Both Wachira and Mwai are representative of other cotton farmers in the county. Wachira grows Bt cotton on an acre, dedicating the rest of his land to mangoes, bruvellia, cows and mire. Photo: Alliance for ScienceĮarlier, we had visited Bernard Wachira’s farm in Makuti village, Kirinyaga sub-county. Pest infestation accounts for 45 percent of on-farm losses. This variety has been genetically improved to resist infestation by the African bollworm, the single most destructive cotton pest in Kenya. The Bt cotton variety that Mzee Mwai and other farmers in Kenya grow was released by the government in 2020 in a bid to revive the cotton industry. “He told us that Bt cotton will not be attacked by the bollworm, which will give us a higher yield and more savings on pesticide since I would spray less. “He talked to us about the benefits of this new cotton,” Mwai says. He tells me it was due to Daniel Magondu, an Alliance for Science trainee, farmer leader and our guide for the day. But still I need to understand why he made the switch from conventional to Bt cotton. “I have been growing cotton since 1963 and cannot stop,” Mwai, 72, says with a slight smile. On another end are mango trees, but the larger part is dedicated to cotton - specifically Bt cotton. Bruvellia trees line the perimeter and a recently tilled lot lies idle, waiting for the rain when it will be planted in maize. A quick “hi” to his wife, who was packing maize into sacks, and our tour starts. We are at Johnson Mwai’s home in Mbabaine, Kirinyaga county in central Kenya. But most profound were the white flowers, which turned out to be cotton bolls ready for picking. Still, it was big, given that the average farmer in Africa owns and tills just one acre of land. It seemed huge, but in reality, it was only 2.5 acres of genetically modified Bt cotton. “Wow, wow.” I couldn’t stop saying wow as we caught a first glimpse of a field covered with what appeared to be white flowers.
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