Laikipia Launches Coffee Initiative To Boost Yields, Farmer Incomes

By Staff Writer

Thousands of farmers in Laikipia are set to benefit from subsidised coffee seedlings and extension support under a newly launched programme aimed at boosting productivity, improving bean quality, and increasing household incomes.

The initiative, unveiled in Siron, Marmanet Ward, is part of a broader county strategy to strengthen the coffee value chain and position Laikipia as an emerging production hub amid shifting dynamics in Kenya’s traditional coffee-growing regions.

Governor Joshua Irungu, who presided over the launch, said the programme aligns with national agricultural priorities and is designed to deliver sustainable returns for farmers while expanding acreage under coffee.

“The programme represents a strategic intervention aimed at enhancing the coffee value chain, improving productivity and quality, and positioning Laikipia as a competitive coffee hub,” he said.

Implementation is anchored on the FSRP Batian initiative, with seedlings already being distributed across Sosian, Ol Moran, Rumuruti, Igwamiti, Salama, Marmanet, Ngobit, and Githiga wards under a structured cost-sharing model. Farmers pay KSh 30 per seedling while the county subsidises the remaining KSh 70.

Coffee farming in Laikipia is rapidly transitioning from subsistence to commercial production, with the number of registered growers rising from 398 in 2023 to more than 1,117 in 2025, reflecting strong farmer uptake.

This expansion is supported by large-scale seedling distribution, with more than 23,000 seedlings issued between 2022 and mid-2025, alongside over 38,000 additional certified seedlings supplied through cooperative channels to accelerate adoption across key wards.

Farmers are increasingly shifting to coffee due to improved profitability compared to traditional crops, with reports indicating earnings exceeding KSh 800 per bush during recent harvest cycles, significantly strengthening household incomes and financial resilience.

The county’s production model is anchored on improved coffee varieties, with farmers predominantly cultivating Batian and Ruiru 11, both of which are disease-resistant, high-yielding, and well-suited to Laikipia’s evolving climatic conditions.

Early production data indicates growing market integration, with Laikipia delivering high-quality coffee beans and recording more than 6,300 kilogrammes sold during the 2024 to 2025 season through brokers including New KPCU and Kipkelion Broker Company.

Agricultural researchers have identified several zones including Igwamiti, Ol Moran, Marmanet, and Ngobit as suitable for Arabica coffee, with highland areas showing strong performance in pilot cultivation of improved varieties.

New data from the Agriculture and Food Authority places Laikipia among the fastest-growing coffee regions in Kenya, recording a 32.8 percent increase in acreage during the 2022 to 2023 crop year, ahead of several established counties.

At the farm level, pricing structures remain a key incentive, with parchment coffee fetching about KSh 330 per kilogramme and dried coffee trading at approximately KSh 200 through cooperative channels that also provide advance payments and technical support.

Governor Irungu said the county is targeting up to KSh 10 billion in coffee revenues within four years, alongside plans to establish a processing factory and distribute 500,000 seedlings supported by ward-level nurseries.

He added that youth-focused training programmes are being rolled out to build technical capacity and ensure long-term sustainability of the sector.

The county initiative comes against the backdrop of a broader national recovery in the coffee industry. Kenya’s production is projected to rise from 750,000 bags in the 2024 to 2025 season to 850,000 bags in 2025 to 2026, supported by reforms, improved prices, and farmer support programmes.

Export performance has also strengthened, with 45,249.88 metric tonnes valued at KSh 43.36 billion shipped between January and September 2025, while prices at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange reached a record average of KSh 1,025.03 per kilogramme in September that year.

The national government is pursuing an ambitious revival plan targeting output growth to 150,000 metric tonnes, backed by the distribution of more than 20 million seedlings, a KSh 500 million support programme, and an KSh 8 billion Coffee Cherry Fund.

Kenya’s coffee sector remains heavily reliant on smallholder farmers, who account for about 70 percent of production across approximately 800,000 growers organised into cooperatives and estates.

Back in Laikipia, the county government is also investing in complementary infrastructure, including the Ol Jabet Warehouse project, which is expected to enhance storage and aggregation capacity ahead of commissioning later this year.

Irungu said the facility will play a critical role in improving market access and strengthening value chains as more farmers transition into commercial coffee production.