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Naivasha Virtual Fieldcourse

Horticulture

A fortunate combination of fertile volcanic soils, favourably mild and near-constant temperatures and plentiful water were the success keys that boosted Large-scale horticulture around the lake. First attempts to develop floriculture around the lake date of the late 1970s, since then the industry progressively grew up to become the third national economic sector after tourism and tea. Today the number of horticultural workers probably amount to nearly 50,000, while more than 1 million are supported indirectly through the flower trade at national level.
The sector is represented by a number of associations, such as the Kenya Flower Council (KFC) and the Lake Naivasha Growers Group (LNGG). Collectively these organizations developed several certification schemes.
The KFC Code of Practice (CoP) on good agricultural practice provides guidelines to ensure high sustainability, social accountability, hygiene health and safety, capacity building, environmental protection and nature conservation. The 94 members of this organization produce more than half of the cut flowers exported from the country.
Roses outnumber by far the production of other flowers which include also statice and carnation.