Why I never uprooted my coffee

Baringo,Kenya: If you have been following agriculture news, you will know that farmers across the country uprooted their coffee and jumped into other ventures because it was no longer lucrative.

Despite that wave, one farmer stayed put. Mzee Cherogony Chesang, 87, a pioneer Baringo coffee farmer is still sticking to the crop despite the waning prices.

His undying passion for coffee has earned him the name ‘Doctor Kahawa’. Mzee Chesang, is yet to hang his farming boots after 50 years of practice despite many farmers losing hope on the crop.

His farm at Ossen village is a beautiful view of green farm full of lush coffee plantations and other fruits.

“I was introduced to coffee farming by my late father who was a worker in a white man’s farm. He used to tell me that there was a very lucrative crop that the whites grow. I became fascinated by it because the old man spoke highly of it. That is how I developed an interest,” says Chesang.

 Without knowledge on where to sell, he risked and started his first acre of the crop with 500 trees of coffee in 1963. He subsequently increased the crop to the current 1,500 coffee trees in his three acres.

The octogenarian admits that sticking to the crop has not been a walk in the park.

 “I started coffee when we were selling a kilo at Sh3. We have seen it increase to a peak of Sh200 a kilogramme, and also decline to the current Sh50-Sh60. Because of the fluctuating many farmers have uprooted their crop but I have never towed with their idea however low the prices have gone. I holding on to this belief that things will get better,” he says.

Being the pioneer, he said many years back when he started the venture, villagers would throng his farm to witness the ‘wonder European crop’.

 “Neighbours from far and wide used to troop to my farm to see this ‘mzungu’ crop. That time and even now, my farm was the biggest coffee farm in the region. I assisted many to start their first coffee nurseries and took them through the basics. Many came on board, enjoyed the benefits but gave up when the prices started dropping. Most people have gone into pastoralism and maize farming,” he says.

As an accomplished farmer, he owns the only coffee-berries separating machine, which he uses to process his coffee and sell to brokers who visit his farm every harvest season.

 “There is a broker who usually comes during harvest season or when I call him. I entered into this arrangement after a society I used to supply the beans to collapsed,” he says.

 

Mzee Chesang, who still tends to his farm to date, has also planted macadamia, avocados and maize to supplement for the poor prices from his cherished coffee. Indeed the farmer cherishes his coffee because despite the fact that it fetches him little returns, he still tenders them well.

 “Coffee is expensive to maintain. There is the weeding, frequent spraying with pesticides to keep pests under control and pruning. The most common disease that affects the crop is the Coffee Berries Disease which reduces the quality of the berries which leads to heavy losses,” says Chesang.

After listening to Chesang’s story, the question that begs is, if coffee is not that promising venture why is the old man still clinging to it?

“Tough as it maybe, I have managed to feed my family from the proceeds from coffee and I have educated my children who are successful and they have gone to start their lives,”he says.

Though farming has good prospects, the farmer regrets that many young people despise agriculture.

“Many youth do not like farming nowadays. I am worried about who will take over from us,” he laments.

On the way forward on coffee prices, the farmer has called on the President Uhuru, through the Agriculture ministry, to give a new lease of life to the one-time booming coffee industry for the interest of struggling farmers.

Coffee production in Baringo, he says, has dropped from the over 600 tonnes they used to produce in early 90’s to paltry 115 tonnes in 2012 and 2013 due to poor prices.

Cheruiyot Siala, coffee liaison officer for Coffee Management Services, urges the youth to embrace coffee farming.

 “When the old people were ready to hand over the banner, the youth were hesitant to take over but with the emergence of modern machines and the devolution of agriculture unit, we hope more youth will come on board,”says Siala.