Swatini

Agriculture is one of the main drivers of growth in the Kenyan economy and constitutes the main source of employment in the country. It contributes 22.4% of GDP and employs more than half of the working population, according to World Bank data.

The Kenyan agricultural sector depends mainly on smallholder farmers, who, despite producing three-quarters of total food, are often in situations of severe poverty and suffer from food insecurity.

Macadamia production has enormous potential to drive the country’s economic growth. However, most smallholder macadamia farmers are working below the potential of their farms, which has consequences on their livelihoods.

This is due to various factors affecting land productivity and income stability, including weather shocks and the prevalence of pests and diseases related to the effects of climate change or lack of access to finance, affordable quality inputs, training and technology, as well as access to markets without intermediaries and at fair prices.

By buying directly from farmers, Swatini protects them from the abuses of middlemen. The company also provides smallholder farmers with a range of services that help increase and stabilize their productivity and income.

Swatini not only creates decent and stable employment in the fields, but also in the processing plant, where they work to high quality and safety standards, as well as striving to reduce their carbon footprint. This, coupled with close collaboration with farmers, ensures sustainable and quality production, capable of accessing export markets.

In addition, the company is building its own processing plant to become vertically integrated and not dependent on third parties. This will enable Swatini to increase its margin and bring more value to smallholder farmers.