Kenyan flowers blooming
Every wondered where all those roses come from on Valentine's Day? Or the out of season lilies and carnations? The answer is probably Kenya, which exports over 60 thousand tonnes of cut flowers every year and is Europe’s primary source of blooms. It’s the largest grower in Africa.
In 2003 flowers contributed US$219 million to the Kenyan economy, making it the fourth biggest foreign exchange earner after tea, coffee and tourism. The industry also provides employment for tens of thousands of people in a country where unemployment it endemic.
But no industry on this kind of scale can operate without repercussions, and the potential for the flower industry to strangle the environment on which it relies is high. The water levels in Lake Naivasha, the only fresh water ecosystem in the eastern Rift Valley, have been dropping for years, partly in response to extractions by the 30 or so farms on it’s shores and partly because of decreased run-off – a situation blamed on deforestation (for charcoal) in the watersheds. Fish levels are also in decline due to pesticide and fertiliser pollution, plus the feared water hyacinth looks set in some years to strangle the lake’s ecology. To this is added the pressures generated by massive migration to the area (washing, water extraction, local deforestation, sewage etc) by people seeking work.
Then there are the farms themselves. Although wages can be as low as £1 per day, workers are provided with housing (albeit two families to a living room sized space), education and rudimentary health care: conditions imposed on the industry by the EU in 2002. The creation of unions and basic standards for chemical use were two other stipulations. But the truth is that market economics leave the workforce with little power to mobilise and campaign for better conditions (see quotes below), for every morning the company gates are crowded with hopefuls looking for work.
Quotes
"Life is difficult. Every morning there are 500 people at the gates of the farm waiting for work. If we don't work hard enough or complain then we loose our jobs, our houses and our children's education. We are easily replaced..." Mary, 27 year old mother of two.
"I may get a room in a house and schooling for my children, but I do not get paid enough to feed my family properly. We live on rice and beans. It is a subsistence lifestyle." Isaiah, 30, father of three.
"How much does a stem sell for in Europe? I do not think people realise how little we get paid and how difficult life is for us. We just wish to be able to live a decent life. I work twelve hour days plus at least another two of overtime, every of the week, to feed my family. Life is very difficult. It shouldn't be like this." John, 35, father of four.
"The pesticides have damaged my lungs and I find it difficult to breathe. The company sprays blooms once every two days but orders us workers - including breast feeding mothers - back into the area after only half an hour. We should not be allowed back in before six hours has passed, but if you complain, you are sacked." Rosaline, 25, mother of two.
Flower industry, Kenya