Kenyan Farmers Seek Financial Assistance in Adopting Bt Cotton

An article published in Nature Africa highlights Kenya's strategic move to revive its cotton industry. Thousands of Kenyan farmers have already planted Bt cotton since its approval in 2019. However, they express challenges in the adoption of Bt cotton.

Bt cotton has significantly improved crop productivity for many Kenyan farmers. It reduces the need for chemical pesticides, lowers production costs, and helps crops withstand climate-related stresses. However, the high cost and limited availability of Bt cotton seeds present serious obstacles. “They are so costly that most smallholders cannot afford them. We are now forced to resort to the traditional low-yielding ones,” said James Gichu, Lamu County's minister of agriculture.

“Our government and other well-wishers should help us access these improved varieties. Using pesticides regularly is a very costly menace here. Pesticides are expensive and are always a trial and error. This takes a lot of our money and time,” said Joel Kimani, a smallholder farmer in Lamu. David Tarus, a research scientist from the Africa Agricultural Technologies Foundation (AATF), called on the government and private sector to work together in strengthening the country's seed systems through technical, financial, and policy support.

For more information, read the article from Nature Africa.