When the pandemic hit the country, many people sought alternative ways to earn a living.
Margaret Njenga was one of those who looked for alternative means of sustenance after educational institutions were closed by the government as a measure to prevent the further spread of the dangerous disease.
She used to be a primary school teacher. However, when she realized the benefits of farming, she decided not to return to the classroom.
“I had been teaching for only four years before the disease hit. When schools were closed, I came here to pursue farming. My father used to cultivate maize and beans here. From March to December 2020, I realized the benefits of farming, and I decided I wouldn’t go back to teaching,” explained Margaret, who had studied teaching at St. John’s Teacher Training College in Kilimambogo.
Currently, she is a skilled farmer cultivating various crops such as onions, bell peppers, amaranth, cabbage, spinach, kale, tomatoes, among others. In addition to crops, she also raises dairy cows, goats, chickens, ducks, and rabbits. She says she had to prepare the farm properly, including setting up irrigation channels because the area is prone to drought.
“On the half-acre farm, I used 200,000 Kenyan Shillings to set up pipes, for labor, and to buy farm equipment. In the other half-acre farm where I cultivate onions, I spent 270,000 Kenyan Shillings because it has four irrigation pipes,” says the farmer.
She reveals that onions take 45 days in the nursery and 90 days in the field after transplanting.
Spinach and cabbage, on the other hand, take 21 days in the nursery and three months after transplanting to grow in the field.
The 35-year-old farmer has a small nursery where she germinates her crop seeds in special trays.
“I don’t buy seedlings; I grow them,” she says, emphasizing her love for onions because they bring in significant income.
According to Margaret, cabbage, spinach, and other crops help her generate income to sustain herself and even pay her workers while waiting for a substantial return from onions.
However, she points out that there were times when onion prices were extremely low, and she had to sell one kilogram for only 30 Kenyan Shillings.
“It later increased to 50, 60, and currently, I sell it for 70 Kenyan Shillings per kilogram,” she adds.
She believes that to succeed in farming, a farmer should cultivate crops in large quantities. She also emphasizes that having a large quantity of produce leads to higher income.
When she harvests onions in one section of her farm, Margaret plants different crops like cabbage or tomatoes in that area.
“The benefit of mixed farming is that you don’t run out of money. For me, onions take a long time to grow, so while waiting for the onions, I sell cabbage and tomatoes,” she says, adding that this approach helps keep production costs low.
The farmer uses organic manure from her livestock on her farm to nourish the crops. She also purchases fertilizers from her neighbors.
Margaret emphasizes the importance of soil testing before embarking on crop cultivation to determine the nutrients needed in the soil.
The farmer explains that during hot weather, she irrigates her crops for about 30 minutes in the evening.
In addition to her crops, she currently has 70 chickens, both local and commercial breeds. She mentions that she buys day-old chicks and sells them after one month.
“Mwezi uliopita, niliwanunua 100, nikawauza 60 nikabaki na 40. Huwanunua kwa Sh100 na kuwauza kwa Sh400 baada ya mwezi mmoja. Huuza jogoo wa kienyeji kwa Sh1,500 na wa kike kwa Sh800,” asema, akiongeza kuwa, huuza yai kwa Sh20.
