saturated.

Corrupt coffee society leaders to lose properties, CS Wycliffe Oparanya warns
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Jul 12, 2025

The CS said farmers are the ones who continue to suffer as deductions are made on their earnings while corrupt officials benefit, weakening efforts to...

Sugar milling halts in Western Kenya as factories shut down over cane shortage
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Jul 10, 2025

The affected factories include Mumias, Butali, and West Kenya in Kakamega County, Nzoia and Naitiri in Bungoma, as well as Busia Sugar Industry and Ol...

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