Climate hurting tea industry

Climate change is impacting the production of one of the world’s most popular beverages, tea, altering not only its taste, aroma, and potential health benefits, but also the lives of farmers who grow tea for a living.

In Kenya, some 60 per cent of the tea output is by small holders whose average holding is just 0.5 acres per farmer. These farmers, majority of them affiliated to the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA), have limited economies of scale and are quite vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.