In some African countries, the cut-flower industry is one of the major export earners. In Kenya, it employs 70,000 people, the majority of whom are women.

However, not everyone benefits equally from  this prosperous business. Various labor unions and NGOs have been denouncing the inhumane working conditions of labourers on flower farms. In a 2002 study conducted by the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), the industry was accused of paying their workers less than $1 US a day for an 8- to 12-hour workday and of housing them in crowded facilities. Workers were often required to handle dangerous chemicals without proper protective equipment, putting them at risk of being poisoned.