Muguka is a legal herbal stimulant cultivated and sold in Kenya. It is a much more potent relative of the other stimulant, Miraa (khat) that the Meru region of Kenya is known for cultivating and exporting to countries such as Somalia and the Middle East. The export trade is a billion shilling business, earning the country billions of shillings in foreign exchange.
Muguka Agronomy in the Loitokitok –Taveta Belt
Although traditionally cultivated in Embu and Central Kenya, Muguka farming has found its way into Kajiado and Taveta counties beginning around 2019. In the Kimana (Loitokitok) -Taveta belt, most farms use irrigation water, both groundwater and surface water emanating from the Mount Kilimanjaro aquifer system. Within the farming belt, other crops grown under irrigation include maize, beans, carrots, tomatoes, onions and bananas.
Illasit in the Loitokitok area has a unique Muguka variety that contains a reddish hue, which is preferable among consumers to those with just a green hue. Reasons for the reddish hue in the lllasit Muguka variety are attributed to soil and growing conditions.
Muguka Market Economy
The price of a kilogram of Muguka can range from Kshs. 800-1200 or more depending on cycles of glut or shortage. Assuming an average of Kshs.1000 per kilo, with 2-3 weekly harvests (depending on scale), and minimal inputs, Muguka has better returns for farmers compared to most crops.
Drought seasons are shortage seasons, driving the price up. However, farmers who can irrigate their farms stay ahead of the curve, even during dry seasons.
The cold season is a shortage cycle too, as leaves take longer to regenerate, which pushes prices up. Similar cycles are observed in the supply and demand of other farm produce in the country.
Besides production for the local market, Muguka herbs find their way into the Tanzanian market through illegal channels. Tanzania has placed a ban on its production and consumption, which further drives the prices up for those who can get it across the border.
Lobbies and Policies to Ban
The farming of Muguka is sometimes conducted in secrecy. Perhaps not total secrecy but there appears to be hesitation in talking about the crop among farmers who cultivate it.
Part of the reason I gathered was fear of government interference, for example, the introduction of taxes and regulation or banning. This could be a reason for its cultivation in only small parcels, despite the high returns per week. Religion also prevents widespread cultivation, as some community members shun or stigmatize its production or consumption.
Do Muguka Farms Cultivate Food Crops?
Yes. I was keen on finding out if Muguka farming impacts the cultivation of food crops and to what extent. For example, does it compete for space, water or farmer’s attention considering the associated high returns?
A spot check in Taveta and the Illasit region showed that some farmers cultivate the stimulant for recreational use only (2 farmers of the 10 interviewed). A few more cultivate the crop commercially, and under monocropped stands (3 of the 10 interviewed). The majority combine Muguka (and sometimes Khat) with other crops (5 of the 10 farmers interviewed). Among these farmers, you will find the stimulant crops intercropped with other crops such as beans or bananas.
I was curious as to why a farmer would cultivate beans and maize that have much lower returns along with a Muguka crop that has much better returns.
Some of the feedback I got:
“We still have to eat food. “
“Reducing the risk of failure of a single crop”
“Weekly money to buy food and support household before crops are harvested”
Subsistence versus commercial farmers
The spot check of Muguka farmers in the Loitokitok-Taveta belt revealed that a culture of subsistence farming with the sale of surplus still dominates most small-scale farming in rural Kenya, even when high-return crops are involved.
Small-scale farmers who pursue commercial agriculture exclusively tend to have a higher appetite and capacity for risk and view farming as an investment venture. They invest good sums of money into farming and only choose crops that have high returns. In the Loitokitok- Taveta belt, these crops tend to be Muguka, onions and tomatoes.
Such farmers invest in irrigation, farm security, adequate and regular casual labourers and inputs. In addition, they tend to have vertical integration of their supply chains, that is, control transportation and market factors themselves. Thus, they may own pickups or vans or a lorry for transportation and have good control over brokers or dealers who sell their produce.
Do cash crops threaten food security?
We struggled with this question in our last article. And although this small study or spot check cannot be viewed as representative of the entire country or even of commercial versus subsistence farmers, it does NOT seem that cash crops would threaten the availability of food crops, at least for this specific context.
Small-scale farmers still prioritize the availability of food in their reserves, and attempt to balance that with the need to make some livelihood off their farms. Exclusively commercial small-scale farmers are still few, mostly because they also need lots of money for investment.
The Bigger Picture
There are valid concerns that farmers will clear maize, beans and other food crops in favour of cultivating Muguka exclusively, particularly in its traditional home region of Embu.
We must remember that farmers, regardless of the approach they use, ought to make a livelihood off their farms. By creating an enabling economic, social, infrastructural and political environment, we can support small-scale farmers to produce enough food for themselves, and their immediate markets.
When farmers are earning well from their ventures, they tend to invest in better production techniques, irrigation, knowledge, equipment and expertise, which is a net positive for the food system.
However, when farmers are making losses year in and year out from failed/unpredictable rainfall, bad roads, over-taxation, high transport costs and unethical brokers/dealers, then it is a bad situation all around.
This is when alternatives like Muguka become more attractive; they have less water and input requirements, high returns and ease of market access compared to beans or maize. It all boils down to farmers earning a livelihood and operating in a favourable farmer-positive environment.