[Column] Bob Koigi: Keeping the African flower more competitive in the wake of climate change
African countries notably Kenya and Ethiopia continue to feature prominently in the global flower industry with the sector being on a meteoric rise flower industry has been on a meteoric rise, both in production and exports.
Both countries now count the floriculture sector among the frontrunners in foreign exchange earnings. Der har været scramble ved virksomheder til at etablere butikker i de to lande, som har oversat til flere arbejdspladser for de lokale og skatt til regeringen.
In Kenya for example, emerging markets like Asia, Russia and US are positioning the country's flower exports at an even higher earnings scale with the Kenya Flower Council reports, indicating that on the global front, a growth of between 5 and 10 percent is anticipated every Year over the next five years.
The sector has grown annually by 15 percent in value and volumes, defying political and weather uncertainties while providing employment to an estimated 500,000 people, including over 90,000 flower farm employees). The sector is growing faster than the 10 percent growth envisaged under Vision 2030 . Indeed the experts say the sector could grow at 20 percent by 2030.
What is now projected to up the production further is the entry of smallholder farmers. Onderzoekers halen dit als een manier om een goede mix te creëren tussen de traditionele grote bedrijven die zich concentreren op de high-end bloemen en kleine boeren nu in alternatieve, makkelijker te cultiveren bloemen zoals zomerbloemen.
Men med den bemærkelsesværdige og rolige historie, så er det trusselen om klimaforandringer at blomstmændene stirrer i øjet. Infact the reason Kenya and Ethiopia are doing so well in terms of flower production and exports, because traditional flower producing behemoths like Columbia and Ecuador are grappling with an acute shortage of exports due to reduced production as a result of climate change which has taken its toll On flower farms.
Nieuwe pests en ziekten die resistent zijn tegen conventionele pesten hebben voraciously chewed duizenden en duizenden tonnen van deze stems en petals om deze landen hoog en droog te leven. Ironically the same factors that have boosted our flower sales are imminent in our continent. Og det er en tid innan de strike.
This could not be further from the truth. Kun nylig, forskere i Uganda lød en alarm på en kaffe pest ansvarlig for at ødelægge 90 procent af en plante inden for dage, som nu har flyttet til at angribe horticultural producerer herunder blomster.
The Black Coffee Twig Borer (BCTB) has a high birth rate producing 20 offsprings in a week and can chew up a plant in a record one hour. Dit en andere pests en ziekten gecombineerd met onvoorspelbare weersomstandigheden zijn gebonden om een toll op onze bloemproductie te nemen. While flower farms may have mechanisms to arrest the situation, small farmers who are starting to warm up to the trade may not.
So what can we do as a continent? Við getum ekki stjórnað loftslagsbreytingum, við getum að draga úr og læra að aðlagast. Information therefore is key. Kudos to the many private sector institutions and research entities that have stepped up to provide farmers with modern, environmental friendly pest control products and other farming inputs.
Selv om dette stadig er et relativt nyt fenomen, især blandt mange småbondebønder, der venturer i følsomme blomstervirksomheder, vil det være hos os for lang tid at forforstå disse bønder med information er at fore arm dem. The flower industry has shown great economic prospects for our continent, and it should not be let to wither.
Multiple award winning Kenyan journalist Bob Koigi is the Chief Editor of East Africa at Africa Business Communities
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