High quality fresh produce is grown under the sun on farms and smallholdings all over Kenya. Farmers and farm laborers work hard to grow and export flowers, fruit and vegetables so that consumers in Europe can enjoy the produce while helping farming communities in Africa to earn a fair living.
The United Kingdom imports ninety-five per cent of its fruit and half of its vegetables, many of which come from Africa. In 2005, the UK imported 20,700 tonnes of cut flowers from Africa with a declared value of around £56m. Kenyan cut flowers accounted for around £52m of this. The concept of ‘food miles’ presents an argument to buy goods which have travelled the shortest distance from farm to table, and to discriminate against long-haul transportation, especially air-freighted goods. The concept is flawed, because emissions produced by growing flowers in Kenya and flying them to the UK can be less than a fifth of those grown in heated and lighted greenhouses in Holland. Why? Because Kenya is warm and sunny, and heating greenhouses in Holland uses enormous amounts of energy.
Go on, buy Kenyan and support farming communities in Africa.