How diversification has turned farmer's life around

"Agriculture is a form of loving myself," she says.

Having been brought up in an agricultural home, Jane Maina, 42, had always loved farming but it was not until 1996, that she started taking it seriously.

“By then, I was living in Kibwezi and I noticed that there was a shortage of eggs. Back then, people would source for eggs from very far and I saw an opportunity,” she says.

She decided to rear chicken and supply the eggs. She purchased one-day-old chicks and reared them to maturity.

“This was my breakthrough. I was supplying eggs to the community and I loved it. I would reinvest the profits I made in the business and at one point, had more than 300 kienyeji chicken,” she says.

She then decided to diversify and started rearing broiler chickens as well.

“I did this for about ten years before I moved to Kerugoya. I used my savings from the chicken business and bought a water pump, which I used to get irrigation water from the river,” Ms Maina says.

She picked up and started growing cabbages, greens, capsicum among others, through irrigation.

Dairy farmer

“By now, I had become a serious farmer. I would sell my produce to sustain my family and educate my children,” the mother of three maintains.

She also managed to save up enough money to purchase a half acre piece of land and two cows in Nyeri and started dairy farming.

Currently, Ms Maina has seven cows. Three out of them, supply her with milk, which she sells.

“Every day, my cows produce at least 40 litres of milk, which I sell in my kiosk and also to the milk brokers,” she says.

From syringe farming to having a personal vet for her cattle, she has invested heavily to ensure her cattle give her the best quality milk.

“I look for nutritious food for my cattle and ensure all the supplements needed are taken at the right time. I have also hired a personal vet who comes to check my cattle monthly, to ensure everything is running smoothly,” she says.

Ms Maina believes in diversification and that is why she also rears at least 10 pigs and 30 kienyeji chicken on the same farm for meat and eggs.

“There are seasons when the milk is bought at very low prices and you need a fall-back; that is why I decided to diversify,” she says.

“I also grow coffee. I only have 60 bushes but I tend them very well. Last year, I produced 2,000kg, which gave me good returns,” she says.

For Ms Maina, farming not only feeds and sustains her family, but it has given her a sense of independence.

“Farming is loving myself because with it, I cannot beg anyone for food, no matter how bad times get,” she says with a smile on her face.

Kiosk business

However, she says, it has not come without its challenges since it requires a lot of products to boost its growth.

“Farming is expensive, especially dairy farming, since you have to buy supplements for the animals and feeds whose prices are off the charts,” she adds.

She also maintains that selling milk to brokers was hard due to the delays in payments and low prices.

“When there is a surplus in the market, the prices go down. However, I have been doing my best to ensure productivity all year long with projects like the syringe for storing animal feeds,” she says.

She has 10 syringe tanks and a hay tank, which she says ensures her cows are fully fed.

Ms Maina targets to have at least 10 cows for producing milk, which will increase her savings and help her open up an outside catering business.

“Everything that I have accomplished is through agriculture. I have built a house, started a kiosk business and I hope to start the outside catering because I love cooking,” she says.

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