Kenya flowers are sold in more than 60 countries. Over 500,000 people, including over 100,000 flower farm employees, depend on the floriculture industry that impacts over 2 million livelihoods. Kiambu is among counties that produce various varieties of flowers for not only the local market but also for export.
Farmers, however, continue to shy away from venturing into new types of ornamental crops due to uncertainty of farming practices and availability of markets. For Gabriel Mbugua, growing up and becoming a farmer was always on his mind, but never had he thought of venturing into the flower business.
In 2021, he embarked on agroecology farming with the primary focus being on environmental conservation—a commitment to Mother nature. Little did he anticipate that beyond its ecological benefits and the production of safe foods, agroecology farming would emerge as a lucrative income stream and its revolution change his fortune.
Mbugua who resides in Kamburu, a sublocation within Gatamaiyu in Lari, Kiambu county, and whose major economic activities is dairy and tea farming, cultivates a variety of crops, but what stands out in his farm is Arabicum, an ornamental flower.
Read more at the-star.co.ke