Lack of land did not kill her ambition in farming

Oportuna Wangari (right) explains to farmers who had a field tour of her farm to learn how she manages capsicum farming at Korompoi area of Isinya in Kajiado County. PHOTO BY NANJINIA WAMUSWA.

Oportuna Wangari started farming capsicum in 2015 to supplement her income.

The 31-year old had no qualms about venturing into agriculture.

As a child, she remembers seeing her mother who worked as a casual labourer struggle to make ends meet.

“My mother grew vegetables like sukuma wiki, spinach and tomatoes on her small piece of land in Limuru to earn some extra coins,” she says.

Wangari did not have land, but her landlady offered her a piece where she invested Sh200,000 in what appeared to be a lucrative venture.

She bought a greenhouse and hired some people to plough and fence and also connected water to ensure constant supply and started raising tomatoes.

“Tomatoes did so well and I made good money, but for some reason, my landlady changed her mind and demanded her land back,” she says.

“I was shocked because she had other idle land where she could have also planted tomatoes. I was told to quit in the middle of harvesting season.”

Lease land

She decided to lease land for capsicum because the sunny weather did not favour tomatoes.

I invested Sh500,000 in leasing, cultivating, harrowing, buying manure, installing water tank, purchasing of drip irrigation system and on fencing too.

The Business Administration graduate who lives in Thika opted for an open field.

“After farming tomatoes in a greenhouse, l realised there is no difference. As long as you take care of your crops, the yield will always be same. A greenhouse is quite expensive,” she says.

Water supply

She sunk a borehole to ensure constant water supply. She has engaged an agronomist, Dennis Muindi who advises her weekly on the status of the crops.

Despite the innumerable challenges, Wangari could harvest 200 kilogrammes a week, but today she can fetch up to 300 kilogrammes.

A kilogramme of capsicum goes for Sh50. She has a ready market and her customer base is increasing by the day.

She recently attended a training on horticultural farming — onions, watermelon and capsicum farming in Koromboi area of Isinya in Kajiado County.

“I came here to get tips on land preparation, seed selection, crop protection, nutrition and marketing,” she says.

The training was conducted near her farm to enable the farmers to tour her farm and get practical tips from her.