Women, youth lead charge to revive coffee sector

A woman collecting coffee berries from a coffee plant. [Getty Images] People milled about, queued, purchased and sampled coffee at various exhibition stalls during the recent East African Coffee Markets 2025 Conference in Nairobi. Torch Coffee Kenya was one of the busiest stalls, with founder Martin Pollack and his team actively preparing and serving coffee to both local and international visitors. Martin explained that the conference offered exhibitors like him a chance to educate consumers about coffee production, while also helping producers understand how their coffee is consumed around the world. "We discovered a huge communication gap between producers and consumers. Young people drinking lattes in New York, Shanghai or Tokyo have no connection with coffee growers in Kiambu, Ethiopia, Brazil, or Guatemala," he explained. Martin confided that Kenyan coffee is amazing. Every region produces unique, high-quality beans. Yet, most coffee growers have never even tasted coffee themselves, so they don't fully understand what they're selling. "Without that knowledge, they can't improve quality, and quality directly affects market value," he said during the event organised by the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) Coffee Directorate, in partnership with Smart Farmer Africa. He lauded the conference for bringing together producers, roasters, baristas, traders, and equipment suppliers, creating valuable networking and business opportunities. These efforts aim to strengthen Kenya's coffee community while making the industry more sustainable and equitable. However, behind the veneer of elegance and the glittering culture of coffee tasting, stakeholders are deeply concerned about Kenya's dwindling coffee production. The Kenya Planters Cooperative Union (New KPCU) Chairman Daniel Chemno said for the last 30 years, coffee production in the country has been in a downward spiral. "As you know, in the past, Kenya used to be number six in the world in coffee production. Today, we have sunk to number 26. We are doing about 50,000 metric tonnes," Chemno said. He revealed that, in 1988, when Kenya was at its highest, it was producing 128,000 metric tonnes annually. At that time, Vietnam was doing 92,000 metric tonnes. Today, Vietnam does 1,860,000 metric tonnes. Martin Muriuki from Ngacha Coffee Estate, whose stall was also bustling with visitors eager to sample his coffee, explained that the decline in coffee production is largely due to climate change and the growing population, which has led to smaller plots of land being shared among families. He noted that the coffee trade structures in Kenya need reform, including putting in place strict regulations for growers, millers, and producers have fragmented the industry, preventing farmers from managing the full supply chain, from farming to export. This not only increases costs but also limits their potential earnings. He explained: "While these regulations were necessary to prevent monopolisation and theft, they now restrict growth. Other industries, like macadamia and avocado, can grow and process freely, but coffee is heavily restricted. For example, transporting coffee within Nairobi can take hours due to the required permits." Muriuki advised that to increase farmer income and sustain production, more liberalisation is needed, allowing stakeholders to reform the system effectively. Chemno explained that the new KPCU is responsible for milling and marketing coffee, distributing the coffee cherry fund, providing subsidised fertiliser and farm inputs, and offering agronomy support and farmer education to all potential coffee growers across the country. "With the reforms in place, when farmers harvest their cherries and deliver them to the factory, they can access Sh 40 per kilo from the cherry fund to support and cushion them. The coffee itself will serve as collateral, and once the coffee is sold, the government will recover its payment to the farmer," he said. Chemno revealed that the new KPCU, in collaboration with the Coffee Research Institute (CRI), has identified and will train one young man and one young woman from each coffee-growing ward to serve as coordinators and trainers for local farmers. With extension services in agriculture having collapsed and counties struggling to revive them, Chemno explained that they have already hired field officers, who will supervise these young coordinators in the wards." The CRI is currently facing challenges in coffee seed production. In response, a programme is underway in collaboration with 10 universities to develop tissue-culture coffee seedlings. Starting next year, farmers will have access to these seedlings, with a target of producing 20 million seedlings annually. Nancy Cheruiyot, the Managing Trustee and CEO of the Commodities Fund, says they have a subsidised line of credit, especially for women. The fund was created to provide accessible and affordable lines of credit to the coffee subsector. "We lend and charge women and youth farmers only three per cent credit, but the maximum rate is usually 7.5 per cent. The government's goal is to see that women and youth participate in the coffee sector," she says. Cheruiyot acknowledged that women make up a small portion of the coffee farming community, but through the Association of Women in Coffee, they are working to ensure women take on key roles within their cooperatives. At the same time, they are collaborating with the youth, supporting them in acquiring seedlings. She explained that the Commodity Fund will leverage technology, working with a partner to digitise all the records and all the cherries and deliveries in their counties, so as to be able to follow those cherries all the way to the Nairobi Coffee Exchange. "So far, we have digitised 45 cooperatives in Kericho County and several others in Nandi. In the coming weeks, we will begin in Mount Elgon, because we want to link our system with those of every county," said Cheruiyot.

Women, youth lead charge to revive coffee sector

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