In the verdant, volcanic highlands of Komothai in Kenya’s Rift Valley, farmers like Simon Macharia cultivate coffee on small plots of land scattered across the hillsides. Alongside other farmers, Mr. Macharia delivers sacks of his vibrant red coffee cherries to the local processing plant, where they are weighed and processed. A machine removes the outer husks, revealing the pale beans inside, which are then washed and sorted on concrete channels before being laid out to dry on platforms that stretch across the valley. Workers at the processing plant categorize the beans based on quality, with the finest beans destined for coffee houses in Europe.
Mr. Macharia, whose farm spans 2.5 hectares, refers to coffee as the “black gold” of the region. He specializes in growing Kenya AA coffee beans, renowned globally for their superior quality, rich body, intense aromas, and fruity flavor. The tradition of coffee cultivation has been ingrained in these lush highlands since the late 1890s when British colonial settlers first introduced it. Today, the area is celebrated for producing top-rated coffee.
However, the process of growing coffee is labor-intensive, involving tasks such as harvesting, pruning, weeding, spraying, fertilizing, and transporting the crop. Mr. Macharia emphasizes the dedication required to tend to coffee trees, especially during the blooming season. The investment in a coffee tree is significant for farmers, as it can take up to four years for the fruits to reach maturity.
Despite the high value of coffee in European markets, many Kenyan coffee laborers earn meager wages, with some making as little as $2.30 a day. Edita Mwangi, a coffee harvester overlooking the processing plant, echoes this sentiment, highlighting the challenges faced by workers in the industry. She works tirelessly to support her four children, earning around $1.40 a day and walking long distances to reach the farm where she works.
The coffee trade between Kenya and Europe, the largest coffee market globally, has historically disadvantaged farmers. In addition to economic challenges, coffee farmers in Komothai now face a new threat – climate change. Rising temperatures and erratic weather patterns are impacting coffee production, leading to decreased yields and increased susceptibility to diseases affecting the coffee plants.
To combat these challenges, farmers are resorting to using herbicides and insecticides, which can have long-term effects on soil quality and pose health risks. The reliance on chemical inputs further exacerbates environmental concerns in the region. Additionally, the water-intensive nature of coffee cultivation is putting a strain on water resources, especially in areas experiencing changing rainfall patterns.
The story of Komothai reflects the broader challenges faced by coffee farming communities in Kenya and underscores the urgent need for sustainable practices and support to ensure the livelihoods of coffee farmers in the face of climate change and other threats. A medida que las temperaturas globales y las sequías aumentan, será difícil cultivar buen café en todas partes del mundo.
Una vez que los granos se secan, generalmente se exportan para su posterior procesamiento [Kate Stanworth]
El café solo se puede cultivar en el “cinturón cafetero” – regiones tropicales de todo el mundo en áreas típicamente ubicadas a una altitud de entre 1.000m y 2.000m.
En los últimos años, el cambio climático ha provocado una escasez de suministros globales de café y un aumento en el precio del café debido a la sequía y a los fallos en los cultivos en varias naciones clave productoras de café como Brasil y Vietnam.
Una encuesta realizada por Fairtrade International, la organización detrás de las etiquetas de Comercio Justo, encontró que el 93% de los agricultores de café de Kenia ya están experimentando los efectos del cambio climático.
La industria del café en Kenia es una fuente clave de empleo, proporcionando trabajo a unas 150.000 personas.
Para proteger la industria, los agricultores de café en áreas como Komothai están experimentando con técnicas de adaptación al clima, como plantar árboles para proporcionar sombra adicional a las plantas de café.
El Sr. Murigi dijo que solo a través de abordar tanto los desafíos climáticos como económicos que enfrentan los agricultores de café kenianos, pueden tener un futuro sostenible.
Sin embargo, los agricultores de café como el Sr. Macharia son pesimistas sobre el futuro de la industria.
“En este momento, tal como están las cosas, no creo que ningún padre quiera que su hijo esté aquí cultivando café”, dijo.
John Murigi está preocupado por el impacto que el cambio climático está teniendo en los agricultores a los que representa [Kate Stanworth]
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[Getty Images/BBC]
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