Many tea farmers, only own a small number of tea bushes. The money they earn from selling their green tea leaf simply won’t be enough to feed their families and pay for their children to go to school. Especially if there’s a bad harvest
– something happening more often due to the effects of the climate crisis.
Through their partnership with Fairtrade and Sainsbury’s, the Rukuriri Factory is able to support farmers to find additional ways to make a living, so they’re not entirely reliant on tea. A sustainable income means they can look after their families, as well as improving their farms to make them more climate resilient for the future.
The committee at Rukuriri decided to use the Fairtrade Premium, which Sainsbury’s pays on every tonne of tea they buy, to fund a beekeeping programme at the Factory within Rukuriri tea catchment.
One of the farmers to benefit was Ann Muthoni Ndwiga, who became a tea farmer in 2005, growing her crops on a half-acre of land owned by her father.
‘One of the challenges I’ve experienced is the little earnings from tea,’ says Ann. ‘Sometimes the money I get at the end of the month is not enough to pay my tea pickers.’ Ann explains that her tea bushes are affected by the fluctuating temperatures – a consequence of the climate crisis. ‘The extremely cold weather has also reduced the quantity of tea harvested,’ she says.
Thanks to the Factory’s beekeeping project, Ann will be able to supplement her income by selling honey. ‘We’ve had the hives for six months now,’ she says. ‘We had a trainer who taught us the basics of beekeeping, and he checked on our hives to ensure the bees stayed in despite the cold. What we were taught really helped us because the bees have never left, all the hives have bees.’
A group of 20 farmers look after the hives on rotation. ‘Hopefully we’ll harvest in September when the sun is out,’ says Ann. ‘It has been too cold lately. We will then sell the honey and make money.’
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