Kenya is the third largest producer of tea in the world after India and China. Tea was introduced in the late 18^th century by the British settlers in the high attitude parts of the country where it was able to pick on so well due to good and reliable rainfall. To date the industry provides job and livelihoods for close to 4 million people therefore a key factor in Kenya economic growth. Kenyan tea is also famous due to the fact that most of the tea leaves is handpicked selectively fresh from the farm. This process ensures the best quality tea leaves is maintained before being processed.

 However there has been an ugly history associated with tea production in the country as a result of unsustainable agricultural practices such as overusing pest sides in the farms, soil erosion, deforestation and other social factors .Further to that the process by which tea is dried and processed requires a lot of energy. It is estimated that it takes 8kWh of energy to process one kilogram of finished tea, compared with only 6.3 kWh for the same amount of processed steel (UNEP) .In order to meet the world?s demand for tea, huge expanses of farmland and forests are converted to growing only tea (Ecologist 2011) thus interfering with biodiversity and ecosystem.

Kenya is already experiencing changes in the weather patterns which have led to decline in quantity and quality of tea produced. The good news is that there has been an increase in extension programs to promote environmental conservation in tea growing parts of Kenya. All stakeholders including small-scale tea farmers are being trained on good agricultural practices as a tool for fostering sustainable tea production in Kenya by the government and other various stakeholder groups such as Fairtrade African and SCC-Vi  Agroforestry ADAPTea Project. Adoption of better agricultural practices such as organic farming, agro forestry offers an opportunity for farmers to increase farm productivity, improve quality and diversify their incomes .There is also biodiversity conservation and reduced soil loss.

In many parts of Kenya, power to run the machine for drying and processing tea is not only expensive but also unreliable, as a result many factories switch to diesel generators to meet their needs. UNEP and Government of Kenya through 'Greening The Tea Industry project' has supported tea producers to adapt to climate change through integrating innovative low cost renewable energy thus improving productivity. Tea estates high altitude locations –areas characterized with high rainfall and all season river flows make them ideal sites for hydro power projects. Eco-friendly brickets and energy cooking stoves are also being promoted to mitigate climate change and reduce poverty in most parts of the country.