‘Even when you die, your children can sell them’ - how mangoes are supporting generations of farmers in Kenya 

The humble mango can prove to be a gamechanger for farmers around the world, including Abdi Kiyo. 

He told us: “We did not really think about mangoes until a narrative spread that it was a generational crop. That even when you die, your children can still harvest and sell them. Bananas only last five years, but mangoes can last generations.” 

Abdi lives in Tana River, Kenya, a rural area that is extremely vulnerable to climate shocks - including droughts and floods – as well as conflict. 

It is estimated that over 60% of the population in Tana River County lives below the poverty line. 

Abdi, who supports his wife and five children, said his “life revolves around the farm” but spoke candidly about how difficult it can be to make ends meet in this environment. 

He said: “The floods came and carried everything away. The water comes and completely destroys everything, including the machine we use, and it is too heavy to carry. Even you can see how heavy it is. After the floods, there are barely any mangoes left, just countable handfuls.  

“Did you see those canals when you walked here to my farm? Did you see how dangerous they were? It is easy to fall in and get hurt. Also, when these canals get full and overflow, the water is damaging. The diesel pump gets affected too. Life here is very hard. Affording the diesel and the pesticides for the crop is hard.” 

Abdi is a participant in Concern’s ALIVE programme, a four-year partnership with Kerry Group. ALIVE is supporting smallholder farmers with initiatives including skills training, access to capital and markets. 

Since its inception in 2022, some of the programme’s achievements include training 6,669 farmers in climate-resilience, agronomics and pest management; distributing 4,590kg of climate-resilient seeds; and opening over 7,000 acres of new areas for agricultural production through agricultural mechanisation and water subsidy.  

The programme is also improving malnutrition levels in the area, thanks to components such as nutritional education for mothers, malnutrition screening and the training of 210 community health volunteers. 

"We sell mangoes right here on our farms. Brokers come to us with motorbikes, do the weighing, and buy the mangoes from us.  

“When Concern came to us, we had had a hard time travelling to Garissa to buy mango seeds and farm inputs, but Concern brought us nurseries right to our farms.  

“They taught us many farming techniques, including the proper spacing for mango trees to maximise produce. Before that, we thought maximising the trees in a small space would be good for production. There is a difference in income and production now.  

“You see this tree here, the one we are sitting under, the trees are very green because this tree is healthy and well spaced, and it will produce good fruit.  

“When we harvest, the brokers like our produce better now. Most are locals. They offtake our entire produce and take it to the next town, Garissa. 

"But the floods blow a heavy blow. They spoil our generator and water pumping machine, and we make losses due to the floods,” Abdi explained.

Floods and infrastructure challenges present a gruelling challenge but Abdi continues to work hard and hopes to one day have a tractor, fuel and pump to make things easier. 

It is clear that everything he does is in the hope of building a brighter future for his family. 

He said: “The help we need is in terms of infrastructure and roads. It is hard to take the mangoes to the main roads. In this specific orchard, we have 60 farmers. We show up daily, and we walk very long distances.  

“It takes me an hour one way, so I wake up and take an hour. I get here, rest for a bit, and work for three hours up to lunchtime. I pray. Then I tend to the farm until early evening and begin the long walk home. I get to the house in darkness.  

“Right now, the goats cannot thrive because when the floods clear, a lot of mud is left behind. It is okay, because I am still incredibly proud to have bought goats from the mango farm.  

“My daughter, who is 14, recently sold one of the goats to pay for her fees and keep her in school. She loves school. My children are healthy, and when they get sick, I can afford to take them to hospital.”