Category Archives: Agripreneur

The cost of animal feeds in Kenya has become all-time high, raising farmers’ cost and consequently the cost of various commodities.

This, according to the Association of Kenya Feeds Manufacturers (AKEFEMA) is due to the shortage of maize which is the chief raw material in manufacturing the vital product.

The latest figures indicate that the retail price of a 70-kilogramme pack of chick mash, for example, now sells at Sh3,600 from Sh3,300 while that of growers goes at Sh3,100 from Sh2,800.

These high prices pushed Jack Oyugi Omondi, an entrepreneur from Homa Bay County, to research how to make a cheap animal feed from Lake Victoria’s invasive water hyacinth.

“During the dry season when other greens are exhausted, I used to see cows eat the hyacinth but not as much because of an irritating substance in the leaves. This is where the idea of how it could be improved through processing to make it more palatable for animals came,” said Oyugi.

In 2016, Oyugi, a biotechnologist, started his research and development to make a product that was appealing and safe for animals from the irritating weed.

The resulting product was then sent for testing both at the University of Nairobi and the Netherlands before a pilot study on animals from selected areas in Homa Bay and Meru Counties.

He then discovered that the feed increased milk production by 20 per cent while costing half as much as traditional feeds.

In partnership with SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, Oyugi in 2018 launched Biofit Technologies, a firm through which he now manufacturers the animal feed.

“To be able to push my agenda further, I brought in a veterinarian, a livestock nutritionist, and a crop scientist and together we partnered with government institutions, parastatals, and non-governmental organizations in Kenya and across the world,” said Oyugi.

The Biofit animal feed, which has 55 per cent proteins also boosts the yields of all meat, eggs and other animal products by at least 15 per cent.

Though the hyacinth is the main binding agent besides contributing at least 10 per cent of the protein content, other ingredients are added in.

“We also add dagga and other plant-based ingredients to the meal for a variety of animals’ nutritional needs for productivity and protection against mineral deficiency and diseases,” said the entrepreneur.

Farmers in the region now buy a kilogram of the meal at about Sh25 compared to about Sh40 per kilogram of the common commercial feeds.

Job creation

From just four people at its launch in 2018, Biofit has grown to eight full-time employees and four other casual workers.

“This team,” says Oyugi, “Consists of four highly skilled individuals with a background of research and entrepreneurship.”

In addition, since water hyacinth impedes fishing activities, Biofit has contracted 20 fishermen to harvest 300 kilograms of the weed daily, creating a new source of income for them.

The enterprise also boosts women’s incomes by hiring them to do sun-drying of the plant.

“Today, we pride ourselves as being the first company in Kenya to harness water hyacinth and convert it into animal feeds.”

Between 2000 and 2015 Charles Wathobio was a renowned graphic designer producing newspapers and magazines in his small enterprise in Madaraka, Nairobi which used to earn him about Sh60,000 per month.

Unaware of the full potential of dairy goats, in 2005 he decided to keep some two at the backyard of his Rongai home which sat on a 0.25-acre piece of the plot.

‘’Away from my main business, I wanted something which could keep me busy and earn me some income and further reducing my budget on foodstuffs. This is why I settled on the goats when I realised they are easy to rear,’’ said Wathobio.

Luckily enough the goats would multiply very fast and the plot seemed small to accommodate them so he started selling mature bucks of 12 months old at Sh15,000 each. This encouraged him.

‘’I realised that the goats were becoming way more profitable than I had thought. Under proper management, one goat can give birth to triplets and 3-4 litres of milk especially within 4 to 6 weeks after kidding,’’ said Wathobio.

Other than family consumption, he sold one litre of goat milk at Sh200 and above earning him about Sh50,000 per month out of the six goats he was milking.

He, therefore, decided to move his flock back to his rural home in Othaya, Nyeri County where there is enough space to increase his production.

After some online research and attending farmer events where he could learn more about breeding, feeding and the general management of the animals, he decided, around 2016 to abandon design work in town to concentrate on his dairy goat production.

‘’I came to a decision to invest Sh100,000 of my savings into the farming to increase by building a bigger and proper structure. I was convinced of its viability and the fact that it could also give me time to engage in other farm productions,’’ said Wathobio.

Given goats give birth to twins and triplets, in one year his stock had doubled and in in the subsequent two years, he had over 20 goats.

