Mary Wanjiku Mwanza is the Deputy Managing Director and co-founder of Palma Mukuyuni Tree Nursery, an agricultural enterprise and training centre in Makueni County, Kenya. She oversees the strategic direction, operational management, and community outreach initiatives of the nursery. She guides the company’s focus towards climate-smart tree farming, ensuring the production and distribution of high-quality fruit and timber seedlings to local farmers and cooperatives.
Before transitioning to the agricultural sector, Mwanza built a professional foundation in Nairobi, working within the corporate hotel and information technology industries. Seeking a more impactful rural livelihood, she relocated to Makueni County in 2014, officially establishing the nursery in 2016 alongside her husband. Under her leadership, the enterprise pivoted from cultivating a single timber species to developing a diverse, climate-resilient portfolio of fruit and indigenous trees, adapting to a region characterised by severe water scarcity and nutrient-poor soils.
Mwanza is a recognised authority in sustainable agriculture. She has been acknowledged as a champion farmer by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research and the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry for utilising fruit trees to bolster climate resilience in East Africa. Her expertise includes facilitating horticultural training and seedling health education for local farming communities, transforming small-scale farming into a commercially viable model.
Organisation
Palma Mukuyuni Tree Nursery is a commercial agricultural enterprise operating within the forestry and horticulture sectors. Established in 2016 and headquartered in Kenya, the company specialises in raising and supplying a wide variety of tree seedlings, including Hass avocados, pixie oranges, mangoes, pawpaws, passion fruit, Grevillea robusta, and Ashok trees. Operating primarily within the domestic market, the nursery functions as a community training hub and a key participant in international research projects. By championing climate-smart farming, the organisation helps restore degraded landscapes, improves regional food security, and contributes to broader climate adaptation efforts across East Africa.
Areas of Focus
- Climate-resilient agriculture and the cultivation of diverse, drought-tolerant fruit and timber tree species.
- Sustainable supply chain development and the integration of grassroots agribusinesses into broader economic frameworks.
- Cross-border partnerships and knowledge exchange with international agricultural research institutions.
- Community capacity building through horticultural training and seedling health education for agricultural cooperatives.
At the Forum
At the International Trade Council Global Convocation & Leadership Forum in London, Mwanza aims to engage with senior business leaders, trade officials, and policymakers to explore avenues for advancing sustainable agriculture within international trade. Her objectives include sharing insights on climate-smart supply chains, discussing strategies for enhancing market access for rural agribusinesses, and fostering cross-border partnerships that support supply chain resilience and export growth in the agricultural sector.
