How Nyeri man is making a killing in organic farming

Terrah Nderitu, 70, practices organic farming on a four-acre farm in Mukarara, Gathuthi sub-location, Nyeri County.

The farm is subdivided into sections with a variety of crops.

“All the crops here are organically grown,” Nderitu says as he leads us to tour the farm.

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He grows thousands of coffee stems, some 5,000 tea stems and 50 stems of grafted Hass and Fuerte varieties.

Nderitu leases the coffee and tea section that fetches him between Sh50,000 and Sh100,000 annually.

From the Hass and Fuerte varieties, he earns between Sh25,000 and Sh30,000. Nderitu plans to plant more coffee and tea stems to boost his income.

Due to erratic rainfall in the region, Nderitu harvests water and directs it to a small water pan. He says he practices organic farming to reduce cost of production.

All the water collected is used in farming and especially during the dry season. Nderitu takes advantage of the hilly terrain to irrigate his farm. The water pan is located on high ground that allows water to flow freely to the crops he would wish to water.

To augment his farming, he grows arrowroots but not in the traditional waterlogged areas, as he says that the waterlogged areas have been threatened by climate change over the past few years and are fast drying up, making it impossible for them to support the growth of the crop.

Nderitu learned of a new technology that requires less water and one that helps adapt to climate change effects. He grows his arrowroots in trenches which are lined up with a polythene paper and filled with a mixture of soil and manure. The medium is also mulched as to create a moist environment that will hold water for a longer time.

The arrowroots mature within a period of between 6-9 months.

Nderitu says arrowroots are less cumbersome and have a low cost of production as they do not require a lot of labour and attention.

Today, Nderitu is not only assured of a harvest, but his income is also guaranteed. From the arrowroot, he expects about Sh48,000 annually. Nderitu also grows sweet potatoes which earn him about Sh40,000.

The farm is also surrounded by different trees that include indigenous, exotic, and fruit trees, that are a source of food and nutrition.

With agroforestry practices, Nderitu has created an ecosystem that protects his crops against extreme climatic conditions. With this, he is able to control temperature, sunlight exposure and susceptibility to wind, storm and rain.