By Victoria Musimbi

THIKA, Kenya: Unpredictable rainfall, rising temperatures, declining soil health and emerging pests are putting increasing pressure on Kenya’s coffee farmers, threatening both yields and the long-term sustainability of the country’s coffee industry.

In response, farmers and coffee industry stakeholders are increasingly turning to regenerative agriculture—an approach that seeks to restore soil health, improve the use of natural resources and strengthen farms’ resilience while maintaining productivity.

The shift has gained momentum at Kiganda Estate in Thika, Kiambu County, which has become the first farm in Africa to receive certification under the Rainforest Alliance Regenerative Agriculture Standard.

The achievement followed a joint initiative involving the Rainforest Alliance, Coffee Management Services (CMS), Kiganda Estate and other industry partners.

Kiganda Estate earns first African regenerative agriculture certification

Kiganda Estate’s certification recognises efforts by its management and workers to integrate regenerative practices into coffee production.

Farm Manager Paul Kabubi said the achievement was the result of sustained work to improve farming practices and use natural resources more efficiently.

“It’s a great honour and a significant achievement. It has not been easy, but through the good practices we have been implementing, we have been able to achieve this certification,” he said.

CMS leases and manages the estate, which employs close to 200 people. Kabubi said the certification will allow Kiganda’s coffee to be marketed as certified coffee while supporting improved working conditions for employees.

The estate has been producing coffee for more than a century, making sustainable production increasingly important to its long-term future.

“I would encourage every farmer to farm smart and adopt regenerative agriculture practices. It should become a culture,” Kabubi said.

Regenerative agriculture aims to stabilise coffee production

For Martin Ngare, Group General Manager at CMS, one of the most important benefits of regenerative agriculture is its potential to make coffee production more consistent from one year to the next.

Kiganda Estate produces an average of 110 to 120 tonnes of green coffee annually. However, coffee production is naturally biennial, meaning a high-yielding season can often be followed by a significant decline.

“Regenerative agriculture seeks to flatten those peaks and troughs so that we can maintain sustainable production year after year,” Ngare said.

To achieve this, the estate combines carefully managed inorganic fertiliser with organic inputs.

Soil analysis is carried out before fertiliser is applied to determine the nutrients required. The farm also applied approximately 85 tonnes of organic manure over the past year.

Shade trees, including nitrogen-fixing species such as Albizia, are maintained to improve soil fertility and organic matter. Pruned coffee branches are left on the ground to decompose and return nutrients to the soil, while mulching helps retain moisture.

Ngare said these measures are already influencing production patterns.

After harvesting about 120 tonnes, the estate is expecting production to remain at a comparable level rather than experiencing the sharp decline that has traditionally followed a heavy crop.

“For us, the curve is much flatter than it was before,” he said.

Consistent production is also important to international coffee buyers that depend on reliable supplies from year to year. Kiganda exports most of its coffee—about six containers annually—to markets in Europe and the United States.

Water conservation and pest management improve farm resilience

Kiganda has also introduced ring basins around coffee trees to improve water retention and reduce losses.

Previously, the estate relied on overhead irrigation, which resulted in significant water losses through evaporation and evapotranspiration, particularly when temperatures reached between 33 and 35 degrees Celsius.

The farm has also adopted integrated pest management, prioritising non-chemical approaches wherever possible.

Regular scouting allows workers to identify pests early, after which cultural, mechanical and biological control methods are used depending on the situation.

Natural predators, including wasps and ladybirds, are encouraged to help control pests. Chemical treatments are used selectively and targeted at affected trees when necessary.

Ngare said these practices could contribute to improved coffee quality and better returns, with certified coffee generally capable of attracting a premium over non-certified coffee.

However, he said certification should be viewed as the beginning of a longer process.

“This is not the end of the journey; it is an important beginning,” Ngare said.

“Our responsibility now is to build on the lessons we have learned, strengthen our practices further and continue promoting regenerative agriculture across the landscapes and communities where we work.”

Traditional farming practices can support regenerative agriculture

Karagu Macharia, chairman of the Kenya Coffee Platform, said regenerative agriculture should not be regarded as a complicated or entirely new concept.

Many of its principles, he noted, are rooted in traditional farming practices.

“Regenerative agriculture sounds like a very long name, but this is the kind of agriculture our grandfathers and mothers used to practise,” Macharia said.

