Gichugu is located in an area 130 km to the north of Nairobi in Kirinyaga Province at the foot o f Mount Kenya (5,199 m). In this area, agriculture is the main source of income. The land belonging to the farmers of this group is at an elevation of 1,734m and is fertile and productive, but still not very developed.

Reaching the market
In 2008, a group of leaders established the democratic group known as the Gichugu Development Association (GDA) to carry out projects for development of the region. Because agriculture—especially produce farming—is important for the income of the population, the GDA wanted to ensure that agricultural products were actually able to reach the market. For this reason, in 2008 they founded Gichugu Agro-Produce Limited (GAP). The GDA makes sure that the export company Tropical Fresh Produce buys produce from GAP and gets it to market. The parties made an agreement to this effect in November 2009. GAP also signed a contract with individual farmers who became members of the organisation. The farmers see Fairtrade certification as the only way to reach a better market. More importantly, they have found that trading remains transparent because it is checked by the farmers and the exporter every year. The entire farmers’ group consists of about 200 members at this time.

Nice to know 
The local name for Mount Kenya is Kirinyaga, and according to the mythology of the Kikuyus, the local population, it was the sacred home of their creator and ancestors. The mountain’s aura of mystery is enhanced by the fact that the mountaintop is hidden by clouds for 23 hours of the day. Only early in the morning, around 6:30 a.m., you have the chance to glimpse the top of the mountain in the rays of the rising sun.