A farmer inspects her macadamia in a farm in Nyeri. Among the trees one can profitably grow in an agroforestry enterprise are Meru oak, eucalyptus, pine, avocado, moringa and macadamia. PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Different regions support different species of trees. Among the trees one can profitably grow are Meru oak, eucalyptus, pine, avocado, moringa and macadamia.
The tree takes about three years to mature. They require spacing of 10 by 10 metres. One can grow 80 macadamia trees on a two-acre piece of land.
A different scenario is when a farmer plants Hass avocados. It should be noted that demand for this fruit has risen exponentially in the past few years.
Growing trees requires minimal field management practices. Little supervision is needed. A farmer can therefore plant trees many kilometres away from his home.
At a recent training forum, I joined a group of farmers who were discussing the purchase of two acres of land.
Some were of the opinion that with the unpredictable weather, high cost of inputs and lack of market for produce, farming is no longer viable.
