Year 2018: Farmers share lessons on yields, markets 2018

Many people think farming is the easiest way to make money, away from a demanding office job. The reality couldn’t be farther from the truth. Farming is actually a school where farmers pick important lessons, some learnt the hard way. All through the year, we spoke to farmers who stood out in different ways.

They are people who have excelled in poultry-keeping, livestock-farming, horticulture and even those who have found the trick of value addition on different products. They share the successes, failures, challenges learnt through 2018.

Joseph Boit, maize and dairy farmer — Focus on a small unit and perfect it

Joseph Boit, who won the BAKE Kenyan Blog award 2015 in Environment and Agriculture category.

He tried horticulture on five acres of land but the huge farm was beyond what he could control. At harvest time, we went home empty handed.

For years, Boit has perfected the art of maize-farming, a venture that has been passed on in his family for generations. Not long ago, Boit tried a hand in hay farming and allocated 100 acres for the same, reserving only 10 acres for maize. But Boit is always trying new things and last year, he ventured into horticulture.

He set aside 5 acres for kales, onions and watermelons and trusted that rain water would supplement a water pan that was adjacent to the farm. But he was in for a rude shock when it failed to rain for a long time and the water pan dried.

“I was unable to water the whole five acres and the onions failed to bulb. It was a total loss,” he says.

When it finally rained, it was torrents that destroyed the whole crop of watermelons he had on 4 acres. The kales were in bad shape too and could not fetch much on the market.

The loss taught him important lesson.

“I should have focused on one acre and perfected it. I now understand why most horticulture farmers only do it on small plots that are easy to manage. I have learnt that horticulture is the most rewarding venture which also requires a lot of resources and dedication. It is not like maize farming. It needs proper planning and ensuring that everything is right.”

Boit has not given up on horticulture. In fact, he has better plans for next year.

“I am planting capsicum and cabbages on one acre next year. I have invested in a 3,000-litre tank near the farm as well as better irrigation system. I have fenced the whole farm because I also have many goats that may be a nuisance to my crops. I also have my market sorted since I have a motorbike and I will do deliveries on my own. I am not trusting middlemen and I will set my own prices. If all goes well, I am looking at Sh500, 000 profit just from horticulture by the end of next year.”

Ruth Kamau, chilli farmer — Market should never be an issue

Ruth Kamau, a chilli farmer on the outskirts of Thika town. She says farmers should be more aggressive in searching for markets. [Jenipher Wachie, Standard]

Ask any farmer the challenges they go through and market will top the list. But Ruth Kamau, a chilli farmer on the outskirts of Thika town says market should never be an issue if you get things right.

At the moment, Ms Kamau has a stable market in Europe where she supplies demon chillies which have no reliable market in Kenya.

“If you do things right, you will never find issues with market. It is important to study the plant dynamics even before you start planting. Do the research. Know the crop requirements at every stage. Research on the soil. Get everything right and harvest a crop that consumers will find hard to resist,” Ms Kamau says.

She says farmers err when they put themselves at the mercy of middlemen. “We do all the donkey work and sit at our farm waiting for the middlemen. Why can’t you carry your onions to the market on your own and dictate your own price according to the quality of your crop? Aside the chillies, I do onions and tomatoes and I have never suffered at the hand of middlemen because I grow a quality crop and sell them on my own. There are 25 million households in Kenya that can’t survive without what we produce in the farms. Get your own share of the 25 million before you even think of exporting,” she says.

Though Ms Kamau has a market in Europe that she can’t fully satisfy, there are times that she is locked out of market.

“Framers in Europe grow their own chillies during summer and therefore I don’t export chillies during this time. Instead, I grow bullet chillies that have a wider market here in Kenya,” she says.

Mary Njeri, poultry farmer — Farming requires you to be there

It doesn’t help to run everything at your farm through people. Much as you assign duties, you should also be there at least to supervise and put your hand on a thing or two.

Njeri, a poultry farmer in Kibera has learnt not to trust farm hands with the rearing of her chicken.

“I have learnt to take care of my birds on my own. When I am not around, my brother assumes the responsibility. We get a little help from the people we recruit to give a hand but they cannot always be trusted. Most of them only realise how hard poultry-keeping is when they are hired. As a result, I hardly keep employees for more than three months.

“I have a hatchery and a chicks section and a place where I keep my layers. Most of the time, I look after the layers while the farm hand takes care of the chicks section. There is a lot to do with the chicks including feeding them regularly even at night, cleaning their drinkers and feeders and ensuring that their growth space is clean. Some farm hands, especially those new at this job will always mess things up and cause losses when chicks die. It is therefore important that you stay close to the workers and guide them along.”

 Charles Osawa, vegetable farmer, — Records are important

Mr Charles Osawa, a vegetable farmer in Got Abuoro village, Kisumu. He says though many small-scale farmers do not keep records, they are important in tracking progress of the farm. [Denish Ochieng, Standard]

Charles Osawa, a vegetable farmer says not all small scale farmers in Kenya keep records. He points this out as negligence on the part of the farmer.

“Every time I talk to farmers who visit my farm about the importance of keeping records. But they say keeping records can only discourage them if they realise they are making losses. This is a wrong assumption.

He explains that there are losses that a farmer can only account for if they get them from the records.

He got record keeping skills from a bookkeeping unit he took while he studied leather work.

“I record everything on my farm from the fertilisers I use to the time I spent just tending to the crops. Some farmers fail to record the labour they give to their farms. It is an important detail that should translate to your profits when you harvest the crop,” he says.