The Kenyan government is actively pushing to broaden coffee cultivation into new areas as part of a wider strategy to revive the sector and increase production. Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Mutahi Kagwe, announced the plans during a groundbreaking ceremony at the Coffee Research Institute (CRI) in Ruiru.
The event marked the start of construction for a new coffee training centre, a joint initiative between Kenya and Italy. The facility aims to equip farmers with modern skills in sustainable practices, quality improvement, and climate resilience.
Kagwe stated that the government seeks to expand coffee investments into emerging growing zones. Coffee has long been concentrated in the central highlands, including counties such as Kiambu, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Murang’a, Embu, and Meru. In recent years, however, cultivation has spread to other regions with suitable conditions.
Partnership with Italy to Boost Training and Productivity
The new training centre at CRI will serve as a hub for research, knowledge transfer, and practical farmer education. Italian partners will support its development, focusing on advanced agronomic techniques to address challenges like climate change, pests, and diseases.
Officials target doubling current annual production, which stands at around 49,000 metric tonnes. The initiative combines improved research, better farmer training, and value addition to help Kenya regain its position as a premium coffee producer on the global market.
The Coffee Research Institute, under the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), has historically played a key role in developing high-yielding, disease-resistant varieties such as Ruiru 11. These varieties have supported intensive farming while maintaining the renowned cup quality of Kenyan Arabica.
Emerging Regions Show Growing Interest
Farmers in non-traditional areas are already adopting coffee. In Laikipia County, for instance, the number of growers has risen sharply in recent years, with thousands of seedlings distributed to wards including Githiga, Marmanet, and Ol Moran. Similar uptake is reported in parts of the Rift Valley, Western Kenya, Nyanza, and even coastal and eastern lowlands where microclimates allow.
This expansion helps diversify the national production base. It reduces reliance on the central highlands, which have faced periodic setbacks from drought, coffee berry disease, and leaf rust. New zones also offer opportunities for smallholder farmers to earn higher incomes from a high-value crop.
Revitalising a Key Economic Sector
Coffee remains an important export earner and source of livelihood for hundreds of thousands of households. The government’s broader revitalisation efforts include reforms in cooperatives, marketing through the Nairobi Coffee Exchange, and support for value addition to capture more returns at the farm gate.
The training centre is expected to accelerate adoption of good agricultural practices. These include proper pruning, integrated pest management, soil conservation, and irrigation where needed. Experts believe such measures will improve yields and help farmers adapt to changing weather patterns.
Stakeholders at the ceremony highlighted the importance of public-private partnerships in driving sector growth. The Italy-Kenya collaboration fits into wider efforts to strengthen research infrastructure and link farmers directly to markets.
As construction begins at CRI, farmers across the country will look forward to practical training programs that translate research into tangible gains. The move signals a fresh chapter for Kenyan coffee, one that balances tradition with innovation and spreads opportunities to more regions.
In the coming months, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development plans to roll out further support, including seedling distribution and extension services, to ensure the expansion into new zones succeeds.
