Horticultural Production and Marketing in Taita-Taveta District
Kenya Coast Portal
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Number of pages:
144
Year of publication:
1994
Print title:
Dijkstra T. & Magori T.D. (1994). Agricultural Production and Marketing in Kenya. Part 3: Taita Taveta District. (Food and Nutrition Studies Programme, Report No.51). Nairobi/Leiden: Ministry of Planning and National Development/African Studies Centre.
For reference purposes, cite the following link:
https://www.ascleiden.nl/kenya-coast/brd/dijkstra-magori/horticultural-production-and-marketing
Summary/abstract:
This is the third report of a series on the production and marketing of horticultural commodities in Kenya – in this case Taita Taveta District. The two main areas of horticultural production are the Taita Hills (tomatoes and cabbages) and the land around the Taveta springs (tomatoes, onions and bananas). Two surveys were held in 1991: A farm survey among 153 households, and a trade survey among traders in three selected markets. The findings show that horticulture is a major source of cash income for farmers in Taita Taveta. The most important production constraints are shortage of land and lack of credit facilities in Taita, and lack of irrigation facilities in Taveta.
The trading conditions in local horticultural markets are far from ideal because of the perishability of the commodities, poor infrastructure, scarcity of transport facilities and scarcity of packaging materials. Different categories of horticultural traders operate in and around the marketplaces, including farmer-traders, mobile traders, resident traders, collecting traders and middlemen. In Mombasa, three additional categories are found, namely specialized wholesalers, auctioneers, and suppliers of institutions.
It is concluded that the horticultural sub-sector in Taita Taveta, is a major supplier of income, employment and food, but that it has to cope with various production and marketing constraints.