Kerugoya: Farmers of Inoi Cooperative Society will benefit from a 3-year project called Brewing the Future Coffee to Stay funded by German-based coffee buyer Tchibo in partnership with The Mount Kenya Sustainable Landscape and Livelihoods programme (MSuLLi) led by the Rainforest Alliance. The project aims to address the challenges in the coffee sector through promotion of regenerative agriculture, climate-smart practices, and the inclusion of women and youth in the coffee sector, with the purpose to improve coffee yields, quality, and resilience against climate change. These efforts will contribute to the long-term sustainability of the region's agricultural production and improved livelihoods of smallholder farmers.
According to Kenya News Agency, the Mount Kenya region is facing significant challenges due to climate change, land degradation, and socio-economic pressures affecting smallholder coffee farmers, who are key to the region's economy. Marion Ng'ang'a, Country Director, Rainforest Alliance, stated that the project is targeting about 5,000 farmers of Inoi Coffee Cooperative Society in Kirinyaga County to create a more sustainable world through protecting nature and improving their livelihoods. "We shall be implementing the project through three pathways: regenerative and climate-smart agriculture, strengthening the coffee business by enhancing coffee productivity and quality and putting interventions aimed at including women and youth in the coffee value chain through diversification of agricultural activities," Ms. Ng'ang'a said.
Speaking during the launch of the project at Inoi Coffee Factory in Kerugoya, the country director added they are passing a message of conservation of Mount Kenya ecosystem, which is a major water tower for Kenya, as well as the importance of biodiversity protection, without which farmers cannot sustain coffee production for the world and for future generations. "We shall also promote agroforestry of compatible multipurpose trees starting with the high-value trees that are recommended by the Coffee Research Institute for coffee production. So, we shall be training and facilitating the farmers to conduct soil analysis to understand the nutrient deficiency and to apply the fertilizers and organic manure based on needs and not through assumptions," she noted.
Felix Mwai, Chairperson of Inoi Farmers' Cooperative Society, said the training will result in a turnaround in operations of the society in terms of production as they want to move the current production level of 630,000 kgs annually to a target of 2.2 million every year moving forward.