Immaculate Wanjira is among the young people who have discovered a gold mine in rice growing.
She got her one and a half acres from her mother, who died in January 2020.
The 29-year-old rice farmer from village seven in Bura Irrigation Scheme, Tana River nation, says she is making decent money from rice farming and has no plans to stop.
Wanjira is currently one of the farmers in the Mwea and Bura Irrigation schemes who have started planting a new rice variety named Komboka.
Her interest for farming began at a young age. She began by farming maize and cotton on her mother’s 1.5-acre farm in Bura Irrigation Scheme.
Production and yields for the two crops were low due to a variety of factors, including pests and illnesses, as well as the high cost of farm inputs.
“I once made around Ksh 20,000 from cotton and Ksh 90,000 from maize on one and half acre. I was able to buy a motorbike from the money I made from maize farming. I use it to get to the farm and run errands,” she said.
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Wanjira’s and her siblings’ lives have improved since researchers from the Kenya Agricultural Livestock Research Organisation and the International Rice Research Institute introduced the new rice type.
She stated that since she began planting the rice type in 2020, she has harvested over 60 bags, earning her over Ksh 250,000 from three acres.
“Last year, I expanded the acreage under rice to six acres and was able to earn close to Ksh 700,000. I am planning to expand by another six acres to make a total of 12. If the crop does well, I am hoping to earn close to Ksh 1 million,” she said.
KALRO director general Eliud Kireger says the adoption of Komboka rice variety is a success story.
“KALRO in collaboration with IRRI started the promotion of Komboka rice variety in October 2020. The first farmer field day were held in early March 2021 and by then only a handful of farmers were planting Komboka,” he said.
