Samwel Oranja is working with AgriTrade as the Regional Manager for Eastern. This area covers Machakos, Kitui, Mwingi and Makueni districts. He is based in Wote town the districts’ headquarters for Makueni. The area is largely semi-arid, but a lot of agricultural activities are taking place. The main crops are pigeon peas, cowpeas, green grams and there is a lot interest in sunflower. Maize and beans are also grown but not on a large scale. Cotton is also grown in most areas and fruits like mangoes, citrus and watermelon. There is also beekeeping in most parts of the districts.