An Insight into Unprecedented Performance of Coffee Sector in Bungoma County, Kenya, 1967-1988

Abstract

The period 1964-1988 recorded unprecedented performance of Coffee Sector in Bungoma County as witnessed by the volume of production. For instance, Kenya's coffee production and earnings grew at an annual rate of 6.6 percent per year between 1963 and 1988, with a simultaneous increase in annual yield rate of 0.9 percent. However, after 1988 production declined by 62 percent between 1989 and 2008-10 and by 5.5 percent between 1988/89 and 2009/10. This performance saw various households record favorable returns that had a positive impact on socio-economic development of the study region. The decline in coffee productivity has seen the region fall to a record relatively higher level of poverty index. For instance, Kenya County Facts Sheets (GoK, 2013) gave the poverty Index for Bungoma County as 52.9 percent against the national index of 47.6 percent. This state is a clear pointer that Bungoma County significantly contributes to the national poverty index. It is against this background that this study undertook a historical analysis of the performance of the coffee sector in the period 1963-1988 with the purpose of providing an insight into circumstances that led to the unprecedented performance of the coffee sector in the study period purposed to guide reforms in the coffee sector so that the sector could regain its lost glory. The study was guided by Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DIT). The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The target population consisted of:

• 7304 coffee farmers spread across,
• 39 coffee factories in Bungoma County,
• 39 chairmen of coffee factories as representatives of the management,
• 6 Agricultural Officers of the Sub-Counties in which the factories are found, and
• An informed elderly local leader with a wide knowledge of economic activities to offer real testimony on issues that may have been witnessed

The study utilized both primary and secondary data. Primary data were collected through interviews and questionnaires. The study established that the high productivity of coffee during the study period was promoted by farmer support programs such as the provision of farm inputs, support education programs, and attractive global coffee prices. The study recommends restoration of the same programs if coffee productivity is to be improved.