BAT Kenya has majored in empowering farmers with alternative crops for planting as food insecurity is battled through crop diversification as the farmers glean a way out of dependence on tobacco for their income.
The organization is issuing subsistence crops following informed research and feedback from farmers and stakeholders on local agricultural trends. This is a move that has proven critical bearing in mind the climate change impacts that soar day by day.
BAT Kenya achieved a milestone as it offered more than 15,500 avocado seedlings at a competitive price, whereby beneficiaries included more than 1,550 contracted farmers based in Migori, Homa Bay, Bungoma, and Busia counties.
According to Mimi Mavuti, Head of Business Communication and Sustainability for BAT Kenya and East and Southern Africa, these actions are set to enhance livelihoods and food security for its farmers.
Revealing that BAT Kenya will play a vital role in facilitating survival monitoring of the avocado trees and market linkage upon harvesting.
“BAT Kenya has a robust farmer livelihoods program, THRIVE, through which we partner with our contracted tobacco farmers to drive various initiatives including crop diversification, to enhance food, environmental (soil health), and income security,” Mimi Mavuti said.
Mr. Mavuti emphasized that mitigation of agricultural economic risk can be done through crop diversification, as the farmers are also offered technical support and capacity building on sustainable agricultural practices.
Notable are the efforts put in place during the 2022 crop season where BAT Kenya issued its farmers with 13 tonnes of certified maize seeds at no cost, and over 17,000 avocado seedlings.
In addition to these efforts, the company is also facilitating crop insurance for the tobacco crop in a plight to mitigate the impacts of adverse weather and natural disasters.
“Further, given that the tobacco crop is in the ground for only six months in a year, the subsistence crops enable farmers to drive food security and earn extra income from the sale of surplus harvest, as well as improve soil health,” Mavuti said
