Home Contact Us About Us COMMERCIAL FARMING Rwangige - Avocado The avocado is a tree which bears a fruit that contains a large seed. Commercial farms can produce a few tons per acre. Avocado trees are biennial bearing, which means that they have an “on” year, where they bear good fruit and the harvest is good, and an “off” year which has poor yields. Avocado fruits are picked once they are mature and they ripen in about one or two weeks after they are picked. Commercial fruit are stored in coolers to slow down the ripening process while they are transported to market. At Rwangige farm, near the town of Kagio in Kirinyaga County, Fairacres Hortec, an affiliated company to Fair Acres Limited grows the Hass avocado variety. The Hass avocado is the most popular type of avocado grown worldwide and accounts for about 80% of commercial production. The Rwangige avocado farm has approximately 30 acres under mature trees, with an additional 4 acres being prepared. In 2020, the company undertook a project to install irrigation systems on the entire farm. Even though the project was completed late in the year, it proved that commercial farming is only possible with forced, mechanical irrigation systems. And that reliance on rainfall would not lead to consistent yields. Kabonge - Coffee & Tea At Kabonge, in the heart of Kirinyaga County, Fairacres Hortec has 15 acres under tea production and 5 acres under coffee. While tea production remains stable, with tea picked throughout the year, coffee has suffered from increased sensitivity to the irregular seasonal changes. Tea farmed by Fairacres Hortec is black tea. While there are many varieties of teas, including herbal teas, we focus on growing commercial black tea. Black tea was developed in China where it is called red tea because of its colour when brewed. It has a long shelf life of many years and hence good for trade. The tea grown by Fairacres Hortec is processed by local factories which then export it on behalf of farmers. Because of market variability, full pricing for tea is only realized close to the end of the season and hence the farmers receive a lump sum payment (which they call a bonus) at the end of the season. Tea and coffee are both labor intensive crops requiring maintenance all year round because they are very susceptible to weather changes and disease, specifically some parasites and pests. Nguguini - Coffee The Fairacres Hortec farm at Nguguini is dedicated to coffee production. As with all farms in Kenya, the farm specializes on the arabica coffee bean. Arabica coffee is thought to be the first coffee cultivated and was originally grown in Ethiopia. Arabica coffee represents about 60% of world coffee production, the rest mostly from the Robusta coffee tree. At Nguguini, productivity of the coffee tree has dropped remarkably, mostly due to the effects of the changes in climate. Coffee is an understory plan (which means that it thrives under a forest canopy) and the reason why you find it mostly in high altitude forested areas. The sensitivity to climate and pests means that daily monitoring of the crop, ensuring that pests are eliminated without the use of dangerous chemicals and that the soil is biologically nurtured is the only solution to the longevity of commercially farming coffee. Ena, Mbeere - Avocado This is Fairacres Hortec’s second plantation specifically, and exclusively, growing avocado. In 2021, Ena farm the irrigation project will be completed. As 2021 was an “off” year for the crop, we expect that in 2022, the fruit yeilds will be significantly higher. Ena farm is approximately the same size as Rwangige farm, with about 30 acres under plantation. There are approximately 650 mature trees which can produce 10 to 12 tons of fruit annually. Ena farm is also the the site for the company’s avocado nursery. Annually producing between 15 and 25 thousand seedlings, for sale and gap-filling (known as gapping) the nursery is an important part of the farming activity. In 2021, the target for seedings is 40 thousand plants. Copyright - OceanWP Theme by Nick