I lost Sh20m trees, but I am not quitting yet

Tall, elegant and beautiful, that is how I describe the hundreds of trees in my farm in Lenginet, Nakuru County.

I have planted them three metres apart and in straight lines, the reason why they form a very beautiful man-made forest.

The trees to me are like cows or maize to crop farmers. I have grown various species of eucalyptus trees namely camalduonsis, corymbia, maculata, grandis and camaldulensis on my 100-acre farm.

I also have 20 different indigenous trees and shrubs that include Acacia Abyssinica, Mugumo (fig tree), Muiri (Prunus Africana), Mukima (Grevillea Robusta), Muchorowe (Buddleja Polystacha), Mexican ash and bamboo.

I love trees so much, that is why they occupy the most part of my farm. My love affair with trees did not start in the barracks, but many years back while growing up in Kipipiri, Nyandarua County.

I was born and brought up on the edge of Aberdare Forest. I started getting used to trees as soon as I began crawling.

And when I later joined Kagumo High School and Kapsabet Boys, my love for trees blossomed because the two institutions grew different species, which were labelled by their botanical names.

After high school in 1965, I was torn between joining Egerton Agricultural College to study dairy technology or the military. I had scored 17 points in my final exams.

I ended up in the army following the advice of Captain Edward Flay, a former Kapsabet High School principal. He had been trained in the British military.

His reason was that while in the army, we would be trained on different professions including law, medicine, engineering, veterinary, medicine and farming.

He was right. I learned many things in the military where I started as a second lieutenant and rose through the ranks to become a deputy army commander and served as a commandant of National Defence College at Karen in Nairobi. I retired in 2003.

While in the military, I did not have time to pursue farming. But as soon as I retired, I decided to engage in it. Tree farming was my first choice.

DAIRY FARMING

Then, I did not want to go into maize farming for commercial purposes because everyone was doing it. Right now I plant maize on 20 acres, part of which I feed my animals.

I keep 30 dairy cows that include Holstein, Friesian, Jersey, Ayrshire and Guernsey breeds.

The trees I planted in 2007, over 3,000 eucalyptus, are now ready for harvesting. I invested only Sh30,000 but I am now expecting between Sh10 million and Sh15 million.

My key buyer is Kenya Power, although they also have huge demand in the construction industry.

But over the years, I have been selling mature trees and seedlings. Each tree goes for between Sh3,500 and Sh4,500, while he sells the eucalyptus seedlings for Sh20 and Sh50 for indigenous ones.

Trees are good. Apart from earning money from them, they have numerous environmental benefits.

They provide habitat for birds and an attractive scenery. They help in carbon reduction and clean the air. Again, they attract hundreds of birds, which help beautify my farm.

However, if you are not patient, I would not advise you to grow trees for commercial purposes.

Trees take up to eight years to mature. That means you must have another source of income, but when it comes to harvesting, one reaps big rewards. At the centre of any good commercial tree planting is good seeds selection and care.

Trees need deep ploughing, correct fertiliser or manure application when they are still young. It is also advisable that you plant trees from Kenya Forest Research Institute (Kefri) because they are high quality.

The seeds are first planted in a nursery, then transplanted to the farm where they are planted three metres apart. Weeding is crucial for the first two years to avoid ending up with stunted or weak trees. The weeds can even kill the plants.

In 2007, I lost more than 10,000 trees to snout beetles, a virulent pest that can decimate acres of young eucalyptus trees.

I sought advice from Kefri officers. They visited my farm, did tests and advised me to cut the trees.

The beetles bore holes in the trees making them unusable. I harvested them for firewood.

If the beetles had not attacked my 20-acre eucalyptus plantation, this year I would be harvesting trees worth over Sh20 million.

But I am grateful for all that experience, which at one time helped me serve as the chair of Kenya Forest Service.

My dairy unit has cushioned me from such adversities. I milk 150 litres of milk from my 15 cows that are lactating.

I have learned that the secret to running a successful dairy farming is good feeding, clean water and regular deworming.

I also keep 20 dorper sheep and 10 geese. I have employed 10 workers on my dairy farm but I believe if I increase my production to between 300 and 400 litres of milk per day, I will be able to start my own plant to produce fresh milk, yoghurt and cheese.

This will employ more people and offer farmers market. This farm is everything my wife Virginia and I have. We spend most of our time here taking care of our trees and animals as all our four children are grown up.

Farming has helped me cope well with my retirement. I put part of my pension into farming and I have not regretted. At 68, I am enjoying my retirement because of farming.

I would want to tell those who are working, particularly the youth: “Don’t wait for retirement then you go into farming. Start early as you prepare for retirement, once you leave work, go and manage your farm. You will not worry about money.”

Are you engaging in any agribusiness? Tell us how you started, where you sell your produce, challenges, and lessons you have learnt. Send us your story in 700 words to [email protected]. Please include your telephone number.