This archive report was first published on 11 October 2019.
Published on October 11, 2019, a shift in farming practices has been observed in central Kenya, where small scale farmers are increasingly turning to the cultivation of Muguka, a variety of the stimulant Khat.
According to local farmers, the decision to switch from food crops to Muguka has been driven by the significantly higher profits that can be earned from the latter. Wilkister Njeri, a 41-year-old farmer from Embu county, is one such example. She used to grow maize but found it unprofitable due to high costs and erratic weather conditions.
"I used 5,000 Kenya shillings to plough, I bought fertilizer worth 3,000 Kenya shillings and two bags of maize, one of which cost 700 Kenya shillings," she says. "Everything cost me more than 10,000 Kenya shillings but I did not harvest anything. We got little rain, and that happened for about two seasons."
Wilkister has since cleared her maize and planted Muguka on two of her three-acre farm, earning an average of 20,000 Kenyan shillings, or about $190 (U.S. dollars), per week.
Muguka is a fast-growing crop that thrives in the semi-arid lowlands of Embu county, making it less vulnerable to erratic weather conditions. The crop is also a stimulant that produces a mild high when chewed, and its demand is high in local markets as well as in other parts of the country and abroad.
John Mukundi, the Chief Executive Officer of the Agriculture & Cooperatives docket in Embu County, notes that the growth of Muguka has provided employment opportunities and easy access to cash for farmers in the region.
However, the county government is urging farmers to create a balance between growing Muguka and food crops to enhance food security and nutrition. To this end, they are offering free seeds and fertilizer subsidies to encourage farmers to plant food crops.
