My half-acre garden, my permanent job

Mrs Teresia Murimi, an urban farmer in Nakuru North sub-county on July 9, 2014. Maize farmers in the North Rift have asked the government to speed up payment for their produce delivered to the National Cereals and Produce Board. SULEIMAN MBATIAH |

What you need to know:

  • Vegetables do well in Engashura and there is a great demand as many people are now conscious of what they eat.
  • When I harvested after three months, my first earning that month was Sh15,000. I was selling 2kg of beetroot at Sh150. I had harvested over 100kg and this earned me Sh7,000.
  • But I did not give up. In fact, the poor yield was a blessing in disguise because it made me tax my brains on how best I can utilise the land to harvest more and still have surplus to sell and earn an extra shilling.

I have never touched or seen a pay slip and I even I don’t know its colour. I have never been employed throughout my life.

I am a house wife but if today I was to be issued with a pay slip at the end of every month for the work I do in my half-acre piece of land, my net salary will have to be at least Sh40,000.

When the rains are good, my income goes beyond Sh50,000. The beauty of my job is that I can get money whenever I want it.

When I started farming in 2004 at Engashura in Bahati in Nakuru North sub-county, it never occurred to me that this small piece of land would turn out to be my ‘posh office’.

At first I planted maize and beans in keeping with tradition of the area. My husband, who used to work with the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission, had bought the land and told me this will be your employer.

It was not difficult for me to accept the job because my parents too were farmers. My first crops, maize and beans, were a big let-down and did not do well. I got 10 bags from both. I did not sell even a single bag as I used it to feed my family of four girls and one boy.

But I did not give up. In fact, the poor yield was a blessing in disguise because it made me tax my brains on how best I can utilise the land to harvest more and still have surplus to sell and earn an extra shilling.

Conscious of what they eat.

Vegetables do well in Engashura and there is a great demand as many people are now conscious of what they eat.

So the next thing I did was to demarcate my land into four blocks where I planted different types of vegetables including capsicum, onions, sukuma wiki, spinach, Managu (Night shade), Kunde (cowpeas), beetroot, courgette, cucumber and peppers.

When I harvested after three months, my first earning that month was Sh15,000. I was selling 2kg of beetroot at Sh150. I had harvested over 100kg and this earned me Sh7,000.

Sukuma was giving me Sh300 after every three days while onions were fetching me Sh400. Spinach was contributing Sh400.

I have ventured into dairy farming, where I started with a single cow but today I have 10, four of which are lactating and giving me 30 litres a day.
Every day I sell between 25 and 30 litres of milk which earns me between Sh1,000 and Sh1,200.

One of the major challenges I face is lack of employees as I have one and this has slowed down my profit margins.

Another big challenge in Engashura is lack of adequate water as it is rationed to three times a week. I have constructed an underground water tank with a capacity of 30,000 litres and installed a 10,000 litres overhead plastic tank. These two tanks cost me Sh200,000.

I have a biogas system which was constructed under the Kenya National Domestic Programme with support from the Royal Kingdom of the Netherlands. This biogas system cost me Sh100,000.

Before I constructed the biogas system, I was spending up to Sh3,000 on cooking gas in a month. This is now big saving and adds to my earnings.

I don’t spend a single cent on conventional fertiliser too because I use organic manure. I don’t apply synthetic pesticides as I spray my vegetables with pepper and this helps to keep pests at bay.

One of the key lessons I have learned is that you will never go wrong with vegetable farming due to high demand of the commodities.

I have also learnt that opportunities are everywhere and it doesn’t matter where you start as long as you concentrate on what you are doing.

My advice to anyone wishing to go into vegetable and dairy farming is that you be your own supervisor. Never over rely on your employees. Your presence at the farm is what will determine your earnings.

With vegetable farming, you are assured of visiting your bank many times smiling as long as you source your seeds from genuine dealers and seek intervention of qualified agricultural officers.

Now, I have seen another opening in poultry as my customers keep asking for the birds and the eggs.

I am not in any farmers’ cooperative or group, but I think it time I join one. I believe this will accelerate my growth.