Bʏ Mᴀsɪʟᴀ Kᴀɴʏɪɴɢɪ,
January 22, 2026
As I flew across the Rift Valley on my way to Uganda for a week-long seminar, I looked down and admired how our greenhouses now “beautify” the landscape.
Once upon a time, people admired flamingos and escarpments; today, they admire plastic tunnels and irrigation lines. Progress, clearly, has a new definition.
From the sky, our industry looks calm, organized, and perfectly aligned. Down on the ground, however, we know it is a daily dance of weather forecasts, input prices, compliance audits, and the eternal question, “Will the market smile on us this week?”
Now, I write this editorial after a long day of meetings with growers and stakeholders, armed with a cup of tea, seated by a swimming pool, enjoying the soothing ambience of Lake Victoria. It is a perfect setting to discuss very serious matters like rising costs, pests that never respect calendars, and paperwork that multiplies faster than aphids. The contrast is comforting: tranquil water, cool breeze, and conversations about survival in a highly competitive global market. Floriculture, it seems, is best discussed in paradise.
This year, we promise ourselves innovation, sustainability, and efficiency. We promise to adopt climate-smart practices, reduce chemical footprints, and embrace technology. We also promise to do all this while cutting costs, increasing yields, meeting certifications, and keeping staff motivated. It is an ambitious list, but then again, floriculture has always thrived on ambition and courage.
Our industry remains a beautiful contradiction: elegant flowers grown through tough decisions, long hours, and relentless problem-solving. We produce symbols of love and celebration while managing spreadsheets of risk and resilience.
As we welcome the new year, let us keep our humor alive, our standards high, and our teacups full. Because if we can laugh while navigating challenges, admire greenhouses from the sky, and solve problems by the poolside, then our floriculture is not just surviving; it is flourishing.