About five years down the line, he has totally changed from a renowned designer in town to become a renowned breeder in the country and beyond supplying bucks to his customers in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

He rears Alpine breed within his five acres piece of land in Othaya. “Alpine dairy goats are the best to rear because they are resistant to tropical diseases,” he said.

To get healthy goats, Wathobio uses artificial insemination. This makes his bucks to be of high demand by other farmers who are always in need of the males for breeding.

‘’I rarely keep bucks as they are in constant demand. This is because I have personally mastered the art of breeding the flock to meet market standards,’’ he said.

He sells a mature served does at between Sh20,000 and Sh25,000 each depending on the animal’s pregnancy stage while bucks which are between 12 and 18 months old, he sells at between Sh15,000 and Sh18,000 each.

He markets his animals via Facebook and WhatsApp groups whereby upon payment by his customers, he takes it upon himself to deliver the animals at a fee depending on the delivery points.

Wathobio also sells milk and yoghurt made from goat milk at Sh100 and Sh400 per litre respectively.

Currently, his stock stands at 40 goats out of which he milks about 30. Each gives between 1-3 litres a day.

His venture has so far grown. Today, he never struggles looking for a market because for a long time he has worked tediously to grow his wider customer base and now he estimates that in a month he can earn up to between Sh200,000 and Sh300,000 gross income.

‘’I have since partnered with a group of farmers and agro-entrepreneurs in the area to build a goat milk processing plant to provide market for enterprising farmers in the region,” said the 48-year-old farmer.

In 2018 the government of Kenya moved to stem over-reliance on maize and subsequent consumption of ugali by introducing a policy to push maize millers to blend maize flour with other local nutritious grains to curb malnutrition.

Among the grains which were recommended for the fortification were amaranth grains and since then the initiative coupled with the health benefits of the grains have seen farmers grow the crop which was previously regarded as a common weed to make quick and good cash.

In fact, according to a 2018 research on Efforts to Promote Amaranth Production and Consumption in Uganda to Fight Malnutrition, amaranth grains have protein content of 12-13 per cent, which is higher than that of most cereal grains making it the most sort after grain globally.

Nutritionists assert that the grains are best for cancer and diabetic patients as it is a good source of fiber, protein, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus and iron, along with several other important micronutrients. It can be used to make animal feeds and skin cosmetics.

The grains can be roasted and eaten as such or grounded to produce flour to make chapati, porridge, cakes, cookies, bread muffins, pasta pancakes, crackers, and fortify maize meal flour.

The green fresh leaves can be cooked and eaten as vegetable as they are good source of good source of protein, pro-vitamin A, vitamin C, and fiber.

Possible returns

Now, grain amaranth has two main varieties, the short and tall varieties recommended for low and high rainfall areas. Maturity occurs in 45 – 60 days for early maturing (short) varieties while late maturing (tall) varieties take 70- 120 days.

Generally, the two drought tolerant varieties can yield an average of 800 –1200 kilogram per acre and can fetch Sh200-300 per kilo by local companies which process and sell grain amaranth products.

This translates to up to Sh360,000 in 45-120 days whatever the variety a farmer choses to grow.

According to Carolyne Okello, an amaranth farmer from Ringa Kakelo in Homa Bay County, amaranth grains fetched Sh150 a kilo about four years ago when she started the venture but things have since changed.

“In 2016 when I started amaranth farming, I could sell the grains at Sh150 or even less in local markets but following the pickup in demand even by food processors, the price currently is between Sh200 and Sh300 a kilo,” said Carolyne adding that she is now doing six acres from an acre she did previously.

From the acreage she harvests 30-35 90kg bags of amaranth grains translating to 3150kg which if she sells at Sh300 per kilo gives her Sh945,000 gross income.

For Philip Odhiambo, another farmer from the area, the hardy crop can grow almost in any environment, including the wild, after germination.

“Amaranth is a giant crop, which ‘oppresses’ other plants in farms when it is a weed. Because of this, even with little attention, it is likely to do well,” said Philip. 

When planting, Philip recommends three to four seeds in a very shallow hole at a spacing of 75cm by 25cm.

As a direct competitor to maize flour, amaranth flour has a major advantage: it already contains so many nutrients that it does not need to be fortified, making it a more cost-effective option, not to mention a healthier one.

As the cost of education continues to rise, many children from poor families in Kenya find it difficult to advance to the higher levels of education due to a lack of school fees.

