The morning mist still clings to the slopes of Gatanga as Salome Njeri, a widow, walks between rows of thriving avocado trees on her small household farm. Her hands, rough from years of labor, gently inspect the fruits, some plump and ready for harvest, others still maturing under the Kenyan sun.

I planted my first Hass avocado seedlings in 2004,” she recalls, a mix of pride and weariness in her voice. “Back then, we were told this was the ‘green gold’ that would lift us from poverty. But the reality? We work like donkeys, only for brokers to decide whether we eat or struggle.”