'English' Breakfast Tea: the story of tea farms in Uganda and Kenya
When you drink a cup of tea (Camelia sinensis) from a teabag, have you ever thought about where most of the tea leaves come from? If you guessed India or China, you're wrong. While India and China are by far the largest producers of tea by volume, most of it is sold and drank domestically. The largest share comes from Africa, with over US$150 million exported from Kenya to the United Kingdom alone annually. This is followed by Uganda and Tanzania. Year-round mild tropical weather with plenty of rainfall in the highlands of these countries make it suitable for growing tea (Kenworthy, 1966), which is also a cash crop for the farmers.
Part of the Kiko Tea Estate in Kiko town, Kabarole District, southwest Uganda. The plantation covers 492 hectares. Photo: Yi Xi Kang.
The tea plantations I saw in Uganda were by far the largest extent of
monoculture in the region; they mainly occupied land surrounding Kibale
National Park. The high amount of precipitation during the wet season and high soil moisture enables the tea plants to survive even through the dry season (Langaroudi et al., 2023). No irrigation was used, even for the larger farms.
In contrast, in Kenya, drip irrigation is often employed by large tea farms, with increased yields of around 20% (Kigalu et al., 2008). Smallholder farmers are usually priced out from irrigation technologies, making it harder for them to compete with the larger farms. Another solution to increase tea yield is agroforestry, by planting other trees such as Eucalyptus spp. or Grevillea robusta to provide shade for the tea plants (Kawooya et al., 2023). These trees could also be used for timber or paper, providing an alternative source of income for farmers. Despite increasing irregularities of rainfall due to climate change, tea yield in Kenya is only expected to decrease by 5% due to high soil moisture retention ability (Rigden, Ongoma & Huybers, 2020).
Tea planting in Africa is very much a legacy of colonialism, when Assam tea was introduced in the early 20th century to East Africa. This continued exportation of tea to European countries represents a postcolonial form of virtual water export out of Africa, which I will discuss in the next post. So, the next time you have a cup of English breakfast tea, think about the journey the leaves made.
Green tea, grown by local farmers, which I brewed while in Kasiisi. Photo: Yi Xi Kang.
References
BBC (2020). Test your knowledge: What does Africa export to the UK? Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-51379822 (Accessed 4 Nov 2023).
Bloomberg Quicktake. (2022). The business of Kenyan tea farmers. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=254OZk4_cF0 (Accessed 4 Nov 2023).
Kawooya, R., Mugisa, C., Namutebi, V., Mutebi, D. J., Turyahebwa, V., Mugenyi, L., Atugonza, K., & Ssemyalo, J. (2023). Analysis of Tea Agroforestry System: The Case of Kyenjojo District in Uganda. European Journal of Agriculture and Food Sciences, 5(5), 68–74.
Kenworthy, J. M. (1966). Temperature conditions in the tropical, highland climates of East Africa. Geogr. Rev ., 4, 1–11.
Kigalu, J. M., Kimambo, E. I., Msite, I., & Gembe, M. (2008). Drip irrigation of tea (Camellia sinensis L.): 1. Yield and crop water productivity responses to irrigation. Agricultural Water Management, 95(11), 1253–1260.
Langaroudi, I. K., Piri, S., Chaeikar, S. S., & Salehi, B. (2023). Evaluating drought stress tolerance in different Camellia sinensis L. cultivars and effect of melatonin on strengthening antioxidant system. Scientia Horticulturae, 307, 111517.
McLeod Russel (2020). Kiko Tea Estate. Available at: http://www.mcleodrusseluganda.com/gardens/kiko.html (Accessed 4 Nov 2023).
Mullan, K., Goldman, A., & Sterns, J. A. (2008). Smallholder tea marketing near Kibale National Park in western Uganda. Global and Local Dynamics in African Business and Development, 99.
Rigden, A. J., Ongoma, V., & Huybers, P. (2020). Kenyan tea is made with heat and water: how will climate change influence its yield? Environmental Research Letters, 15(4), 044003.
Statista (2022). Production volume of tea in Africa as of 2020, by country. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1223041/main-producers-of-tea-in-africa/ (Accessed 4 Nov 2023).
Tea&Coffee Trade Journal (2019). Africa dominates world tea exports, while still evolving. Available at: https://www.teaandcoffee.net/feature/21743/africa-dominates-world-tea-exports-while-still-evolving/ (Accessed 4 Nov 2023).
Very interesting blog post! Never thought there would be a link between my morning tea and water issues in Africa. Do you have any ideas or suggestions on how this could be dealt with or how this can be done sustainably?
ReplyDeleteHi Bejna, that's a great question! In terms of the national and international level, the governments of these East African tea-growing nations could definitely increase their adaptive capacity. This will include adopting more agroforestry or indigenous growing methods, or using more advanced technologies such as drip irrigation. Whichever strategy is adopted, it is crucial for the government to ensure that equity is achieved, and that smallholder farmers are not neglected.
DeleteFrom a consumer point of view, make sure to choose sustainably certified tea and if you can afford it, do choose tea directly sourced from smallholder farmers instead of through corporations. There is also the option for purchasing tea from tea producers in Europe (there is even a tea farm in Scotland!). This will lower one's own virtual water import.
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ReplyDeleteDear Yi Xi, this was an interesting read. I appreciated your overview of the agricultural landscape and solutions employed to address the resource disparity between large corporations and smallholder farmers. Given your insight on the natural resiliency of agricultural tea productivity to climate change induced irregularities, do you think developing agricultural adaptive capacity should be a priority in Kenya?
DeleteHi J, thanks for your question. Yes, I think it is still instrumental to develop agricultural adaptive capacity in Kenya and other East African countries, as other food crops grown to feed the local populations are more vulnerable to water stress than tea. Crop failure from a prolonged drought could cause a severe famine if there is not enough adaptive capacity in the country. More drought-resistant crop varieties and species have to be used, together with other solutions, such as agroforestry in smallholder farms.
DeleteHad no idea that much tea came from China! If you're interested in virtual water trade - check out a book called 'When The Rivers Run Dry' - have suggested to a few other bloggers but it's definitely worth checking out!
ReplyDeleteHi Manny, thanks for the book recommendation, will definitely check it out!
DeleteHi! Very interesting read. I also wrote a similar blog about the impact of tea in Kenya and the fact that tea is a colonial remnant. I find it particularly interesting how tea is seen as a British product, as we can see in your article that tea has historically been grown outside of the UK, grown by its colonies under forcible and cruel circumstances. If you're interested, I recommend reading this article that demonstrates the gendered aspect of tea farms and the colonial-exploitive relationships that can persist into a post-colonial setting: https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/uk-news/2023/02/20/dozens-of-women-abused-on-british-owned-tea-farms-in-kenya/
ReplyDeleteHi Jenny, yes I agree that tea has long been an exploited product, which gained prominence among the British upper class together with the slave and sugar trade in the 18th/19th century. Thanks for sharing the article too, it is quite sad that such exploitation of labourers still occur, even though many of the tea brands are certified 'sustainable' or 'fairtrade'.
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