CURRENT INTERCROPPING OBSERVATIONS AND FUTURE-TRENDS IN ARABICA COFFEE, KENYA

Coffee contributes about 30% of the total domestic earnings and is cur rently third after tourism and tea as a foreign exchange earner in Ken ya. Current production and the expected trend in view of the constrain ts imposed on the industry by the present free market situation are di scussed. Methods adopted to overcome these constraints are mentioned, with particular reference to intercropping strategies. The macadamia/c offee system, food crops/coffee systems and desmodium cover crop syste ms are discussed. The possibilities of intercropping with such crops a re indicated, especially annual food crops in the first two years of c offee establishment and in the coffee tree conversion period. Future t rends in coffee intercropping studies are proposed.