He cited intercropping crops such as maize, beans and onions as examples of traditional practices that can improve soil cover, reduce erosion and help manage pests naturally.

Smallholder coffee farmers can adopt similar approaches by using manure and maintaining organic matter in their soils.

“When you apply manure, you improve your organic matter. When you improve your organic matter, the soil becomes alive. You start seeing frogs and earthworms,” he said.

Macharia identified soil conservation as a major priority for coffee farmers in Central and Eastern Kenya, warning that fertiliser alone cannot restore productivity when soils are severely degraded.

“We can get fertilisers from the government, but if we are not doing soil conservation, we will apply them and everything will go down,” he said.

He also stressed the importance of proper pruning and nutrition for coffee trees, cautioning that excessive pruning can reduce productive branches while inappropriate fertiliser use can further damage soil health.

Rising temperatures increase pressure on coffee farmers

Macharia said changing rainfall patterns and rising temperatures are creating additional challenges for coffee farmers.

These changes can contribute to uneven flowering and the emergence of pests in areas where they were previously uncommon.

He recommended integrating trees such as avocado and macadamia into coffee farms to provide shade, generate additional income and support soil conservation as farmers adapt to climate change.

Climate-resilient coffee varieties can reduce chemical use

Dr Tony Maritim, Deputy Institute Director at the Coffee Research Institute (CRI), said climate-resilient coffee varieties are another important tool for helping Kenyan farmers adapt to changing conditions.

CRI is currently an institute under the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) and is transitioning into a standalone institution known as the Coffee Research and Training Institute (CRTI).

Maritim said the institute’s mandate will continue to focus on developing coffee varieties that can withstand changing climatic conditions while meeting farmers’ needs.

The institute has developed five varieties: SL28, SL34, K7, Ruiru 11 and Batian.

While traditional varieties face challenges from diseases such as coffee leaf rust and coffee berry disease, Ruiru 11 and Batian offer greater disease resistance.

Maritim said disease-resistant varieties can reduce farmers’ dependence on chemical inputs.

“As we move into regenerative agriculture, you need the right raw material on the farm. That means having climate-resilient varieties that can reduce the need for pesticides and other chemical inputs,” he said.

He also highlighted the importance of shade trees, noting that some species provide cover while improving soil fertility through nitrogen fixation.

Maritim described regenerative agriculture as an approach rooted partly in indigenous farming knowledge that is now being documented, strengthened and certified.

He said Kiganda Estate’s achievement could encourage more farms to adopt regenerative practices and potentially help farmers access markets offering premium prices for sustainably produced coffee.

Certification signals a shift towards restoration

Julius Ng’ang’a, Senior Director of Impact Programs for East and South Africa at the Rainforest Alliance, said the organisation’s work focuses on restoring the relationship between people and nature while supporting farmers, protecting ecosystems and strengthening agricultural systems.

The Rainforest Alliance works with farmers, forest communities, companies, governments, civil society organisations and other partners to promote more sustainable agricultural and forestry practices.

In Kenya, Rainforest Alliance certification has been active for 21 years. Through collaboration with its Alliance members, the organisation now covers more than 50 per cent of coffee and 90 per cent of tea production by volume.

It has certified more than 1.1 million farmers across various value chains, covering approximately 372,000 hectares.

Ng’ang’a said stakeholders gathered to celebrate Kiganda Estate’s achievement as the first farm in Africa to receive certification under the Rainforest Alliance Regenerative Agriculture Standard.

He said the certification represents a shift from agricultural practices that simply seek to reduce environmental damage towards approaches that actively restore ecosystems and strengthen farms against climate change.

At Kiganda, these efforts include improving soil health through organic matter and manure, maintaining soil cover, conducting soil analysis and adopting integrated weed management.

Trees also play an important role by providing shade and supporting biodiversity.

Ng’ang’a stressed that the transition to regenerative agriculture requires investment and called on coffee buyers and other actors across the value chain to support farmers through better prices and premiums.

“Regenerating is an investment in the farm, so farmers need to be rewarded,” he said.

Kiganda Estate’s certification provides a practical example of how regenerative agriculture in Kenya’s coffee sector can be integrated into commercial production while addressing soil degradation, climate pressures, pest management and the need for more resilient farms.

The experience could offer lessons for other coffee producers seeking to combine productivity with long-term environmental sustainability.