More than 22,000 farmers in Nakuru county have turned to avocado farming as Governor Susan Kihika pushes for crop diversification to boost growers' incomes.
Kihika has led the distribution of avocado seedlings to farmers, with the county investing more than Sh110 million in expanding avocado production.
The acreage under avocado has increased from less than 6,000 acres to more than 11,000 acres under the initiative, as the county encourages farmers to adopt avocado and other high-value crops.
“We target to strengthen avocado farming as a key income-generating enterprise, creating opportunities for thousands of farmers across the county. This will also help to create jobs in the agriculture sector,” she said.
The initiative has benefited 22,576 growers, enabling them to increase production, diversify income sources and participate more actively in the avocado value chain.
Kihika said her administration will continue supporting farmers with access to quality planting materials and improved agricultural practices while strengthening productivity and developing a sustainable and commercially viable avocado sector.
“The growing number of farmers embracing avocado farming demonstrates the potential of the crop to contribute to household incomes, employment and the wider agricultural economy of Nakuru county,” she said.
She has also urged young people to venture into high-value crop farming as a way of creating jobs and achieving economic empowerment.
Across the Rift Valley, counties are encouraging farmers to reduce their reliance on traditional crops such as maize and embrace high-value alternatives, including coffee and macadamia.
In Uasin Gishu, the county government is targeting more than 10,000 acres under coffee as farmers increasingly diversify their crops.
Governor Jonathan Bii said about 3,000 acres had already been established, with the county intensifying farmer sensitisation and distributing seedlings to accelerate expansion.
“Coffee is among the high value crops which we want our farmers to grow instead of relying on maize farming which has diminishing returns,” Bii said.
The county is also seeking to strengthen the coffee value chain through farmer training, extension support, cooperative development, processing and value addition.
Bii has committed to facilitating benchmarking visits for farmers to successful coffee farms across Kenya to gain practical knowledge on production, processing, marketing and profitable coffee farming.
Experts say the 3,000 acres currently under coffee could generate significant economic returns. Based on an average yield of 150kg of coffee cherry per point of land and a selling price of Sh125 per kilogram, one point could generate about Sh18,750, translating to approximately Sh1.875 million per acre.
The 3,000 acres therefore represent a potential Sh5.6 billion in gross coffee cherry value per harvest, underscoring the growing importance of crop diversification.
