Who are Kenya’s super hustlers?

Farmers hustle from the rising of the sun to its going down. They do so many things all of the time. They keep animals and till the land to plant crops.

Unlike other hustlers, they have no shortcuts. You must wait for a certain number of hours for a cow to be milked. You must wait a number of weeks or months for crops to be harvested. Many other types of hustlers can cut corners or tell untruths to make money.

Farmers are woken up by animals, either roosters or donkeys. Is it true that donkeys keep time like roosters? And once they’re awake, they must start the day. They must milk the cows – few use machines. They must feed the cows. In the past, they had pastures for them. Today, it’s zero grazing, and fodder is bought. In the past, animals like sheep and cows looked for their own food. Today, we forage on their behalf. Sometimes even basics like water must be looked for.

There’s no holiday from milking cows or feeding them. Other hustlers can take a the rare break; for farmers, this luxury is virtually non-existent.

When it comes to crop farming, things get even more dramatic. Planting has no shortcut. You must cover the seeds with soil, weed and wait until you can harvest. And as you wait, you’re battling with the elements of nature, such as wind, rain and drought. And when crops are growing, farmers are not idle. Clothes must be washed, houses cleaned, food cooked, animals fed, manure bought, and so on.

And for all this effort, the farmer, the super hustler, makes little money. He or she has to share any income made with other hustlers along the supply chain who must be paid to weed and then harvest crops, transport animals to the market, or store produce. Yet, all hustlers depend on farmers for food.

The consolation

The only consolation for farmers, unlike other hustlers, is that they live the best life – at peace with themselves and with nature. They never quarrel with crops or animals, whether quails or goats.

Yet, despite all they do, farmers are despised. No one aspires to be a farmer. In fact, we say we are jobless despite making money as farmers.

As the population grows and arable land becomes increasingly scarce as it’s taken over by real estate or degradation, we shall start appreciating the super hustlers, the farmers. Already the shortage of unga in supermarkets has made most of us appreciate the hustling farmers go through to grow maize.

Finally, when our life on this planet is over, we eventually join farmers; we are buried under the soil which they spent most of their lives tilling. What a paradox. Three cheers for these super hustlers.