A golden opportu-nutty in Kenya

Coastal Kenya is one of the most under-developed regions in the country with more than 62% of the population living below the poverty line. Extreme weather has caused agricultural yields here to drop, contributing to the decline of the region’s economy. But the revival of a forgotten industry is bringing a new lease of life to the area.

Kenya’s coast has a higher concentration of cashew nut trees than anywhere else in the country and many smallholder farmers along the coastline used to produce cashew nuts. But lots of the trees are now old or diseased and the industry has slowly come to a standstill, and with it, the livelihoods of thousands of farmers.

But given the high international demand for these golden nuts, Farm Africa knew that it wasn’t time to give up on them just yet. That’s why since 2018, Farm Africa has worked with 15,000 farmers on Kenya’s coastline to revive their cashew production and establish thriving businesses that supply the demands of lucrative markets.

Farm Africa is teaching farmers like Tunje that when pruned in the right way, cashew trees will rejuvenate and will be able to double, or even quadruple the number of nuts they produce!

We’re also helping farmers gain access to drought-resistant seedlings, which will flourish into healthy trees and stand a better chance of surviving when extreme weather hits.

Not only is this cashew revival helping farmers like Tunje grow profitable businesses, but it’s also replenishing coastal forests in the region – now that’s what we call smart agriculture.

The project was funded by the European Union’s Emergency Trust Fund for stability and addressing root causes of irregular migration and displaced persons in Africa. The Slovak Agency for International Development Cooperation (SlovakAID) is managing the project’s funds on behalf of the European Union.

_{Photos: Kevin Ouma.}