Kenyans go for the gold standard

The expanding Kenyan floriculture industry has not been without its critics. In the past, for example, there have been reports of workers being exposed to pesticides. Although the Kenyan Flower Council (KFC) has introduced a Gold Standard of Good Agricultural Practice for its grower members, which covers the use of pesticides, in reality only the larger growers have been able to comply. However, a new two-year project funded by the UK's Department For International Development aims to change that.

After tea, coffee and tourism, floriculture, now Kenya's fourth largest industry, is the fastest growing sector of the economy and, directly or indirectly, provides employment for over half-a-million workers. Last year the sector continued its rapid expansion. Exports of cut flowers increased by 3.6% over 1999 figures, reaching a total of 38,200 tonnes, with an export value of over US$100 million.

To ensure that accepted international standards of environmental protection and worker welfare are adhered to, independent growers and exporters have come together to form the Kenyan Flower Council. However, although there are about 600 KFC members, just 17 growers are responsible for over 60% of production. "There are three categories of growers within the KFC," explains Lydiah Njuguna-Kioko of the DFID-East Africa's Business Partnership Programme. "There are ten to fifteen large growers with 20 ha or more who employ a large number of wage-earning workers. Medium growers, of which there are about 60, own from 2 to 20 ha. Finally, there are over 500 small growers who own just 0.5 to 2 ha."

"We would be more than happy to take product from small growers if they were KFC members and the variety and quality offered was appropriate," confirms Simon Pearson of Marks and Spencer, one of the UK's largest buyers of Kenyan cut flowers. Future membership of the KFC will rely, however, on growers meeting the KFC Code of Practice standards. The DFID project aims to bring the 500 plus small growers up to the standards already put in place by the larger growers. "So far, only the large growers have been able to meet the Code of Practice thus exposing the small growers to market exclusion, job losses and a decline in incomes," explains DFID's Bella Ochola-Wilson. "Through training, audits, accessing the benefits of membership in KFC and support provided by large growers, the DFID project, with KFC, specifically aims to encourage smallholder farms to comply with a Code of Practice."

The ultimate goal of the Code of Practice is: "To foster the responsible and safe production of cut flowers in Kenya, while protecting the natural environment and benefiting the welfare of all farm staff." Among the specific aims within the Code are efforts to minimise pesticide use, relying on Integrated Pest Management practices, to minimise worker exposure to chemicals, and to deal responsibly with the disposal of waste chemicals and organic material. There are also clauses designed to protect the environment from the potentially adverse impacts of the expanding industry. For example, Environmental Impact Assessments must be made before any major land-use changes; indigenous flora and fauna must be protected, and pollution must be prevented from entering local water courses.

For the past few years, larger KFC growers have been audited by the international inspection company Bureau Veritas Kenya Ltd. "Bureau Veritas will be used to give international credibility to the KFC farm audit systems using [EU standards] ISO 14001 and SA 8000 as guidelines," confirms Lydiah Njuguna-Kioko.

The UK£300,00 two-year project, which began on 1 January 2001, is part-funded by both DFID and the KFC, who will use their own extension staff to offer training to all Kenyan smallholders, including growers of edible produce. Once the systems of training and auditing to the ISO 14001 and SA 8000 standards are in place, then the project will move forward to help all the smaller growers reach the additional standard of ISO 9000. "We recognise that it is in our long-term interests to develop smallholder standards," confirms KFC Chief Executive, Martin Mulandi, "but we could not afford to carry out the whole burden of such development without outside assistance. The project will work towards the goal of poverty alleviation by contributing to the growth of the flower industry in a pro-poor manner."

Back to Menu