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In this lesson we are going to discuss about Coffee farming in Kenya and Brazil

Answer Text:
Coffee Farming in Kenya and Brazil
- Coffee tree originated from southern highlands of Ethiopia.
- Was introduced in Kenya by St. Austin’s missionaries in Nairobi via Kibwezi, Taita and Bura.

Growing Areas
a) Central Province - Nyeri, Muranga, Kiambu, Thika, Kirinyaga.
b) E. Province - Embu, Machakos, Tharaka, Makueni and high areas of Meru.
c) Coast Province - Taita Taveta in Wundanyi area.
d) W. Province - Bungoma, Vihiga, Kakamega.
e) Nyanza Province - Kisii, Nyamira, Nyabondo, Oyugis.
f) Nairobi Province - outskirts bordering Kiambu and Thika.

Factors Favouring Coffee Growing Kenya
Physical Factors
a) High altitude (910-2100m).
b) Cool temperatures (14-26◦c).
c) High and well distributed rainfall (1000-2030mm) annually.
d) Deep and well drained acidic soils.
e) Undulating landscape to ensure good drainage and aeration.

Human Factors
a) Adequate supply of cheap labour for land preparation, planting, weeding, etc.
b) Good roads for transporting coffee to factories and to the markets.

Brazil
- She is the leading producer of coffee.
Physical Factors
1. Cool temperatures (14◦c- 26◦c).
2. High rainfall of 1525mm.
3. A long dry season of up to 5 months to allow ripening and harvesting.
4. Terra Rosa soils which are deep, porous and rich in potash and humus.
5. Undulating surface at the Brazilian plateau around Sao Paolo.

Human Factors
a) Availability of cheap labour from tenant labourers given small plots to grow subsistence crops which makes production costs to be low.
b) A good transport infrastructure with roads and railways linking estates to export ports and cities like Sao Paolo, Salvador and Rio de
Janeiro.

Methods of Coffee Production
- Coffee seeds are sown in a nursery for 1 year.
- Holes are in the field and filled with manure.
- Seedlings are planted in the holes.
- Weeding is done regularly to reduce competition for water and nutrients.
- Plants are pruned regularly to control cropping and facilitate picking.
- Fertilizers are applied on older plants to maintain soil fertility.
- Between 2 and 4 years, coffee starts to bear berries.

Brazil
- Most of land is owned by rich land owners and a small percentage by small holders.
- Two sets of labourers are employed and given small plots to grow subsistence crops, one to care for the crop until
maturity and the other to tend crop after it begins to bear fruit.
- Farmers mainly rely on natural fertility of the soil.
- Relatively little care is given to soil therefore it becomes exhausted leading to soil erosion.
- Old estates are abandoned and new estates established by clearing more land in a forest.

Coffee Harvesting
- Berries are harvested by hand.
- In Brazil little supervision leads to picking of unripe berries which lowers the quality of beans.

Processing
Wet Processing
- Ripe berries are soaked in water.
- Then fed into a machine which removes the outer skin leaving the coffee seed.
- Seeds in water are passed over sieves to grade them according to weight and size.
- They are fermented in a tank for 12 hours.
- Then washed with clean water and dried to a moisture content of 10-11%.
- The method produces coffee of high quality.

Dry Processing
- Berries are allowed to ripen and dry on the tree.
- They are harvested and dried further to a moisture content of 12%.
- The coffee’s outer cover is removed by hurling leaving the seeds.
- The seeds are put though a machine that peels off two layers of the inner husk.
- The seeds are winnowed, graded and packed.
- They are finally roasted to make a powder.
Marketing
Kenya
- Handled by co-operatives which own factories.
- After processing they sell coffee to KPCU.
- KPCU then passes to Coffee Board of Kenya.
- Owners of large plantations can directly export their coffee.
- Exported to countries such as Britain, Germany, Finland, Norway, Japan and N. through the world market where quota is allocated each country.

Brazil
- Marketing is mainly handled by companies such as Poxupe - Santos.
- Export sale is through the world market where she’s allocated a bigger quota because she produces more coffee.
- She also markets its coffee via the internet website which enables her to reach a bigger market.
- She markets her coffee to the same countries as Kenya.