Growing sustainable tea on Kenyan smallholder farms

This paper describes a partnership between Lipton tea and the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA). The partnership aims to encourage smallholders to produce tea more sustainably and profitably. A Farmer Field School (FFS) approach was used. This has resulted in the development of high levels of social capital, and the programme has resulted in increased annual yields and a renewed focus on improved water and land management. Farmers who have graduated from FFSs have acted as extension agents themselves. Overall, the partnership provides a good example of how an FFS approach to extension has prepared the ground for a large-scale roll-out of more sustainable production practices across rural Kenya.