In fact, the increasing education costs are pushing the global goal of “Education for All” (EFA) beyond the reach of more and more children from less advantaged households, leading to a steady increase in the number of dropouts. 

This is the situation in which George Muturi found himself in 2013 after completing his secondary education and found that he could not proceed to higher levels due to lack of fees.

However, this would not discourage the young man from pursuing other means of becoming successful in life. Poverty seemed to have locked his way to pursuing his education but not his mind to reason.

He, therefore, decided to venture in vermiculture (rearing of earthworms), an idea sold to him in 2015, two years after hustling in poultry farming, by an officer at International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) when he went to buy black soldier eggs to hatch, raise them to larvae stage and feed his chicken. 

Within a portion of family land in Lari, Kiambu County, he would make a structure worth Sh500 before buying some starter worms at Sh2,500 from a fellow farmer.

“This is how cheap I discovered starting off in vermiculture would cost me and I wasted no time,” said Muturi adding that the worms just feed on household or farm wastes which they convert into affordable organic fertiliser called vermicompost that he sells to other farmers for crop production.

“Together with vermiliquid, an organic foliar, the two products are liked by farmers especially those who run kitchen gardens as the dark, rich, earthly smelling fertilizer and foliar amends soils given they are full of both primary and micronutrients readily available to plants,” said the vermiculturist.

Indeed, worm casting also improves the physical property of the soil by improving the tilt, ferocity and moisture-holding capacity of the soil according to Dr Freddie Acosta, a Senior Lecturer of Technology and Innovation Management at Strathmore Business School.

Besides, adding vermicompost and vermiliquid to the soil reduces insect pests and plant diseases in a certain field and greenhouse crops including corn, wheat, pea, cucumber, and tomato.

Now, one kilogram of earthworms (approx. 1500 worms) fed very well and given the right moisture and protection from predators at the beginning of January, can multiply and increase their number to approximately 4000 kilograms at the end of December.

After a year of rearing, a farmer can produce up to three tonnes of organic fertiliser every day.

For Muturi, he harvests 100-150 kilos of vermicompost and 80-100 litres of vermiliquid a month. He sells a kilo of vermicompost at Sh70 and a litre of vermiliquid at Sh150 resulting to Sh25,500 a month.

He also sells the 10 kilos of the worms to other farmers every month at Sh2,000 making Sh20,000 a month.

Besides red worms, he has also started domesticating African Nightcrawlers which are also excellent vermicomposting and fishing worms.

He has since started his own startup, Agri-Tech Organic Farm through which he is designing a simple three-in-one vermiculture system for kitchen gardeners using three buckets that enable the farmers to rear the worms and collect vermicompost and vermiliquid in separate buckets.

Only three buckets of twenty litres capacity with a wider top and narrow bottom, rabbit manure and five kilos of starter-worms worth Sh2,500 is a good point to start from.

The buckets are inserted into each other in such a way that they do not touch each other at the bottom.

 

The topmost bucket in which the worms, rabbit manure and fresh organic wastes such as fruit and vegetable remains are placed is covered at the top and some holes made on the upper sides for letting in the fresh air.

The worms, rabbit manure and fresh organic wastes are sandwiched with some dry matter materials such as grass on top and bottom. Some holes of considerable sizes are also made at the bottom of this top bucket to allow vermicompost and vermiliquid pass through to the second bucket.

“Rabbit manure is preferable to any type of manure because it speeds up the worms’ reproduction leading to faster decomposition of the wastes for more compost manure and vermiculture liquid,” said Muturi.

The middle or second bucket is where the vermicompost is collected depending on the activity of the worms on the organic wastes and the manure. The bucket too has some smaller holes than the upper one allows vermiliquid from the worms in the top bucket to pass through to the lats or bottom bucket.

The last bucket which is raised some few inches from the ground using some bricks, stones or wood has a tap at the bottom through which vermiliquid is tapped.

Vermicompost accumulated in the second bucket is used as manure for crops while vermiliquid collected in the bottom bucket acts as organic foliar and it is best for crops such as fruits and vegetables as started in the introduction.

Muturi installs the system for other farmers at Sh4,500 for the 20-litre buckets and Sh6,000 for the 50-litre bin.

In normal times, Emmanuel Eddionyi an undergraduate student from Kenyatta University could now be in school for his second last semester studies.

However, following the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has led to the closure of all learning institutions in the country several months ago, the Bachelor of Education Special Education (Sp. ED) student, like the rest, has been forced to stay away from school.

