At 21, herbal farming pays my bills, fees

A rich and pleasant smell welcomes you at George Ndung’u’s herbal farm in Kiambu County. The various herbal crops on a quarter acre farm in Kagaa location, are arranged in attractive rows.

“This is not just farming. I have been doing this for two years now. This is what pays my bills and I am saving money to go to university using money from herbs. This is why I direct all my energies to it,” Ndung’u tells Smart Harvest.

His farm focuses on medicinal and culinary herbs which include orange thyme, common thyme, lemon thyme, Chia seeds, Rosemary, Basil, mints (pepper, spear, and pudina), Sage, Marjoram and goose berry and Oregano.

Why herbal farming?

Ndung’u, 21 says he was introduced to this project by his grandfather who was a herbalist in Lari. He was ten years old then.

“I was close to my grandfather and this gave me the opportunity to learn a lot about herbs. My grandpa knew most names of herbs in the forest and he taught me how to do that. Neighbours used to come to our farm to buy different kinds of herbs. Some are for making spices while others are medicinal and they treat ailments like stomachaches and headaches. When he made good sale, he would give me some little money to buy snacks like mandazi,” the young farmer recalls.

Having seen from the old man that farming pays, years later after completing his studies, he decided to start herbal farming immediately.

He started by growing orange thymes and Rosemary. Unlike his grandfather, Ndung’u did not get monetary gains from his herbs garden at first.

“I started with growing herbs that I had uprooted from my grandfather’s farm. At first, the herbs were for home consumption. I used to give them to my mother and she would use them to prepare fish, pilau, stews, chicken and tea,” he says. It was not until, 2014 that he started commercial farming.

That time, he met officials from Health Living Tech-Agric Campaign (HELITEC), an organisation that empowers youth on commercial farming.

On the day of the interview, the farmer was in the company of Catherine Ng’ang’a and William Gitau, founder and Director of Health Living Tech-Agric Campaign.

Whenever one needs help with planting, harvesting, marketing among other activities in farms, the organisation steps in. Ndung’u saw the opportunity in the group because they were going to meet and interact with various stakeholders in the farming sector.

He says, “Since l was already dealing with herbs l decided to stick to it. But the organisation armed me with skills on how to commercilaise it.”

He was taught how to identify markets and brand his produce. Now he sells to individuals and at the Karen Organic Market.

Two years down the line, Ndung’u has never looked back.

 “I am always reading on how to be the best in this. I read agricultural books, magazines and newspapers and the Internet,” says former student of Kagaa High School.

To perfect his art, he strives to attend a number of agricultural seminars and workshops. As a member of the organisation,  he has also been taught value addition, best farming practices and herbs management. Today, Ndung’u earns Sh35,000 on a bad month.

He is now saving to purchase land for expanding his herbal farming activities and plans to join university to pursue agribusiness.

“At 21, l think this is something to be proud of. Some of my peers are in their parents’ house being fed and clothed, but I am earning a living from my venture,” he says.

Ndung’u has showcased his herbal crops at various exhibitions including the International Trade Fair in Nairobi, Meru, Tharaka Nithi and Kiambu.

The exhibitions have helped him get market and meet individuals interested in herbs. “Through interaction with people, l have learnt that many people do not know about herbs. There is a huge information gap,” he observes.

He says through their group, they want to stage empowerment workshops across the country to popularise the herbs and other products from his colleagues.

Value addition

Ndung’u who also produces seedlings for sale says herbs are easy to manage. Most of them mature between three to five months, and thereafter continuous harvesting after one or two weeks. He explains that lemon, orange and common thymes mature after three months and harvest is done almost after every two weeks. Others like Pepino melon mature after five months and later harvested weekly.

His biggest challenge is lack of good market especially for organic produce. He says, “If there were good markets l would be making more money.”

His herbs are grown organically. “If you put chemical fertiliser, it interferes with the flavour and health benefits of the herbs. So we avoid it completely,” he explains.

The herbs are attacked by diseases like root rot and bacteria wilt. Though pests in a big problem in crop production, he says for him he is covered because the organisation manufactures organic pesticides which effectively control pests.

Ndung’u says his next big move is investing in value addition. He explains in value addition, the herbs can be used to manufacture juices and other final products.

“Those who do value addition are raking in more money than us who sell in raw form,” he says.

He plans to use part of his savings to buy processing machines to actualise his value addition dream.