When the pandemic hit the country, many people looked for alternative ways to make a living and Margaret Njenga was one of them, after the government closed educational institutions to prevent the dangerous disease from spreading further.
She used to be an primary school teacher. However, after discovering the benefits of farming, she opted not to return to school.
“I had barely been teaching for four years when the sickness struck. When the schools were closed, I came here to start farming. My father used to grow corn and beans here. From March to December 2020, I discovered the benefits of farming and decided not to return to teaching,” she said.
Njenga is currently a skilled farmer who grows a variety of crops, including onions, bell peppers, amaranth, cabbage, spinach, kale and tomatoes.
In addition to crops, she breeds dairy cows, goats, chickens, ducks and bunnies. She says she had to carefully prepare the land, including installing irrigation systems, because the area is prone to drought.
“On the half-acre farm, I spent Ksh 200,000 installing pipes, hiring personnel, and purchasing agriculture equipment. The other half-acre field where I raise onions cost Ksh 270,000 because it has four irrigation pipes,” she explained.
Njenga explained that onions require 45 days in the nursery and 90 days in the field after transplanting.
Spinach and cabbage, on the other hand, require 21 days in the nursery and three months after transplanting to grow in the field.
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Njenga added that she maintains a tiny nursery where she germinates crop seeds on special trays.
“I don’t buy seedlings; I grow them,” she explains, underlining her love for onions, which provide a major income.
Njenga further claimed that cabbage, spinach, and other crops allow her earn income to support herself and even pay her employees while she waits for a significant return on onions.
However, she admits that there were periods when onion prices were exceedingly low, and she had to sell one kilogram for only Ksh 30.
“It later increased to 50, 60 and currently, I sell it for 70 Kenyan Shillings per kilogram,” says the lady.
Njenga believes that in order to thrive in farming, a farmer must produce a big quantity of crops. She also highlights that having a huge number of produce increases income.
When she harvests onions in one portion of her farm, she plants other crops such as cabbage or tomatoes there.
“The advantage of mixed farming is that you won’t run out of money. For me, onions take a long time to develop, so while I wait, I sell cabbage and tomatoes,” she says, adding that this strategy helps keep production expenses down.
The farmer fertilizes her crops with organic dung from her cows. She also buys fertilizer from her neighbors.
Njenga emphasizes the significance of soil testing before starting crop production to assess the nutrients required in the soil.
She says that during hot weather, she irrigates her crops for 30 minutes in the evening.
In addition to her crops, she currently has 70 chickens of both local and commercial varieties. She says she buys day-old chicks and sells them after a month.