“By now I could be ending my classwork then wait for teaching practice or practical lessons later in the year but due to the pandemic even our graduation, I guess, will have to wait as everything is now in limbo,” said Eddionyi.

For many students like him, this situation can be stressful and full of boredom feeling cut off from the campus life- with its vital resources and support networks which has now come to a halt something which can bring what many call ‘corona blues’.

In fact, latest studies have shown that rates of anxiety, depression, and stress in college students have risen significantly over the past months with many students reporting increased stress blamed on COVID-19.

For Eddionyi, his rabbit venture he started two years ago within his parents’ land in Stella, Migori County is relieving him the boredom brought about by the uncertainty of the current situation.

“To me, just tending to these small animals offer me an aesthetic feeling and a reprieve other than the cash I am able to earn from selling them for white meat lovers and other farmers. After all, I no longer depend on my parents for upkeep,” he said. 

When he started this venture in 2018 after a thorough online research, his aim was to turn what used to be his childhood hobby into a lucrative venture and have at least an enterprise he could call his own.

His capital came from sales of scrap metals that he collected from old machine parts that belonged to his mother, of course on the mother’s permission. 

These gave him Sh12,000 which he used to buy some four breeds from an established farmer from Kasarani, Nairobi. He bought one which was already pregnant at Sh3,000 and the rest at Sh2,500 each.

The breeds included a New Zealand white, a Flemish giant, a Canadian giant and a California white. The rest of the money were spent on constructing a structure and buying some feeds.

“I buy a 50kg of rabbit pellets which the rabbits feed on for a duration of three weeks to one month. This is costly as I spend Sh2,500 on the bag forcing me to supplement with some potato vines I grow and other locally sourced feeds to help me manage production costs,” said Eddionyi.

He says the rabbits take 4-6 moths to mature. 

At this stage, one rabbit can weigh 1.5-2.5 kilos live weight and this he sells at Sh800-1,000 depending on the breed. 

He also sells six months old winners to other farmers for breeding purposes at Sh400-800, also depending on the breed.

Eddionyi who also grows some cowpeas for vegetable which reach markets stage in few weeks and sell to traders from Awendo and Uriri Markets says his daily duties always begin early in the morning at around six and ends late in the evening by eight after ensuring that all his rabbits are fed and safe.

“It is very dangerous to idle this time because, as students, we do not have much school work to do at home and one can easily get depressed with the uncertainty of coronavirus crisis.”

To be able to manage his animals well, he says he controls their breeding rate especially every time he is about to go back to school so that they do not overwhelm his mother who helps him in looking after them as she also has other duties to take care of.

Currently he has over 70 rabbits a stock which has increased over the time given he has been crossbreeding the pure breeds with the local ones resulting to a more resilient and more productive breeds.

His vision in the near future when he finally finishes his studies is to transform the venture into a big farm of rabbits and in this, together with other farmers, they are coming up with an association of all rabbit farmers in Kenya through which they will be able to share information and sell their animals.

Leave alone the wild gooseberries that are self-propagating commonly found in farms after harvesting maize, farmers in Kenya can now access a high yielding variety of the fruit which is well known as the Cape gooseberry.

The new variety of Cape gooseberry, Netherlands Gold, produces bigger fruits in size. It also turns golden in colour when ripe and it is sweet, unlike the wild fruits which are somehow bitter.

In addition, Netherlands Gold has a firm, waxy, gold skin giving it longer shelf life.

The wonder fruit (scientifically known as Physalis peruviana) which was traditionally left as food for the birds and hunters in forests has now been improved and is now a money miter for keen agro-entrepreneurs who would like to venture into a unique type of fruit production.

The fruit’s wide applications in the food industry and its health benefits makes it a darling among the rising health-conscious consumers in the country.

According to researchers, Cape gooseberries are an excellent source of vitamins A, B, and C and rich in protein and phosphorus making it anti-inflammatory, and which could help in the management of cancer, leukaemia, diabetes and hepatitis among other lifestyle diseases.

In addition, the leaves of the gooseberry are utilized as medicinal teas. More value-added products such as gooseberry crumb cake, gooseberry cake, juice, jam and wine are other sources of income for the farmer.

Luckily for farmers, the fruit is the next big thing after it was selected by the government among the 100 crops for commercialization in the Big 4 Agenda.

In the Kenyan local dialects, the fruit is called differently, the Luo know it as Nyamtonglo, the Nandi people call it Mboniik,  the Kisii call it Chinsobosobo, Kikusyus call it Nathi, the Kipsigis refer to it as Chelolo while the Kamba call it Ngondu.

High yielding

The new variety-Netherlands Gold which matures in 12-14 weeks has a yielding capability of 5000-8000 kilos per acre and the seeds are planted in the nursery before transplanting seedbeds.

For a quarter of an acre, you can plant 10 grams of seeds worth Sh1,900, a half an acre takes 10 kilos of seeds going at Sh2,800 while an acre needs 40 grams of seeds which can be bought at Sh4,800.

The average yield observed in Kenya is 5 to 8 tonnes per acre but under optimal management, this crop can yield up to 10 tonnes per acre.

Commercial potential

You can start farming the fruits, and park them for the market, or make juice or even jam.

A single plant can yield an average of 200 fruits which is about five grams per plant. This equals 1000g or 1kg fruits per season translating to 2kg per plant per year given the crop has two flowering seasons a year.

Since an acre can accommodate 2500 plants, this will give 25000×1= 2500kg of fruits which if sold at Sh300 per kilo will give Sh750,000 per acre in one season of about 12-14 weeks.

This means that you can double your earnings if you go the possible two seasons a year.

Many at times losing a job is associated with shattered future and people always sympathise with individuals whose contracts are stopped expectedly or unexpectedly due to one reason or another.In Kenya, even before the hit of COVID-19 on our economy leading closure of various business sectors, there were massive layoffs of employees by various companies in a bid to manage their bottom lines or to reduce expenditure.

This was as a result of a reduced income or other factors such as the introduction of technology which rendered some positions redundant. 

However, for Bosco Aredha, a fruit and tree nursery seedlings raiser in Homa Bay County, job loss is never his concern. He has created his own which earns him over Sh200,000 a month. Bosco lost his contract in 2006 at a non-governmental organisation when his contract came to an end and there was no longer a space to accommodate him. Luckily, the organisation which was concerned with the integration of tree crops into the community had impacted some skills of grafting seedlings in him. He, therefore, decided to use the skills he had acquired which include fruit tree management, fruit tree propagation and disease and pest identification to create employment for himself.

On noticing that farmers from his area were travelling a long distance looking for fruit tree planting materials with best strains, he decided to set up a grafting farm to be able to feel the gap with a view creating an income.  He started with some mango and orange seedlings, bought some grafting equipment, fenced his two-acre farm after putting up a shade for the seedlings “All this work took me about Sh65,000 worth of investment. This was part of my savings while I was working with the NGO,” said Bosco. 

It was not all rosy at the beginning because with grafting, he lacked scions and he was forced to source the important material from other established farmers in the area. However, persistence and dedication to his work that he has since loved as his main source of income have seen him through.“I always get orders for these seedlings. I remember after about nine years of establishing this venture, an organisation mitigating the effects of hunger and malnutrition in Homa Bay bought 1,600 grafted fruit trees from my farm at Sh200 each earning me Sh320,000 which really encouraged me,” said Bosco.

He decided to use part of the money to expand his nursery, pay for his children’s school fees, home expenses and savings. Today, especially in peak season during rainy season as at now, the farmer says he makes Sh200,000 a month supplying purely grafted seedlings of various fruits to farmers in the lakeside county and beyond.

“During this rainy season, there is a rush by many people to at least plant some fruits. This makes my farm a bit busy hence there is a need for casual labourers whom I hire from time to time depending on the amount of work available,” said the 44-year-old farmer. Though he grafts all manner of fruit seedlings, his highly sought-after seedlings are those of mangoes of which the varieties available include ngowe, parvin, apple mango, chino and sebin vandyke.

He says farmers like the grafted seedlings because they take a shorter period to produce fruits than an ordinary one

 

 

If you are from Meru or Tharaka Nithi, here is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to start your own agribusiness and be your own boss by participating in the KUZA’s Youth REDI program.

Who can apply?

• Age:  20-35 years
• Prior farming experience: Mandatory
• Education: Minimum High School
• Digital Literacy: Digital savvy and willingness to learn
• Transport: Owns/ can access Boda Boda to commute within your neighborhood to engage smallholder farmers
• Community: Must have a relationship with at least 100 smallholder farmers
• Skills: Good Communication & Interpersonal skills
• Past Experience: Running a small business, preferable
• References: 2 references from  Key Opinion Leaders or  elders/pastor

What will you get?

