Report Reveals Small-Scale Coffee Farming Realities in Kenya

Majority of smallholder coffee farmers in Kenya have little knowledge of the contents of milling and marketing contracts among other issues along the value chain, according to a new study.

In a study titled Enhancing Smallholder Coffee Farmers Inclusion in the Coffee Value Chain notes that farmers are subjected to a lopsided contractual arrangement in favour of service providers.

Compiled by Kenya Coffee Producers Association (KCPA) and IDH Sustainable Trade Initiative revealed that only 11.5 per cent of growers confirmed comprehensively reading and understanding the milling and marketing contracts.

Peter Gikonyo, KCPA chairman said smallholder farmers have been disadvantaged by being excluded in the coffee value chain. Thus, the report, he added, will help in boosting government efforts to implement a new reform agenda that largely seeks to improve the plight of small-scale farmers.

“The contracts are developed by the service provider and presented to the grower to sign instead of the other way round and by practice, the service provider takes with them the signed contract and in many occasions does not return the signed copies to the growers. Generally, the grower has a legal language limitation and lacks a good understanding of the contracting process,” said Gikonyo.

Speaking during the launch of the report in Nairobi last Thursday, he said that recommendations offered by the report seek to address the identified gaps to empower farmers to take charge of their business.

Gikonyo added: “It is when the farmer is empowered that they are able to negotiate, engage and sign contracts which they understand and can be enforced.”Sarah Nyagah, KCPA Chief executive said through the support of IDH (The Sustainable Trade Initiative), they were able conduct a baseline study which unearthed a number of areas where the farmers are excluded and they can now address the challenges using evidence.

She said from the study they found out that farmers lack legal support when they are contracting the service providers for the milling and marketing of their coffee.