Aston Lukoye
Young people rarely regard agriculture as having a promising future. This is true even in Kenya, where agriculture provides a living for 70% of rural households and 65 per cent of the population resides in rural areas.
Martha Otieno gave up her job search after a year in Kenya’s highly competitive labour market to pursue a farming career.
Starting From Scratch
The bachelor of journalism graduate from Tanzania’s St Augustine University returned to her rural home in Homa Bay County after failing to find work in the media industry in Nairobi.
Ms Otieno, 28, put her whole funds of KES 40,000 into an acre of watermelons with nothing but a desire to make money.
“I was living with a friend and dependent on my parents for assistance,” she recalls, “and you know how expensive life in Nairobi can be.”
She went home and joined a women’s self-help group that engaged in a variety of small-scale income-generating ventures, the bulk of which were merry-go-rounds and collective investing.
Experience and Education
Because the bulk of the members-only had a high school diploma, her involvement in the group provided her with much-needed experience and new organizing skills. She showed them how to cultivate bananas and mangoes on a small scale and divide the income among the group.
After a few months of working with the group and accumulating enough funds, she decided to go it alone. She understood that farming might be a lucrative business for her.
She continues, “I didn’t want to recreate the company with my ideals,” so she chose to go her own way.
Losses and Uncertainties
She anticipated to benefit of KES 300,000 from the rented plot of land after only three months, but severe flooding struck only three weeks before harvest, ruining her entire crop.
“We live in a flood-prone area,” Ms Otieno continues, “but I did not expect to be confronted with its disastrous implications so immediately.”
She picked up the pieces and enlisted the expertise of agronomists to figure out how to make the most of the little parcels of land while minimizing the risks.
She eventually began leasing small portions of land in various parts of Homa Bay County as a way to spread risk and ensure a steady income.
Since getting into agriculture, Ms Otieno has owned a four-acre tract of land for just over three years. She is unable to reveal what she creates, yet she has no regrets.
Watermelons may cost up to KES300,000 after three months, while tomatoes and capsicums can cost up to KES250, 000, and they can grow up to five acres in a season.
Conclusion
Her jobless age mates called her as her revenues improved, wanting to know her secret to success, and being the business savvy person that she is, she saw a chance to develop her ventures while also supporting.