• Incubation & Mentorship on how to set up & grow your agribusiness.
• A Digital toolkit with good agriculture practices content to offer extension services to smallholder farmers.
• Support from Mentors who will handhold and walk the journey with you.
• Subscription to ONE Network that will connect you to all the agri service providers & access special offers.

What do you commit?

• Your Time and Resources to start and grow your agribusiness.
• Provide agri extension services to your network of 150 to 200 smallholder farmers from your neighborhood.
• Digitize the farms/ farmers & capture their demand for products & services.
• Facilitate agriproducts & service delivery to meet the demands of your farmers’ network & earn commissions.

Apply now :

If you are interested in being part of this Program, fill in your application at

Application Form

and submit by  04 Sep 2020

Program Partners:

 

 

 

 

In the wake of the digital camera revolution and the entrance of smartphones with super quality picture taking abilities in Kenya, Noah Rono was among the worried lot as his life had depended on his analog photography.

The work he stated in 2005 was facing extinction as people started owning mobile phones which they could easily use to capture the moment.

“Others who did not have the phones started embracing modern cameras which gave them instant results. They preferred the new cameras to the old ones which they had to wait a bit longer to get their photographs,” said Rono.

This is how he gradually lost his over five years source of livelihood as he did not have enough money to buy expensive digital cameras. 

So, what was left for Rono? He was not going to sit there and give up on life while his peers were making a kill in maize production. It was those days the issue of the leading staple crop in the country had not been highly politicised as today.

He therefore in 2010 decided to try his hand in maize farming by investing the Sh5,000 part of his savings to grow the crop within an acre piece of the plot.

He would also grow some cabbages on another one acre just to ensure that his family had enough to eat.

On realising the potential of maize farming as one way he could also draw a good income from, in 2013 he decided to drop growing vegetables and focus on maize production.

“I increased the acreage under maize farming from two to three and to further make a good income, I decided that I would sell them green rather than grains which were the norm by any farmer in the area,” said Rono. 

Upon maturity, he harvested his crops from two acres while green for the market. He would preserve the remaining one acre for his family consumption.

To his surprise, the green maize he sold earned him Sh240,000 much more than he would have reaped from grains. That is how he got motivated.

In the subsequent season, he decided to spent Sh120,000 to lease two acres to add to his previous three acres totaling to five.

These, he also decided to do green maize on three while the remaining, to be harvested for grains and his earnings from the crop kept increasing.

But again, his fear was how long he was going to maintain his standards of earning going into the future. At some point the soil was going to start rejecting that one particular crop is grown in it over and over again.

“Luckily enough, in 2017 I chanced to attend a training by Cereal Growers Association (CGA) field officers who trained us on good agricultural practices such as planting certified seeds, crop rotation, minimum soil tillage, and mulching among others,” said the Mesibei, Njoro Sub-county farmer.

Rono then decided to shift to commercial production of potatoes which he from season to season rotated with maize and other indigenous vegetables.

Again, after two seasons of growing potatoes, he realised that there were storage and market challenges as many farmers in the area were into commercial potato production and prices were always dictated by middlemen.

“I, therefore, decided to source for certified potato seeds and major in multiplying the planting materials for the farmers while on the other hand aggregate their produce and sell to traders hence increasing their bargaining power.’’

He says that just within a quarter an acre he can harvest 50 bags of potato seeds weighing 50 kilos each which he sells at Sh2,000 a bag.

Towards the end of 2018, Rono was registered by CGA as an Agribusiness Advisor under the Farm to Market Alliance (FtMA) program . As part of this program, he has attended a number of training programs and has also undergone six-months of intensive Business Development, Entrepreneurship & Coaching (BDEC program) and Mentoring sessions conducted by Kuza Biashara, which has shaped him as a sharper agripreneur.

Today, the former film photographer is clicking fortunes in agribusiness which earns him a minimum of Sh50,000 a season and Sh5,000 a month from an agro vet shop which also helps him to connect farmers with affordable farms inputs.

From just 23 farmers he started with, he now has 78 farmers whom he also trains. The least, he says, can harvest 36 bags of potatoes weighing 50kg each while the highest of the farmers can manage 60 bags of the same measure.

A bag goes at between Sh2,000 and Sh2,500 depending on the variety of the potato and the quality produced.