BY MEDIAMAX

In Muburi, Kamwana area, a small village in Kirinyaga county, if you walk past the coffee fields, you’ll find women farmers sitting in a circle keenly listening.

Lydia Muthoni, 35, is doing what she loves most, talking to women about market information that will help them grow and sell their crops. Muthoni is one of the successful female coffee farmers in Kirinyaga.

She owes her success to the Women in Coffee programme, a Nescafe’ Plan Initiative. Under the programme, Nestle has reached more than 70,000 farmers from 12 farmers cooperative societies spread in Meru, Embu, Kirinyaga, Nyeri, Kiambu and Murang’a counties.

Muthoni vows not to look back after enjoying the fruits of coffee farming. Initially, she says coffee farming was a preserve of the few who were willing to take on the gamble.

It never crossed her mind that she would one day consider taking up this ‘risky’ venture. “Back then coffee wasn’t doing well, there were no proceeds from the crop, everyone shunned investing.

When I reluctantly started coffee farming three years ago, I didn’t anticipate success. But after attending a training session on value addition, my perception changed,” says the mother of three.

Muthoni remembers how she struggled to fend for her children, let alone manage their education. But today, she says they are in good schools and she never struggles with fees.

Previously, Muthoni grew tomatoes, tea and a bit of coffee. But because tea was not doing well, she tried coffee. “At first, I used to harvest 800kg per harvest once per year.

At the time, a kilogramme of coffee cost Sh25. But after training, I harvested about 3,200kg of coffee. Muthoni’s farming flourished after learning new farming methods through the empowerment programme, which was first launched in Kenya in 2011, to offer technical support and training to farmers in Eastern and Central Kenya.

According to Minette Rosen, Sustainability Manager for Nestlé’s Zoegas coffee, Nestlé has spent over Sh70 million in the implementation of the programme.

Muthoni sells her coffee at Kabigara Coffee Factory. “Kanyaga Kahawa (step on the proceeds of my coffee),” Muthoni tells people whenever they visit her home.

“This house was constructed from my coffee proceeds. Basically, this is coffee and that’s why I refer to it as that,” she says. Muthoni hosts more than 30 people everyday. “I believe we need to grow together as women and that is why I offer them lessons,” Muthoni concludes.