How climate-smart farming is making Taita a rice powerhouse

Farmers practicing climate-smart farming in Taita Taveta County on July 29, 2026. [Benard Orwongo, Standard]

The morning sun is already unforgiving.

Dust blows behind every passing vehicle through the rough feeder roads of Kimorigo Location in Mbogoni Ward, Taita Taveta County.

About two kilometres away, youth are spotted busy loading sacks of rice to lorries packed along the road.

A short drive from the roads opens into sprawling rice fields that shimmer in the breeze, interrupted only by thick bushes and irrigation canals that have turned this once drought-prone landscape into one of Kenya's emerging rice baskets.

The Standard finds 43-year-old Fadhili Juma repairing irrigation canals that run through his lush rice farm, channelling water from River Lumi to nourish the crop ahead of the next growing cycle.

The expansive field is a sea of green, with the rice crop almost ready for harvest.

Juma plants his rice in phases, for continuous production.

Adjacent to the section where he is working lie heaps of freshly harvested paddy, awaiting transport to the milling plant for processing.

Along the edges of the farm, rows of banana plants serve as natural barriers, helping retain soil moisture, prevent erosion and providing the farmer with an additional source of income.

Every grain of rice growing on the farm tells a story of resilience.

For more than two decades, Juma has relied on rice farming to support his family after failing to secure formal employment.

What began as a livelihood of necessity has grown into a dependable source of income, sustained by climate-smart farming practices that have transformed the once rain-dependent venture.

"I had no job after school, so I turned to farming," he tells The Standard.

His journey began in 2002 on just half an acre of land.

Like many farmers in the area, he initially grew maize, beans and vegetables.

But floods from neighbouring Tanzania frequently wiped out his entire crops, and when the harvest survived, finding buyers was a major struggle.

"Vegetables would rot on the farm because there was no market. Maize and beans also did not give good returns," he recalls.

Rice, however, changed everything.

He started with half an acre, that gradually expanded to five.

The crop has become Juma's main source of income.

"Rice has a ready market. That is why I never looked back," he says.

The farmer says years ago, farmers sold their harvest in small, unmeasured heaps, popularly known as 'kwamjazo' to brokers from neighbouring Tanzania who dictated prices.

With better farming skills and technology, rice production has improved.

With support from the county and national governments, partners, Juma and other farmers in the area have received training, embracing better farming practices.

Under good agronomic practices, he says, on a single acre, farmers can produce between 45 and 49 bags of rice weighing 90 kilograms each.

With the high production, many are now looking beyond selling raw paddy (mpunga) and instead hope to process and sell milled rice, which fetches significantly higher prices.

"When we sell paddy, we earn much less. If we mill and package our rice, the value almost doubles," says Juma.

However, biggest challenge, he says, is the cost and availability of fertilizer.

Although subsidised fertiliser currently retails at about Sh2,500 per bag, Juma says the price is still beyond the reach of many small-scale farmers.

"If it could come down to around Sh1,500, many farmers would increase production," he observes.

The other challenge is mechanisation.

"We need our own machines for planting and harvesting. It would reduce costs and increase production," he says.

Despite the challenges, Juma remains optimistic.

Paddy sold through the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) earns about Sh58 per kilogram, while brokers often offer between Sh40 and Sh47.

Once milled, however, rice can retail for between Sh130 and Sh150 per kilogram, depending on the variety.

Farmers in the area grow varieties such as Pishori, Komboka and SARO, with Pishori attracting especially strong demand from buyers.

"Rice farming pays," he says, staring across the green fields. "But only if farmers get quality inputs, fair prices and the support they need."

Unlike in the past, when he relied on increasingly unpredictable rainfall, Juma now uses irrigation to water his crops.

He dug canals that channel water from River Lumi to his farm, ensuring a steady supply throughout the growing season.

The river supplies water for other farming practices, including sunflower, that has attracted local manufacturing of oil.

Juma is among hundreds of farmers practicing climate-smart farming, amid erratic weather patterns, not only affecting Kenya but the African continent and globe.

The climate-smart farming initiative is supported by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Kenya Red Cross Society, with funding from the British Red Cross.

The programme aims to strengthen food security in Taita Taveta and contribute to broader efforts to address hunger across Kenya, Africa and beyond.

The initiative comes at a time when the IFRC is raising concern over the worsening food insecurity crisis in Kenya, across the African continent and globally.

Globally, an estimated 318 million people are affected by food insecurity, with Africa accounting for about 175 million of those cases.

To address the challenge, the IFRC's Horn of Africa network, in partnership with the African Union, National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the Ministries of Agriculture in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan, has launched a multi-year climate-smart and locally led food and nutrition resilience programme.

The initiative aims to help 30 million people overcome chronic food insecurity through multisectoral, community-driven interventions, including anticipatory action, sustainable water resource management, climate-smart agriculture and strengthened local food systems.

Kenya is among the countries implementing the programme, with Taita Taveta County serving as one of the pilot sites for the climate-smart farming initiative.

It is these interventions that drew King Letsie III of Lesotho to the county, where he toured farms showcasing climate-smart and traditional farming technologies that are improving food production despite increasingly erratic weather patterns.

The visit provided an opportunity to learn from farming practices that are helping communities build resilience against climate change while enhancing food security.

The King serves as the IFRC ambassador for the continental food programme.

He was accompanied by national and county government officials, including IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagain and Kenya Red Cross Society Secretary General Dr Ahmed Idris.

Beyond increasing food production, the programme also promotes value addition to reduce post-harvest losses and enable farmers to earn more from their harvests.

Rice and sunflower are among the crops targeted for value addition, helping reduce wastage, improve quality and fetch better market prices.

Taita Taveta Rice Milling Plant, is among plants embracing value addition.

Besides producing premium white rice supplied in supermarkets and shops, the mill also generates several by-products, including broken rice, rice bran and rice husks.

Broken rice will be sold at a lower price for low-income households, while rice bran can be used as livestock feed for pigs, cattle and goats.

Rice husks, previously treated as waste, can be used to produce biogas and other industrial products.

The milling plant was constructed by the Taita Taveta County Government with partners to strengthen the rice value chain and increase farmers' incomes.

The mill is the first of its kind in Taita Taveta County and the wider region.

Rice is one of Taita Taveta's key crops, with farmers growing several varieties, including Kuomboka, BW and Pishori.

Kuomboka is the most preferred because of its high yields and distinctive natural aroma, qualities that enable farmers to fetch better prices and access ready markets across the country.

The Standard meets the plant milling technician, Henry Mwaura, who oversees operations of the modern milling machine, which was installed last month.

According to Mwaura, the plant has the capacity to process up to 25 tonnes of rice per day, significantly reducing the time and cost farmers spend processing their harvest.

“Previously, farmers transported their rice to Tanzania for milling, increasing production costs and reducing their earnings,” says Mwaura.

He adds: “The facility is expected to serve rice farmers across the county. Farmers will pay a milling fee of Sh10 per kilogram. This is for maintenance and also for ownership”.

By 2030, the IFRC Pan-African Zero Hunger Initiative aims to support 60 million vulnerable people across 15 countries to become more resilient and food secure.

The initial investment targets 30.9 million people across the Horn of Africa countries through a 10-year investment of USD 19.9 billion.

Implementation is aligned with government priorities and implemented through government systems and Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies.