As a widespread drought was devastating crops in Kenya, Steve Mbugua, a farmer in Nyeri county, decided to clear his half-acre plot of land with coffee plants. He then planted Hass avocadoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was a wise decision, even if some of his neighbors questioned it at first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Coffee is one of Kenya\u2019s most important cash crops and the country is the fifth largest coffee-producer in Africa with annual yields of around 40,000 metric tons of beans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But coffee plants require plenty of watering. During prolonged droughts in Kenya, many coffee plantations experience severe water shortages, which can cause berries to shrivel up or fail to appear at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a result, vast amounts of coffee can be lost, posing risks to livelihoods in hard-up communities, which has been a concern to agricultural experts. The situation is worsened by climate change as rainfall patterns are becoming increasingly erratic across Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAfter the coffee flowered, the rains should have, under normal circumstances, continued through April and May but this abrupt disappearance triggered some berry formation to abort,\u201d Charles Waturu, a local agricultural crop scientist, explained<\/a> last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n