This archive report was first published on 30 July 2019.
On July 30, 2019, Nyeri County in Kenya took a significant step towards diversifying its agricultural sector by distributing 49,000 pineapple seedlings to farmers.
The move aims to reduce the county's reliance on traditional crops like tea and coffee, which have been the mainstay of the local economy.
According to James Muturi, the Agriculture Executive, the department's goal is to improve food security and nutrition, as well as increase farmers' income.
'The aim is not to discourage farmers from growing the traditional crops like tea and coffee but to encourage them to be dynamic and stop overreliance on the two crops,' said Mr Muturi.
The first beneficiaries of the seedlings are farmers from Mukurwe-ini, who have been identified as having well-drained soils and a favourable climate for pineapple farming.
Mr Muturi noted that the area will be on a trial basis, with the farmers harvesting and selling the pineapples within 18 months.
After the trial, the county plans to roll out the pineapple farming venture to more farmers, with crop officers from the department studying the performance of the crop to determine its viability.
