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NEWS & CURRENT AFFAIRS

The Nairobian

I sow Sh1,400, now I reap Sh10,000 weekly

Smart Harvest

By Phares Mutembei | Oct 20, 2018

**Mwiti Kathirimu at his farm in Githongo, Meru County on October 11, 2018. Mr Mwiti has reaped big by providing seedlings to cabbage and sukuma wiki farmers in Meru County.** [Olivia Murithi, Standard]

When Mwiti Kathirimu, 28, a farmer in Meru County realised he was not going to get adequate yields to meet his financial needs with his one-acre piece of land, he became creative.

Many residents in Kaugu in Meru County where his farm is, mostly grow cabbages and kale but Kathirimu didn’t want to copy and paste what his neighbours were doing.

He ventured into seedlings growing and has no regrets. Kathirimu is now the main supplier of seedlings in the area as well as in neighbouring villages.

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Despite the challenges that come with growing seedlings, he still cannot meet the demand for seedlings.

Kathirimu said one of his greatest advantages in this venture is the cool climate in Meru which helps in keeping insects at bay.

Because it is a delicate venture, Kathirimu spends most of his days watching over the seedlings to keep preying butterflies at bay.

“I spend most of my time manning the seedlings from the time I put them in the ground until they are removed for farmers to transplant and this takes three to four weeks,” Kathirimu said.

He earns Sh10,000 daily from selling the seedlings, an amount he couldn’t have made if he ventured into cabbage and kale farming like other farmers.

“Most farmers want ready seedlings but not many people want to grow them because of the risks involved. One of the requirements is plenty of water and in case it rains heavily, the seedlings can be washed away so I had to be innovative to prevent that from happening,” he said.

Hi greatest tip in succeeding in seedlings growing is going for fast maturing varieties but his wish is to buy a greenhouse which is a safe bet for growing seedlings.

“One of my current challenges is the prohibitive cost of greenhouses. If I had a greenhouse I can produce more seedlings of even better quality, especially during the rainy seasons when I lose a lot of seedlings,” he said.

To prevent his seedlings from being washed away by the rain, he puts saw dust around the seed beds and so far so good.

Having spent Sh1,400 to venture into farming last year in November, Kathirimu is happy he is now able to feed his family and do other things, thanks to his small piece of land.

Kathirimu said 100 seedlings can occupy a space enough for one cabbage and with a seedling retailing at one shilling, it made good economic sense for him to do seedlings.

Four rows of seedlings fetch him Sh40,000 and with the 130 rows in the nurseries at his farm, the farmer says he is able to offset his production costs and make good profits. He has employed eight casual workers.

According to Kathirimu, doing proper research before embarking in any type of farming is the first thing he advises the youth who come to him for tips.

“I have seen people make mistakes just by replicating what their neighbours are doing, there are so many things to grow but most of us tend to think in a box which has been our greatest challenge as farmers,” he added.

“The size of land for farming is diminishing. But even with the little available we can still create wealth and feed our families.”

Smart tips

One of the common precursors of loss making in agribusiness is glut, which is common with vegetables such as tomatoes, cabbages or green peas.

A smart way to evade the surplus season is breaking your crop in portions that mature at different periods throughout the year; or better still; avoiding peak seasons all together.

Establish the crop six to ten weeks after the start of the main season; when majority of the farmers establish theirs, and back up the drought period with irrigation.

This ensures your crop matures during the lean period; thus attracting better prices. Staggering your crop also helps manage costs related to pests and disease control.

Spinach, lettuce, pumpkin, broccoli, cabbage, and cucumber are vegetables consumed in every part of the globe and can also be cultivated in every part of Kenya. If you are looking towards starting an agricultural crop cultivation business, go into vegetable farming.