As Kenya struggles with increasing unemployment, especially among young graduates, a resourceful man from Kaptongeno village, Belgut sub-county, in Kericho County has embraced smart farming as a viable alternative after facing setbacks in his job hunt.
Meet Silas Kipruto Kemei, an enthusiastic and determined young man who, like many of his peers, dreamt of working in an office as an ICT officer after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology; however, that dream never materialised.
After numerous unsuccessful job interviews, 33-year-old Kipruto found himself at a crossroads, and it was during that time of frustration that he turned his thoughts towards farming, unsure at first how to make it a profitable endeavour.
“I had a small portion of land at home, about one and a half acres, where I had grown tea, but the returns were too low; I could barely fend for my family with returns from tea. And that is when I had to decide to do away with tea and try a new venture of growing indigenous vegetables,” said Kemei.
The brilliant farmer, whose passion and zeal have now made him popular in the region because of his unique indigenous vegetable farming skills in a small portion of land, is well organised and landscaped in a modern kitchen garden style, making it suitable for a variety of vegetables.
The first impression you get as you walk towards his garden is a well-kept garden full of healthy and flourishing vegetables planted in magnificent rows, dark green colour being the theme of his farm.
As his popularity continues to grow since he uses social media to promote and market his venture, Kemei has been attracting clients from various institutions like schools, hospitals, and business people to whom he supplies indigenous vegetables.
The indigenous vegetables in his garden include black nightshade (Managu), Jute Mallow (Saga), kale (Sukuma), spinach, and cabbages. Other plants in his garden include strawberries and spider plants.
“I have 65 gardens on the farm, of which, in a harvest, I earn Sh13,000, and in a month I harvest 3 times, which equals to Sh39,000 per month,” testified Kemei.
To add to that, Kemei also mentioned that he not only supplies fresh vegetables, but he is now also engaging in training people on how to start profitable smart farming ventures and kitchen gardens.
“People from all walks of life book appointments with me, and they visit the farm to learn, and I charge Sh. 500 per person for the one-day training. I also get invited to train people from their farms. This is fun, and I am so passionate about it, and it is very profitable as well,” remarked Kemei.
Besides vegetable farming, the hard-working farmer also practices goat rearing on his farm. The goat breeds in his farm are German Alpine and Toggenburg breeds, which are known for their high milk production. Kemei reveals that goat milk is in high demand and costs Sh 200 a litre.
“I used to rear cows on my farm but experienced low profits, so I decided to venture into goat farming, where I started experiencing massive profits,” advised Kemei.
Besides goat rearing, Kemei also practices poultry farming, in which he keeps a variety of domesticated birds such as SASSO F1, Rainbow rooster F1, guinea fowls, Silkies, and Bantams. He rears some for eggs and meat while he keeps ornamental birds such as Silkies for beauty.
Through the training from government-sponsored seminars, he has managed to breed black soldier flies, which he uses to make maggots to feed the poultry, affirming that it contains 50% protein that the poultry need.
Through a government-sponsored Programme, the Agricultural Sector Development Support Programme (ASDSP), Kemei was taught to commercialise chicken and was taught disease control and vaccination, which has helped him mitigate losses from sicknesses.
“I started with only 100 chickens, but now I can rear even more than 2,000 chickens, so it is a process. You start small, and you advance with time since you also get to learn more about how to breed the poultry, since they can be very sensitive,” added Kemei.
With continued participation and seriousness that Kemei showed in government training, he was awarded a brooder by ASDSP, and this has helped him breed poultry properly and keep them away from risks of parasites or diseases.
Kemei advises youths to embrace farming and refrain from waiting to get white-collar jobs in this era. He testifies of how his farming has expanded to a level where he has employed 5 permanent staff and others on a contract basis.
“Most youth fear farming since they consider it a dirty job. I just have a question for them: Is it better to be dirty and earn money or to be clean and be broke?” asked Kemei.
Kemei was excited to note that the future looks bright. He plans to expand his venture further by acquiring more land to accommodate more vegetables and also expand modern structures for more goats and chickens.
By Kibe Mburu and Ken Kiprotich
