Family’s model mixed farm where local farmers get tips

Neither low academic grades nor limited land space stood on the way of Mr Samson Tanui in achieving his dream of being a successful horticulture and livestock farmer.

In the midst of expansive maize, wheat and pasture farms in his Ketiplong home in Kesses division, Uasin Gishu county, Tanui has turned his eight of an acre piece of land into a gold mine.

The county is famed for large scale farmers and is in a region classified as country’s food basket but with the small piece of land, the 36-year-old has positioned himself as an agricultural entrepreneur attracting a lot of interest from aspiring farmers who go there for benchmarking.

He is a mixed farmer and in the small piece of land he has managed to rear chicken, sheep, rabbits, a dairy cow, a goat and on one end he farms onions, oranges, kales, mangoes, cassava, bananas and flowers. He also has several beehives.

.

Keep Reading

• Kenyan agricultural traders eye market opportunities through CIIE
• Ditching maize for bananas
• Role of water in animal health and productivity
• In Kenya, livestock farming stands as a testament to tradition and resilience

The spring onions and the flowers are grown in a raised garden under a shade.

“I didn’t do so well academically, but i scored a  B- in Agriculture, I have always loved farming,” he said. After high school, he worked at his parents’ orange farm at Cheptabach in Kesses during a time which he thought of starting keeping livestock but he didn’t have the capital to do it. 

He got a job at a security firm in Eldoret town where he worked for a few months. With his little savings, he bought the land. An eight piece of  land ranges between Sh380,000 and Sh420,000 in the area.

“After I bought the land, I didn’t know what exactly I wanted to do with it. One morning on my way to work, I noticed a lot of women were ferrying onions, tomatoes and kales and other food stuffs to the market and the nearby  Moi University. They inspired me to venture into farming and from then on I started working on my farming plan,” said Tanui.

He started off last year with two orange trees whose fruits are currently maturing. Next he planted kales and onions and this has been his main source of income.

“To erect the raised garden, I went to the university and collected empty plastic containers which I use to plant the onions. I bought manila threads that I use to hold the containers in place,” he added. He said the onions in the hanging garden are transplanted to the ground once they are ready. So far, he has 1,000 onions that will be sold at Sh10 each. They onions mature in three months.

Tanui has 50 layers that guarantee him an average of 46 eggs daily. “We also boil the eggs and sell them at Kesses and around Moi university each at Sh20. In a good day I make Sh920 from the eggs,” he noted.

The kales earn him about Sh10,000 every month while his dairy cow which produces three litres of milk earns him him Sh180 daily.

Making supplies

Tanui said a local supermarket chain in Eldoret approached him to consider making supplies to its horticultural unit but he couldn’t commit himself since he could not sustain the demand. “Before I ventured into farming, I didn’t know what I was losing, there is ready market for farm produce and it is my wish that more youth consider going into farming. I have also realised you don’t have to have a land of your own, you can lease and buy one when you have enough cash,” he added.

His farm, commonly known as S&J garden derives its name from Tanui’s first name Samson, who is in charge of the farms operations and that of his wife, Juliet, in-charge of marketing.

“Apart from beatification of our homestead, S & J garden has kept us busy, helped us generate income for our family and helped us meet the education needs of our two children,” said Juliet.

Juliet said the project has also been used as a case study to encourage youth and other development stakeholders in the region to engage in self-help projects.

Abraham Maiyo, a private veterinary official who has been resourceful to Tanui in extension services said however small the project, it is gainful as it generates income and also used as a case study in the region. “This is a project that secures food and income in our families. Large scale farmers should emulate this,” said Maiyo.  

[email protected]     

.

Keep Reading

• Successful Cucumber farming on leased land - Youth in Agriculture
• From humble beginnings to producing Cherry Tomatoes sustainably - Youth in Agriculture
• New Cashew Nuts Variety That Mature in 18 Months - Kalro
• Kitchen gardens of hope for Maasai women