The trip to Lamu is long and torturous but on arrival, one is met by unmatched beauty in this island off the Kenyan coast.
Beyond the mangrove-lined shores and scattered villages however lies a a story of resilience, innovation and renewed hope. Here, among fields of vibrant Bt cotton – a high-yielding and pest-resistant cotton variety - farmers are quietly rewriting the fortunes of a crop that many had long written off. For widows like Aisha Mohammed and Julia Njuguna, the revival of cotton is doing far more than increasing yields; it is putting children through school, rebuilding homes and restoring confidence in an industry that once sustained generations of families across Lamu.
In Mapenya sub-location, one such story belongs to Aisha Mohammed. A member of the Bajuni community, Aisha spent years relying mainly on small-scale livestock keeping, an enterprise that brought little income and barely sustained her family. As the sole provider for her grandchildren, making ends meet was a constant struggle.
Everything changed a year ago when extension officers from the Lamu County Department of Agriculture introduced her to Bt cotton farming. Today, she speaks about the crop with quiet pride. Her first harvest delivered returns she had never imagined possible. The proceeds have enabled her to feed her grandchildren consistently, keep them in school and start planning for the future. She now has plans of improving the quality of her livestock by investing in better breeds, using income earned from cotton.
"Our community has never relied on crop farming as a source of income. We kept a few goats and cows mainly for milk, and whenever we needed money, we would sell a goat to buy food. My parents grew green grams and sometimes depended on fishing, but that was only to feed the family. Even though other communities settled here by the government embraced commercial farming, we never did. Everything changed when I started growing Bt cotton. Today, I can comfortably provide for my grandchildren, and money is no longer the constant worry it used to be. Sometimes I look at what cotton has done for my family and wish I had started much earlier."
A few kilometres from Aisha’s small farm lives Julia Njuguna, another farmer whose life has been transformed by the crop.
Standing beside her thriving cotton field, Julia points to a newly built house as one of the tangible benefits of embracing Bt cotton.
The additional income has not only enabled her to construct a better home but has also significantly improved her family's standard of living.
She credits much of that success to the county government's extension officers, whose regular field visits and technical advice have helped farmers understand proper crop management practices.
Before Bt cotton was introduced, Julia says the conventional open-pollinated varieties rarely produced the quality demanded by ginneries. Farmers often harvested lower-grade cotton that fetched poor prices, making the enterprise barely worthwhile.
Today, things are different. Her crop consistently meets the Grade One standard, allowing her to earn the premium farm-gate price and making cotton one of her family's most reliable sources of income. What however excites Julia most is that cotton farming has become a family business.
"After finishing school, my sons went to Mombasa in search of jobs, but nothing meaningful came their way. The few opportunities they found were poorly paying and could barely sustain them. That is when I encouraged them to come back home and join me in cotton farming".
She adds that cotton is proving to be a respectable and profitable business. “As I prepare to retire, I have peace of mind knowing that my sons have a future here in Mpeketoni. With the new Bt cotton technology and the support we are receiving from the county's extension officers, I believe cotton will revive our local economy and create opportunities for many more young people."
Their experiences are becoming increasingly common across Lamu County, where Bt cotton is helping revive an industry that had all but disappeared.
According to Lamu County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture, James Gichu, the county now produces about 60 per cent of Kenya's cotton, making it the leading cotton-growing region.
For years, however, farmers struggled with conventional varieties such as HART 89, which were highly susceptible to African bollworm infestations.
"With the conventional varieties, farmers harvested between 300 and 500 kilograms per acre," says Gichu. "With Bt cotton, a well-managed acre can produce more than 1,500 kilograms."
The dramatic improvement in productivity has sparked renewed interest in the crop.
"Before 2019 we had fewer than 3,000 farmers growing cotton. Today, the number has risen to more than 15,000 farmers," says Gichu. Production is rising just as rapidly. Last year, Lamu produced about 3.2 million kilograms of cotton. This season, the county is targeting nine million kilograms, supported by increased availability of Bt seed and favourable growing conditions.
