From Family Farm to Coffee Innovation Hub: Uasin Gishu Breaks Ground on Kapsuswa Centre

Coffee farmers in Uasin Gishu are set to gain access to a new training and innovation hub following the groundbreaking of the Kapsuswa Coffee Innovation, Training and Coffee Nursery Centre in Kamagut Ward, Turbo Sub-County.

The centre, being established on the family farm of farmer Charles Boit, is expected to strengthen coffee production in the county by bringing farmer training, improved technologies, nursery development, quality management and value addition closer to growers.

Hundreds of farmers and agricultural stakeholders attended the groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, where they were introduced to technologies designed to improve farm management, reduce production costs and enhance coffee quality.

Uasin Gishu County Coffee Officer Nicholas Maritim, who represented the county government, said the centre would give farmers a practical environment in which to learn and test modern production methods.

“This Innovation, Training and Coffee Nursery Centre will give our farmers a practical platform to learn modern techniques, exchange experiences and access new technologies that can raise both yields and quality,” Maritim said.

He added that the county remained committed to developing coffee as an important cash crop.

The Kapsuswa site has a long agricultural history. The land was acquired by Mzee Paul Kiplimo Boit in 1961 and was initially used for cattle and maize before the farm developed into a mixed agricultural enterprise.

Coffee trials began on the farm in the 1980s. Commercial production resumed in 2023 with technical support from the Coffee Research Institute in Kitale, providing the foundation for its transformation into a centre for coffee innovation and farmer learning.

During the event, farmers were introduced to modern equipment and technologies including improved weeding methods, boom sprayers and eco-pulper systems.

The technologies are intended to address some of the practical challenges facing coffee growers, particularly labour requirements, production costs and post-harvest handling.

Maritim said adoption of appropriate technologies could help farmers improve efficiency while maintaining the quality of coffee produced.

“These innovations can cut costs, improve efficiency and deliver better-quality coffee,” he said.

The centre is also expected to serve as a demonstration site where farmers can test new approaches before adopting them on their own farms. This could allow growers to see the practical effects of different technologies and production practices under local conditions.

Beyond training, the nursery component is expected to support access to improved planting materials as more farmers in the county consider coffee as an income-generating enterprise.

The development comes as Uasin Gishu continues to explore ways of diversifying agricultural production and increasing the value generated from farming.

By combining a coffee nursery, practical training and technology demonstrations in one location, the Kapsuswa facility is intended to give farmers a place where research and farm-level experience can meet.

For growers, the centre could ultimately provide more than training. It offers a local platform for learning, experimenting with new technologies and improving the quality and productivity of coffee from the farm to the processing stage.