The British and Kenyan governments weighed into the growing debate over “food miles” this week, insisting it was ethically and environmentally sound to buy flowers from Kenya on Valentine’s Day.
There is increasing concern at the amount of carbon emitted by the fleets of aircraft that carry millions of flowers to Europe every day from the East African nation.
Joseph Muchemi, the Kenyan high commissioner to Britain, said: “‘Food miles’ is a valuable concept but it must be looked at in the whole. It is neither fair nor sustainable to stigmatise certain goods purely on the basis that they have been freighted by air. ‘Food miles’, or the distance food has travelled, is on its own not a reliable indicator of the environmental impact of food transport.”
Hilary Benn, the British International Development Secretary, said that while people wanted to buy ethically and do their bit for climate change, they often did not realise they could support developing countries and reduce carbon emissions.
“Recent research shows that flowers flown from Africa can use less energy overall than those produced in Europe because they’re not grown in heated greenhouses.”
Muchemi said Kenya provided 31% of Europe’s cut flowers, directly employing 500 000 people and another million through auxiliary services.
Air-freighted fresh flowers, fruit and vegetables from the whole of sub-ÂSaharan Africa accounted for less than 0,1% of total United Kingdom carbon emissions, he said. Moreover, while the average Briton emits 9,3 tonnes of carbon a year, the average Kenyan is responsible for 0,2 tonnes.
“European nations must look to reduce their emissions first before penalising African producers. A boycott of Kenyan roses or green beans would be disastrous for many Kenyan farmers, especially smallholders, and would do little to mitigate climate change.”
Benn pointed to a recent study that showed emissions produced by growing flowers in Kenya and flying them to the UK can be less than a fifth of those for flowers grown in heated and lighted greenhouses in The Netherlands, Europe’s main producer of flowers.
“Climate change is hugely important to the future of developed and developing countries, but if we boycott goods flown from Africa we deny the poor the chance to grow; their chance to educate their children and stay healthy.
“We in the West can have more impact on our huge carbon footprint by turning off our TVs at night and using energy-saving lightbulbs.”
Muchemi said he was concerned that plans by European retailers to introduce labels on their products more clearly identifying their origin could hit Kenyan farmers. “We can’t have a situation in which poor farmers in Africa pay the price for European carbon emissions. It’s not fair to penalise African farmers.”
Environmentalists, though, are concerned about the ecological impact that flower growing is having in Kenya.
The thousands of workers who have flocked to the shores of Lake Naivasha to work in the flower-growing areas are placing enormous strain on the local ecology, such that the lake could soon be polluted beyond use and have all but dried up in the next 10 to 15 years.
David Harper, a University of Leicester ecologist, says the flower trade is devastating the area. “The lake is being destroyed at an alarming rate by the sheer pressure of people on it.”
He does not advocate boycotting Kenyan flowers but wants to see a “Fair Trade” system and “Fair Planet” label to highlight the problem. Its profits would be used to improve the lake’s environment, he says. — Â