This archive report was first published on 16 December 2019.
Kenya's coffee industry is facing a crisis as farmers abandon their crops due to high temperatures and low prices. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the 2019/20 harvest is expected to hit a 57-year low.
Farmer Shadrack Wambua Mutisya, who has been growing coffee for 40 years, has replaced most of his bushes with banana, macadamia, and avocado trees. 'Now we see diseases that we never saw before,' he said.
Kenya's average temperature has risen by 0.3 degrees per decade since 1985, while more erratic rainfall is reducing quality and yields. In the 1960s, Kenya averaged one storm day per year, but in 2017, there were five storm days.
Matthew Harrison, a buyer at speciality coffee sourcing company Trabocca, described Kenya as 'the 'champagne' region for coffee.' However, the diminishing volume of coffee production is 'very concerning for the speciality coffee world,' he said.
Kenya's coffee production is tumbling, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasting a 57-year low. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the number of coffee farmers is falling, but there is no national statistics because there hasn't been a coffee census in two decades.
Global coffee prices have plunged to 2005 lows of 86 cents per pound, far below the cost of production in most of the world. Prices have recovered to $1.18 per pound, but there is still a glut.
Charles Agwanda, commodities coordinator at the Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International, warned that Kenya, Tanzania, and Malawi could soon stop growing coffee altogether. 'Then it will be a crisis for everyone, including the consumers,' he said.
