Crops burnt our fingers; now we only till for you

Eugene Mbugua (right) and Wilson Muchicha with their new tractor in Kikapu, Njoro. PHOTO | RACHEL KIBUI |

What you need to know:

  • The idea of owning a tractor came during one of their monthly meetings early this year.
  • They raised the capital and bought the tractor from a dealer in Nairobi.

It is a hot Saturday afternoon as I venture into Kikapu Village, in Njoro, Nakuru County. The sun is scorching as I walk across the village to reach my destination, a five-acre farm where a tractor is busy harrowing the soil.

The dust it leaves behind reminds one of the dry spell that has been causing many farmers agony.

At the far end of the farm, an elderly man stands in discussion with two young men as he gestures over the land.

One would think that it is a man teaching his sons the trade of ploughing land.

On the contrary, however, the two young men are the old man’s employer as he works as a senior driver of the tractor.

Eugene Mbugua (24) and Wilson Muchicha (26), together with their colleagues Chris Sang and Kennedy Murimi, own the brand-new tractor purchased at a total of Sh2.4 million, which includes the cost of insurance and transporting the tractor from Nairobi.

They raised the money through proceeds from a film production company named Young Rich, which they started in 2013 and which they co-own. They all met at United States International University in 2009 where they studied different courses.

Sang and Mbugua studied film making, Murimi hotel management while Muchicha studied information technology.

FAILURE

The four, all under 30, had independently tried farming in the past years, only to fail terribly.

Mbugua, who works as the Young Rich managing director, tried his hand at growing beans on two acres in Njoro, near Egerton University, last year.

“I failed because I could not get a tractor to till my land on time. I ploughed when the planting season was over. I ended up losing my Sh40,000,” Mbugua says amid the roaring of the powerful Massey Ferguson tractor.

Muchicha, on the other hand, had partnered with Sang to try their luck at onion farming in Murang’a.

“After investing Sh100,000 from our savings, we ended up harvesting produce worth Sh10,000 only,” Muchicha recounts, attributing his failure in farming to poor practices.

He says he planted more seedlings in the nursery which led to the death of others.

“We were not knowledgeable on onion farming. There is a day I ordered for the crop to be sprayed without evaluating whether there was need. I have now learnt that I need to consult agricultural officers and crop scientists often.”

They also gave orders on irrigation and cultivation over the phone without actually going on the ground.

The idea of owning a tractor came during one of their monthly meetings early this year.

“I pitched the idea so that we can go back into farming despite having nasty experiences. I convinced my friends that owning the machine was better because it was not as demanding as growing crops,” says Mbugua.

They raised the capital and bought the tractor from a dealer in Nairobi.

“The issue of monitoring the tractor’s operations presented fresh challenges because we are all based in the city,” says Muchicha, who suggested they install a tracking system on the machine.

They procured the system at Sh36,000. It now relays the tractor’s every movement to a computer in Young Rich offices in Kilimani, Nairobi. They have further synchronised the system with their smartphones.

The system, for which they also pay an annual subscription fee of Sh10,000, enables them to play back the footage, just in case they were not able to watch operations live.

They have three employees, a manager and two drivers.

They charge their clients Sh2,000 per acre, way below the normal market prices of Sh2,500.

So far, the tractor has ploughed 30 acres. On average, it earns them about Sh6,000 daily.

“We have mainly been serving small-scale farmers, but we are now eyeing the big ones to boost our income,” says Mbugua, adding that their target is to own a fleet of tractors and other farm equipment that they would hire to farmers in the region.

“We want to focus on equipment leasing. This tractor should buy two more as we expand our business. We have given ourselves timelines,” says Muchicha on behalf of their two other colleagues who could not make it to the farm for our interview.

Dr James Mutegi, a scientist at International Plant Nutrition Institute, says there are many opportunities for young people in the farming value chain.

“You may not even buy a tractor in cash, you can take a loan and pay as you use the machine.”

He notes the tractor agribusiness is a valid investment as more than 80 per cent of farmers are poor and cannot afford to purchase their own.

Using tractors for tilling allows farmers to explore the hardy deep soils. This, he says, enhances roots penetration and thus better absorption of nutrients.