The county is also benefiting from a guaranteed market. According to Gichu, Lamu supplies cotton to six ginneries across the country, yet demand still exceeds supply. A new state-of-the-art ginnery being established by Thika Cloth Mill in Lamu is expected to process about 56 tonnes of seed cotton daily, creating even more opportunities for farmers.
Bt cotton's biggest advantage lies in its resistance to the African bollworm, historically the crop's most destructive pest.
With the new variety, farmers apply pesticides less frequently than they did with conventional varieties leading to lower production costs and increased yields.
"The minimum farm-gate price is Ksh72 per kilogram," says Gichu. "When farmers have access to quality seed and know there is a ready market, cotton becomes a very profitable enterprise".
Despite these gains, challenges remain. Bt seed remains expensive, costing between Ksh4,000 and Ksh4,500 per kilogram, while limited availability continues to constrain farmer uptake of the new variety. Gichu believes local seed multiplication could significantly lower costs and make the technology more accessible to farmers.
The revival of cotton in Lamu is also being driven by cooperative societies that have continued supporting the sector even when the chips were down. David Njuguna, Chairman of Kenyatta Farmers Cooperative Society, traces the sector's fortunes back to 1976 when the cooperative was established. He recalls a time when cotton was one of Lamu's most dependable cash crops, supporting thousands of households and funding education for many children, including himself. "I was raised and educated through proceeds from cotton farming," he says.
According to Njuguna, the industry's fortunes declined when ginning became a monopoly and prices dipped, eroding farmers' confidence. As returns dwindled, many growers abandoned cotton in search of other crops.
He says farmers and cooperative leaders later worked closely with policymakers to advocate for reforms that would restore confidence in the sector. The introduction of more stable pricing and renewed investment has since encouraged many farmers to return to cotton production.
Today, the cooperative's biggest off-taker is Thika Cloth Mills, providing members with a dependable market for their produce. This season, Njuguna expects the cooperative to gin about 2.5 million tonnes of cotton, although he cautions that delayed access to Bt cotton seed continues to constrain production.
"The rainy season cannot wait for farmers," he says. "When the seed arrives late, farmers miss the planting window, and that affects production drastically."
For Njuguna, ensuring that farmers receive quality seed before the onset of the rains will be critical if Lamu is to sustain its cotton revival and meet growing demand from processors.
Bt cotton farming has brought a renewed sense of purpose and prosperity to the neighbourhood. As the sun begins to set over the sprawling cotton fields of Mpeketoni, the town slowly comes alive.
Motorcycles ferry farmers home after a day's work. Small shops fill with customers, hardware stores are busy, and new buildings are steadily replacing old structures. There is an undeniable feeling that money is once again circulating in this micro- economy. The spending power of farming households has grown, and the ripple effects are visible well beyond the cotton fields.
For many residents, Bt cotton is not only a high-yielding crop but has restored dignity to farming, brought young people back to the land and given families the confidence to plan beyond the next harvest.
The journey to Mpeketoni may be long and, at times, unforgiving. But as I make my way back across the Indian Ocean towards Manda Island, it is clear the trip was worthwhile.
I left having witnessed the revival of an industry, the resilience of a community and a glimpse of how agriculture, backed by innovation and functioning markets, can transform not just farms, but entire local economies.
This is no longer simply about a new seed variety but a story about widows who can now educate their children, mothers building new homes, young people choosing farming over unemployment and a county that is demonstrating how agriculture, innovation and local leadership can rebuild an industry.
Beyond the cotton fields lies an even bigger lesson. By producing more, attracting investment in processing and strengthening the entire value chain, Lamu is showing that Africa's future does not lie in exporting raw commodities alone. It lies in creating value, building industries and ensuring that communities such as those in Mpeketoni share in the prosperity that follows.
