Lung doctor finds his pulse in mixed farming

In 2011, a busy medical doctor decided to take a risk and venture into farming on a quarter acre in the semi-arid Kinango Sub-county, Kwale County. After several ups and downs, Dr Jeremiah Chakaya is today a model farmer with 70 acres of which 10 are under crops. He is in the process of setting up a livestock unit on the rest.

"While others saw a dry area with no potential for farming. I saw an opportunity and tapped into it," said Dr Chakaya, a lung specialist.

The farm dubbed Tsanzamimi Farm has two acres under tomatoes, capsicum two acres, onions two acres, one acre of cabbages, kales one acre, spinach one acre, and one acre of African Nightshade (managu). The is also a half-acre orchard dedicated to pixie oranges, pawpaws, mangoes and herbs. 

Though Chakaya has started reaping the benefits, he admits that the journey has been tough. First, he says, the area gets erratic rains. And that explains why there is hardly any agricultural farms in the neighbourhood. Majority of farmers grow maize, cowpeas and green grams on small parcels of land. Crop failure is common and in the last year, for example, there has been no significant harvest from most farms.

Inspiration to locals

Knowing full well that he cannot sustain a farm on rain-fed agriculture, Chakaya invested in a water reservoir in 2012. He says progress has been slow and somewhat painful but worth it. By 2019, they reached the desired water pan size.

“I knew a reliable water source is the game-changer. This pan has the capacity to hold about 20 million litres of water when full,” Chakaya told The Smart Harvest.

The biggest challenge many farmers in the area face is a reliable water source. Due to the severe drought that ravaged the entire Coast last year, water became a big challenge and they had to scale down on the number of crops on the farm. Luckily, some rain came and they were able to store more water allowing normal operations to resume on the farm.

Apart from inspiring residents into commercial farming, the farm has created employment for many locals. The farm employs two skilled people – one manager and agronomist, 10 unskilled people and many casuals who make seedbeds, plant, weed and harvest. Every morning young people in need of jobs come to the gate as early as 5 am seeking casual work.

“The demand for jobs is high. I wish many other people were doing what I am doing,” said the doctor cum farmer.    

Owing to his success, he regularly hosts delegations who come for bench-marking. 

How does Chakaya balance farming and the demanding duties at his private medical clinic in Nairobi?

The medic works late and retires to bed after midnight. For the most part of the morning, he manages his professional society, the Respiratory Society of Kenya, where he is the Chief Executive Officer and Technical Director.

“In the afternoon I see my patients in my private clinic. On average, I see about 10 patients a day in the clinic. I then go to hospitals to see people admitted under my care. Afterwards, I handle issues at the farm."

To actualise his farming dream, he has got support from his family. 

Dr Jeremiah M. Chakaya, Nairobi medical doctor started farming on a quarter acre in Kwale County.

“My family is my pillar, especially my wife, Dr Joyce Muthoni Gachiri, who has stood by me throughout this journey. My children are also interested in farming,” he stated.  

Luckily, he does not struggle to get a market for his produce.

The doctor says most of the vegetables, particularly managu, are bought at the farm by traders and families who come from kilometres away.

On profitability, he said the farm has not made the kind of money they expected from the investment. The farm is, however, able to meet its obligations and that on a good month they can reach a turnover of as much as Sh300,000. 

He plans to develop a secure water supply system to avoid depending on the rains. He would like to sink boreholes, but underground water in Kinango tends to be saline and so he will need certain technologies to desalinate the water to a level that supports plant growth.


Want to get latest farming tips and videos?
Join Us


Mixed farming;Lung doctor