Murang’a County has stepped in to protect mango farmers from losses following an unusually high harvest that overwhelmed local markets. The county government has partnered with Food4Education (F4E) to absorb surplus mangoes by integrating them into large-scale school feeding programmes.
The glut followed heavy rains last October, succeeded by hotter-than-usual weather across semi-arid areas of lower Murang’a, sharply boosting production. With mangoes highly perishable, farmers faced the risk of significant post-harvest losses as processors struggled to handle the volumes.
Governor Irungu Kang’ata said the county intervened after it became clear that existing processors could not purchase all the harvested fruit. To stabilise prices and avoid waste, farmers were urged to coordinate harvesting through the Lower Murang’a Cooperative, formed in 2023 to improve market access and organised aggregation.
Under the arrangement, the county purchases mangoes from farmers through the cooperative and oversees harvesting and transportation to Food4Education’s warehouse in Ruiru, Kiambu County. From there, the fruit is distributed to schools across several counties.
Food4Education, which feeds more than 600,000 children daily, has committed to absorb about 1.3 million mangoes from Murang’a this season. The fruit is incorporated into school meals, including programmes such as Dishi Na County in Nairobi, improving nutrition at minimal additional cost.
The first batch of mangoes has already reached learners, with deliveries expected to continue in the coming weeks. The initiative is expected to stabilise incomes for about 5,000 smallholder farmers while strengthening the link between agriculture and social programmes.
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