Wangari Kuria was born and reared in Nyahururu to her father who worked as a mechanic, and her mother who is a farmer
However, she did not see her mother profiting from her produce as she would harvest the crops, and her father would sell them and use the proceeds.
Wangari’s mother did not receive anything, therefore she did not see farming as a viable source of income.
In 2010, the farmer left Nyandarua to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, Political Science, and Communication at Nairobi University.
Wangari went on to attend USIU, where she earned a Master’s Degree in Business Administration-Strategic Management from 2015 to 2018.
She had difficulty finding work after graduating from university.
To make a living, she sold light bulbs and later began bringing people maids from the village.
They began cleaning jobs for people after forming a friendship with another while residing in Eastleigh, renting a house for Ksh 2,000 per month.
Wangari then got a job with a real estate company.
Starting with a small salary of Ksh 60,000, she advanced in the company and even took out a loan to purchase a plot in Nairobi to build rental properties.
However, things changed after she lost her job. She was still paying off her loan at the time and had no idea how difficult it would be to find another work.
Things became really difficult, but she persevered. She had just met her partner, and the two of them had moved to a farm in Kitengela.
Wangari began farming and would approach neighbours who were not utilizing their plots and ask to cultivate them.
“It was at this point that I started a garden at home. I later requested my neighbours to lend me their idle spaces to farm, which they agreed,” she said
Today, her modest farm grows strawberries, sage, coriander, and mushrooms, among other things. She explained how to plant high-value crops on small plots of land.
This crop brings in more money than the others. Her mushrooms earn her between Ksh 360,000 and Ksh 400,000 in six weeks.
According to her, the most critical aspect of mushroom gardening is maintaining a consistent room temperature. She also farms black army flies for livestock feed.
