Kenyan tea farmers face falling harvests and rising costs as climate change hits supply
Tea growers in Kenya report a 30% drop in harvests and soaring expenses due to erratic weather, while UK consumers see higher prices but farmers receive little benefit.
Kenyan tea cooperatives led by Fintea are experiencing a sharp decline in production, with May-June harvests down 30% because of extreme weather events such as unseasonal rain, July heat, and a hailstorm that destroyed thousands of plants in Kabartegan. Smallholders like Lilian Mutai Levin Langot, who normally earns about 120,000 Kenyan Shillings a year, now expect earnings of no more than 90,000 Shillings, while Paul Kipsigei Koech survives on roughly 3,000 to 4,000 Shillings a month for a family of nine.
Rising operational costs and limited Fairtrade premiums—now below 1% of sales—mean most of the higher global tea prices benefit intermediaries rather than growers. Lidl announced a new Fairtrade-labelled tea line, "Way To Go!", which could lift Fintea’s Fairtrade share to around 2.6% in coming years. The Fairtrade Foundation warns that only one in five Kenyan tea farmers earn enough to meet basic household needs, urging more businesses to pay higher prices.
Why it matters
The story shows how climate change threatens a key food supply chain and deepens poverty for farmers while consumers face higher costs.
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