The 7 Stages of Kava Farming
Kava farming is a seven-stage process that begins with selecting the planting site and ends with harvesting the kava roots. The seven stages are:
Site selection: The first step in kava farming is to select a suitable planting site. The site should be well-drained and have rich, loamy soil.
Shade: Choose a planting site well shaded with existing big trees, or plant shade trees like glyricidia and pigeon pea, as shade is important for kava, especially in the first 18 months.
Land preparation: Once the planting site has been selected, the land must be prepared. This could involve removing a few trees, clearing the land of any weeds or debris, and preparing the soil by plowing or tilling the soil, or more often simply digging holes for the seedlings or softening the soil where the cuttings will be planted if this is the chosen propagation method.
Planting: Kava plants are propagated from cuttings, either directly planted on site or planted in polybags and raised in nursery for 6-9 weeks. The seedlings or cuttings should be roughly planted 3 to 6 feet apart depending on the farming system chosen and on soil and presence or not of other crops.
Maintenance: Look after your kava plant. Regular weeding is essential. It is labor intensive but could be eased with the use of cover crop, weed mat or mulch.
Pest and disease control: Kava plants are susceptible to several pests and diseases, so they need to be looked after carefully.
Harvesting: Kava roots are harvested after a minimum of 3–4 years. The roots are dug up and then either sold fresh (“green”) on the domestic market or washed and dried. Both the fresh and the dried roots are used to make kava beverages, and dried kava is also used to make kava extract.
It is important to follow the proper steps to ensure the successful growth of kava plants.
Choose a planting site that is partially shaded, or plant shade trees like gliricidia and pigeon pea.
Look after your kava plants: Mulch the soil around the kava plants to help retain moisture and suppress weeds and hill up the soil around the base regularly.
Inspect the kava plants regularly for pests and diseases.
Harvest the kava when the plants are mature, after a minimum of 3 to 4 years.
The demand for kava is growing, and the price of kava is increasing. If you are interested in procuring kava, please contact us.
