How I run my farm on the phone

Elizabeth Wangeci, a farm manager in Lanet, Nakuru. She uses a cellphone to keep in touch with the owner who works in Nairobi. SULEIMAN MBATIAH | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • “Trust is very important especially when you are doing telephone farming, besides choosing someone with farming knowledge to run your farm and paying them, even if he is your relative.”
  • With technology, proper planning and agricultural professionals around, Kiragu says gone are the days when farmers had to be involved in the daily management of their farms.
  • Kiragu says he chose a young person because he knew she was enthusiastic to practice what she had learned since she was a fresh graduate. Besides, she does not have numerous commitments.

To many people, farming entails being physically on the farm, turning the soil in and out or feeding and milking the cows.

It sounds a tedious exercise, particularly to the youth, who, therefore, prefer white collar jobs.

But you do not need to be physically present on the farm for you to be a successful farmer.

Though he lives and works in Nairobi, Munyu Kiragu is a successful dairy farmer in Lanet, Nakuru.

However, the banker rarely spends time on his one-and-a-half-acre farm since he is in full-time employment.

“I have 10 cows on my farm,” says Kiragu, who increased the number from six after buying four Friesian heifers recently at the Rift Valley Institute of Science and Technology during an auction.

When he decided to venture into commercial dairy farming in 2012, he was sure that he had to do it part-time.
He needs his job to support farming, yet he requires dairy farming to not only satisfy his passion, but earn extra income.

So, when he set up the farm, Kiragu hired a professional manager. “I have employed a young lady who is trained in animal health as my farm manager. I went for her because I knew my cows would be well taken care of.”

FULL TIME EMPLOYEES

He has three other full-time employees and he hires casuals depending on the amount of work to be done.

Kiragu says he chose a young person because he knew she was enthusiastic to practice what she had learned since she was a fresh graduate. Besides, she does not have numerous commitments.

“Young men spend too much time thinking about other things, older men have too many family commitments. It is the reason I went for a young lady.”

Every morning and evening, Kiragu talks to his manager on phone on the various aspects of the farm. He starts with the health of his cows, to feeding and milking, among other matters.

The farm manager normally informs him if his cows have a problem or need special attention.

“But I have given her the authority to do everything to make the farm run well, including incurring expenses for treating animals. She only informs me for record.”

However, he visits his farm nearly every weekend or when he is not at work.
Kiragu believes people with white collar jobs in towns can make money and create jobs through farming instead of leaving land fallow.

With technology, proper planning and agricultural professionals around, Kiragu says gone are the days when farmers had to be involved in the daily management of their farms.

He is currently making a profit of Sh40,000 from selling milk to local traders from his two cows every month. He gets 60 litres of milk, which he sells at Sh60.

However, he is optimistic that the income will rise to over Sh100,000 monthly in November when his five cows would have calved down.

According to Kiragu, telephone farming comes with its own challenges. One has to bear the cost of both time and money as he ought to frequently travel to the farm.

Mary Wanjiru is another telephone farmer. She can comfortably take up to two weeks before visiting her farm in Kutus, Kirinyaga County. However, she calls at least twice a day to ask about progress of her fish farm.

When she started, Wanjiru knew the easiest and most convenient thing to do was to employ her cousin.
Wanjiru also grows traditional vegetables and maize on her farm.

“I choose him because he has a passion for farming and was growing crops despite training as an electrical engineer,” says the programmes officer at a Nairobi-based NGO.

TRUST IS VERY IMPORTANT

Wanjiru’s cousin is able to estimate what is needed on monthly basis and inform his boss.

“Trust is very important especially when you are doing telephone farming, besides choosing someone with farming knowledge to run your farm and paying them, even if he is your relative.”

Her main client for the fingerings is the Fisheries Department. She supplies them with an average of 10,000 to 12,000 fingerings per month at between Sh10 and Sh12 each.

She sells the catfish to traders at Sh230 per kilo and can sell up to 300 pieces a month. In Mwea, Kutus, Kagumo and other neighbouring towns, there has emerged eateries that solely sell fish. This has created a ready market for her.

She pays her manager over Sh20,000 per month. “We are both happy because we agreed on the pay,” says Wanjiru
Agricultural experts note that telephone farmers can be efficient if they employ professionals and people of good morals.

“There are so many agricultural graduates seeking jobs. People should take advantage and employ them to run their farms,” says Paul Waweru, the Molo sub-county agricultural extension officer.

He advises that farm owners must demonstrate to their employees that they value their crops and livestock by making inquiries at least once a day.

The farmer, according to Waweru, remains the top manager and must oversee the running of the farm to avoid making employees reluctant.

While farmers growing crops like maize may visit their farms twice a week, those dealing with livestock must ensure they do so at least once a week.