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: 25 August 2017; Hits: 8621

Farmer championing rooftop gardening in Mombasa

A rooftop garden. With dwindling arable land, rooftop gardening can feed dozens of people comfortably. Photo: satu harapan.

In the unforgiving coastal climate and land that returns poor yields is the story of a rooftop garden, barely the size of a standard kitchen, hosting over 1100 different plant, and returning Sh20, 000 a month.

The story of proper planning, constant monitoring of the small farm and cascading design of the sack gardens is better told by Tabitha Mwiwawi, the owner, and an interior designer who has borrowed lessons from his trade to perfect the art of urban farming in a land of scarcity.

Tabitha who comes from Chuda in Mombasa uses water from her borehole during dry season to water her garden. This makes her production and supply consistent throughout the year.

In her rooftop balcony a cocktail of hanging gardens and neatly cut bottles co-exist as they enjoy the cool coastal breeze. In this miniature farm, sukumawiki, spinach, cowpeas, dania , onions, cabbages, brinjals and pepper among other crops feeds Tabitha in what she has dedicated her life to doing.

They used water bottles neatly arranged are filled with charcoal dust, manure and soil and they serve as seed beds. Once seeds sprout they are transferred to the black plastic bags that serve as their growing medium until they are ripe for harvest.

“Very many farmers at the coastal region have tried to grow various crops but the harsh weather and poor soils have disappointed. But people must eat. So what do we do? We have to get creative and beat the tough conditions. It is what I have chosen to do, and I am living proof that you can farm anywhere,” said Tabitha.

The many crops in her rooftop gardens means that she can alternate planting and eventually harvesting them, giving her a steady income throughout the year. With an initial investment of Sh10,000 three years ago, Tabitha now earns on average Sh20,000 each month from the sale of the produce to her neighbours. This is enough for her since she also consumes part of what she grows meaning she cuts down on food budget, and because she does this farming as a part time job.

“However it doesn’t look as rosy as it might sound. A lot of work goes into tending and taking care of the crops. For starters I wake up very early to ensure the garden is watered. Considering this is horticulture, I also have to be sensitive about what fertilizers and chemicals I use so I have to keep constant watch. I prefer foliar fertilizer. Then there is the weeding which plays a key role in determining the amount of yield I will get,” she said.

Her farming especially in an area farmers have given up on farming is a rubberstamp to a gospel being advanced by policy and research institutions on the way forward in food production. According to institutions like Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa AGRA, and FAO, unprecedented population explosion is putting a strain on food production. The situation is further exacerbated by the fact that arable land is dwindling as it gets replaced by housing developments and as it competes with the exploration of natural resources. The solution, the institutions insist, is in tapping small portions of land to produce more. Miniature gardens like Tabitha’s it is argued, can feed dozens of people comfortably.

For more information, Tabitha can reached through: 0725702090

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: 23 August 2017; Hits: 7148

Mfarm empowers smallholder farmers with easy market access

Mobile farmer photo by Ars Technica.jpg

Sharing information with farmers via mobile phone bolsters production and promotes easy market access

A majority of small scale farmers in Kenya and Africa as a whole have limited access to up to date market prices for various farm produce from their farms especially in the rural areas. Middlemen have taken advantage of this lack of knowhow by farmers to enrich themselves at the expense of the very hardworking small scale agriculturalists.

Upon realizing the challenges facing farmers in accessing information, Jamila Abass, a computer scientist founded an application called Mfarm, which connects farmers with buyers directly.

“Many farmers produce good quality produce, but lack knowledge on how to market them hence incur heavy losses” said Jamila.

Mfarm, founded in 2010, is a transparency tool which enables farmers to inquire current market prices of different crops from different regions and/or specific markets. What farmers need to do is to simply send a short message (SMS) to 20255 to promote their products on sale.

When an order is placed through MFarm, the farmer takes his or her produce to the designated collection point and sends a message to confirm the produce has been delivered. The buyer then collects the produce and verifies the quantity and quality by sending a message to MFarm.

Once that's been confirmed and the order has been fulfilled, the money is released by MFarm to the farmer's account. With larger orders where multiple farmers are involved, the money is distributed between different accounts.

A study in central Kenya with 600 farmers showed that farmers could double their sales by using MFarm. "Mfarm can lower costs [of supplies] and offer better margins for farmers, but the other value proposition is a consistent market," says Abass. "It's not just about the prices but also knowing if a buyer will be available."

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: 02 August 2017; Hits: 7522

Mixed farming immune farmer from severe losses

Horticulture farmer weeding his cabbage crops. Mixed farming cushions farmers from sudden drastic weather or market changes. Photo: nmcorpkenya

As other growers in Migori County were thrown into hopeless and uncertainty after tobacco buying company - Alliance One Limited- shifted its focus to other markets last year, mixed farming cushioned Gilbert Boke from the sudden shock.

Boke has been a tobacco farmer since 2012, but from 2015, he decided to incorporate horticultural farming to diversify on income as the tobacco market turned turbulent.

“I started growing vegetables and tomatoes because our tobacco produce could overstay in store before collection and sometimes payments delayed,” said Boke.

Indeed, his predication came through in May 2016 when Alliance One Limited exited Kenyan market to Uganda and Zimbabwe, citing low leaf quality in the country.

This left more than 10,000 farmers in his home county stranded with their produce.

At that time Boke had half an acre on tobacco and the rest of his four acre land on cabbages, tomatoes, spring onions and indigenous vegetables.

To him the exit of the tobacco firm was more of a relief. He destroyed the four structures where he dried the tobacco leaves after selling everything out. He realised Sh5000, which he used to expand his horticulture farm.

“After destroying my two tobacco stores and two drying chambers, I sold materials to scrape material brokers, added some money and invested all in vegetable and tomato farm,” said Boke.

In total Boke used close to Sh70, 000 to beef up his horticultural farming.

He divided his four acres into four sections. Cabbages and tomatoes in one and half acres each. Then spring onions and indigenous vegetables on half an acre each.

“With certified inputs, consultation from agricultural extension officers as well as visiting demonstration farms and agricultural shows, I have witnessed good harvest,” he said.

In 75 days after planting Boke would start harvesting his Gloria F1 cabbage. His one and half acre carries more than 2, 000 cabbages, which he will harvest in three phases. The main market for his cabbages are Migori, Isebania and Kehancha towns. However, most of his indigenous vegetable are sold within his Nyanchabo village, Kuria West.

A bag of cabbage of 50 kilogram costs Sh3, 000. During abundant rain Boke harvests up to 85bags of 50kg each. This translates to Sh255, 000 gross income.

He harvests 200-250 tomato boxes, which sells between Sh2, 500 and Sh3, 000 to make close to Sh1.2 million net income. The harvest depends on the rain.

The indigenous vegetables are sold to locals who consistently call in to ask for different quantities. He takes the surplus to the local business centres.
Spring onions is another big catch of cash. A sack of 50kg spring onions sells at Sh850 to traders from Daraja Mbili market in Kisii County.

With his close to Sh1.5 million in about five months, Boke is glad that he is able to manage his bill and school fees for his children. This has also seen him become one of the talked about agriculture entrepreneurs in the area.

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