Cassava is the second staple food in Kilifi County after maize and more farmers are starting to grow it.
Cassava is the second staple food in Kilifi County after maize and more farmers are starting to grow it.
Rev Remus Mngumi Jali, a farmer from Baguo village, in Kilifi County has invested heavily in cassava growing after quitting his job as an accounts clerk in Malindi.
Rev Mngumi says he has no regrets since since he earns more than he did when he was an employee.
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“I left my job 10 years ago and started growing cassava sticks which I bought from Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (Kalro) centre in Mtwapa. I cannot look back,” he says.
The farmer grows Tajirika variety on his seven-acre farm. This variety takes eight months to mature and does not require a lot of rain to thrive.
Due to his diligence, he got a 10-week scholarship course to study sustainable farming at Harper Adams University in the UK.
However, the training was postponed to next year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“I was selected because of the good work I am doing on my cassava farm. The organisation mentored me, gave me the scholarship but unfortunately the training was moved to next year because of the pandemic,” he says.
And Covid, he says, has disrupted the business in many ways.
A cassava farmer, Rev Remus Mngumi, uproots tubers on his seven-acre farm at Baguo village in Kakuyuni Malindi.
Cancelled orders
“Like all businesses, Covid-19 has hit us hard. We had so many cancelled orders. There was a buyer who wanted to buy a big number of my cuttings but abandoned the idea when the virus hit. But all is not lost because things are now picking up slowly,” he says.
Like any other farmers, he has faced a number of challenges which include theft and damage from animals. That forced him to fence the farm.
“I had to get a loan to do fencing because the animals around were destroying my cassava,” he recalls.
Having tasted the benefits, he also encourages other farmers to embrace cassava farming because it’s self-sustaining.
Despite the challenges, the farmer has several plans among them, to own his own cassava processing plant.
“I have always wanted to have my own cassava processing machines because I have a lot of raw materials. I want to process animal feeds. I also want to create jobs for youth,” he says.
Cassava farmer Rev Remus Mngumi and his wife walk through their seven-acre farm at Baguo village in Kakuyuni Malindi.
Top tips
For those interested in cassava growing, Erick Njue, Agricultural Project Officer with the Ustadi Foundation in Kilifi County encourages farmers to embrace agricultural practices like planting legumes.
In the wake of climate change, he urged farmers to embrace the culture of alternating crops and short-term farming.
“I encourage the cassava farmers especially at this time of crisis to embrace good agricultural practices and short-term farming like growing vegetables since they take a month to be ready,” Njue advises.
He also advises farmers to make cassava chips and store them till the market prices pick.
“Farmers should make cassava chips because a raw cassava cannot last for long. Dried chips can stay for long and can be used to make cassava flour,” he says.
A research by Kenya Agricultural Research Organisation (Kalro) shows that Kilifi is among the three highest producers of cassava in the country.
Charles Shiro, a research scientist with Kalro, says to boost cassava production, farmers ought to use improved planting materials that are high-yielding, disease-resistant and drought tolerant.
“Famers should use improved varieties and recommended spacing to ensure optimum yields. They should plant their cassava during the onset of rains to enhance good crop establishment,” Shiro says.
He notes that cassava mosaic and brown streak are threat to cassava production. To counter it, farmers should use varieties that are disease-tolerant and select disease-free plants for seed and good crop husbandry.
