Flower sector urged to uphold sustainability to stem climate change

Principal Secretary State Department of Environment & Climate Festus K Ng'eno, Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Environment and Sanitation Soipan Tuya and the Danish ambassador to Kenya Ole Thonke. [David Gichuru, Standard]

The local flower industry has been urged to embrace sustainable practices to reduce their carbon footprint amid growing concerns about climate change.

Principal Secretary (PS) in the State Department of Environment and Climate Change Festus Ng'eno said flower farms need to align their business practices with changing technological trends meant to conserve the environment.

"This will also ensure our flowers meet the highest quality standards," said Mr Ng'eno.

The PS was speaking at the opening of the third edition of the two-day Kenya Flower Festival in Nairobi on Friday.

The event is an annual social platform that brings together local flower enthusiasts, flower farms, florists, event planners, home gardeners, and landscapers to promote a culture of appreciating flowers.

According to organisers, the event aims at promoting and inculcating a culture of using fresh cut and garden flowers in homes, offices, and all spaces while creating a vibrant local market for sellers.

The festival has various floral-themed editions, with this year's theme being "Blooming Sustainability." The inaugural edition was in 2019. It was the first-ever event in Kenya that was dubbed "Bloom in Bravery" - held in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Rosemary Kimunya, the founder of Kenya Flower Festival urged the government to put in place policies that support the floriculture industry. "We feel like the government perceives that it is an elite industry that can support itself," said Ms Kimunya.

Flower growers were encouraged to support ecosystem restoration through a 15 billion tree-planting campaign to build resilience against climate change.