Tharaka-Nithi County
Mountain-to-river gradient enables dual agriculture—sorghum contracts transform lowlands while highlands grow coffee. By 2026: regenerative scaling or degradation continues.
Tharaka Nithi exists because the ecological gradient exists—Mount Kenya's eastern slopes create distinct zones from its misty highlands to the Tana River lowlands below. The upper elevations grow tea and coffee; the lower, hotter Tharaka region has traditionally grown drought-tolerant crops: sorghum, millet, green grams. This diversity enables agricultural adaptation impossible in more uniform terrain.
The county's economy has grown impressively: GDP increased from KSh 80.5 billion in 2022 to KSh 87.9 billion in 2023, driven by strategic investment in agriculture and digital infrastructure. Over 80% of the population works in agriculture, contributing 30% of Gross Value Added. The dual agricultural systems—highland cash crops and lowland drought-tolerant staples—provide complementary income streams.
Sorghum has emerged as a transformation crop in the Tharaka lowlands. Improved varieties (Gadam, Sila, KARI Mtama 1), combined with fertilizer and pesticides, increased yields from 400 kg to 1.5 tonnes per hectare. Contract farming with East Africa Breweries Limited (EABL) provides guaranteed markets at KSh 37 per kilogram. Farm Africa's regenerative agriculture program reaches 50,000 farmers with mulching, minimum tillage, and intercropping techniques.
The county exhibits classic agro-ecological niche diversification: different zones producing different products, reducing risk through complementarity. By 2026, whether the sorghum value chain scales and regenerative practices restore degraded lowland soils will determine if Tharaka Nithi's dual-zone agriculture remains Kenya's model for climate-adaptive farming.