Government Promotes Cocoa and Avocado Farming to Boost Coffee Growers’ Incomes

The government has stepped up efforts to diversify Kenya’s coffee sector by encouraging farmers to integrate cocoa and avocado into their coffee farms, a move aimed at increasing household incomes, improving climate resilience and strengthening the country’s agricultural export portfolio.

Speaking at a coffee investment forum in Nairobi, Forestry Principal Secretary Mugambi Gitonga said the new agroforestry approach would help farmers earn from multiple crops while promoting sustainable land management and ensuring compliance with international environmental standards.

Gitonga said Kenya has identified approximately 5.9 million hectares suitable for cocoa production and plans to distribute two million cocoa seedlings this year as the government expands cocoa into a strategic commercial value chain.

He urged private investors, farmer cooperatives and development partners to invest in cocoa processing and value addition from the outset, arguing that building a strong domestic processing industry would enable Kenya to export finished cocoa products instead of relying on raw commodity exports.

“We must build the cocoa value chain from the beginning by investing in processing and markets so farmers earn maximum value,” he said.

The Principal Secretary also encouraged coffee growers to plant avocado trees alongside coffee, noting that the trees provide shade that supports coffee production while giving farmers access to another lucrative export crop.

“As we grow coffee, let us also grow avocado. It is another major business opportunity with a huge international market. All we need is to produce more,” Gitonga said.

The initiative forms part of the government’s broader strategy to promote agroforestry, which integrates trees with agricultural production to improve soil health, conserve biodiversity and enhance resilience against climate change.

Addressing concerns over access to European markets, Gitonga assured international buyers that Kenya’s coffee complies with global forest conservation requirements under the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). He said government assessments have confirmed that commercial coffee production does not take place in gazetted forests.

Instead, he said, farmers are being encouraged to plant trees within their farms to increase tree cover while maintaining productive agricultural land. He proposed the development of a national digital platform to monitor coffee tree planting alongside other tree species, helping track progress toward the country’s forest restoration targets.

Gitonga said continued reforms and investment could lift Kenya’s annual coffee production beyond the government’s current target of 100,000 metric tonnes and potentially double output to 200,000 metric tonnes over time without expanding cultivation into protected forests.

The government’s push comes weeks after the launch of Kenya’s national cocoa programme in Elgeyo Marakwet County, where the first 400 cocoa seedlings were planted to establish the country’s national demonstration centre for cocoa production, farmer training and research.

Research conducted by the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) has identified Elgeyo Marakwet as one of the country’s most promising cocoa-growing areas, with the crop offering significantly higher returns per acre than many traditional cash crops. To support expansion, the government is establishing a KEFRI Seed Centre in Kaptagat while distributing seedlings to other high-potential regions, including Meru, Kirinyaga, Kilifi and additional suitable production zones.

Kenya’s cocoa industry has already shown strong export potential, with cocoa bean exports valued at approximately KSh3.6 billion in 2024. Indonesia and Malaysia remain among the leading destinations, providing a ready international market as the government seeks to scale up production and develop a competitive cocoa processing industry.