Just 3 Months From Planting The Tiny Chia Seeds Have Brought Us Giant Cheer

Kenyans are increasingly becoming sensitive to healthy eating habits. The trend in organic food uptake indicates that more people will be seeking richer and safer diets. This provides a sure market of Chia seeds and seed products within the country. This is the opportunity we identified and went for. Now we smile.

Being a new crop, extremely high demand for seeds is expected over the immediate future as numerous farmers seek seeds for planting. As the industry grows, Chia-based processing plants are set to come up and further drive high the market for Chia.

This is already the situation in developed countries especially Australia, Europe and the Americas. Because of its high nutritional value, the crop is grown commercially in the US, Bolivia, Argentina, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Australia and Mexico for its seeds.

Chia seeds growing in Australia started back in the year 2005 at a place called the Ord Valley. This was started by a scholar who was doing research looking for natural solutions to modern diet related diseases.

Where to sell chia seeds in Kenya

Currently, major clients in Kenya include people dealing with dietary conditions such as diabetics, people with high blood pressure and parents of young children that require omega3 fatty acids. Upcoming farmers also provide a huge market.

The Money Math of Kienyeji Chicken Farming in Kenya

Caleb Karuga, a former TV star, is one of Kenya's renown Kienyeji Chicken farmers. This young chap is a bright mind who must have identified a wide gap in the market and an untapped potential thereof. Consider the following:

For those seeking info on pure kienyeji hens, here is a personal analysis, from personal experience.
If you started with 20 hens. At the end of the year you can easily have 300+ chickens. If you put your effort to it! This is how:

Buy 20 hens that are ready to lay and 3 mature jogoos. Always keep the ratio of males to females at 1 jogoo to 7-10 females for fertilization purposes. That way you're sure your eggs are fertilized. Then the timelines will not fall far off from the illustration below:

Month 1, they lay.
Month 2, they hatch.
Month 3, they rear their chicks.

Once the chicks are one month old, they don't need their mothers for warmth. So withdraw the mother when the chicks are one month old (at the end of calendar month 3) and rear the chicks yourself till they are 2.5 months old before you let them on their own (free range)! This is meant to force the hen to start laying again. We are doing business not letting nature take its course! Come on.

Month 4, the hens take what we call a "Laying break" to adopt to not having their chicks!
Month 5, the hens start to lay again.
Month 6, they hatch again.
Month 7, they rear the chicks (process repeats itself)! Withdraw the mother at the end of month 7.
Month 8, they are on the laying break.
Month 9 they lay again.
Month 10 they hatch.
Month 11, they rear. Withdraw mother at end of month 11.
Month 12, they take the break, waiting for month 1 of the next year to start over again.

A few things to note:
1. You can only practically do this up to 5 times for one hen before it's "tired"!

2. For every cycle, if you stay strict to the process, you get a week accrued for every hatching cycle because hens hatch after 21 days and in the post, I assumed a month for that. So you might squeeze a one month for the hens.

3. Put 8 eggs for every hen to hatch. In most cases, they'll hatch the entire 8 eggs, and for the poor hatchers, they'll hatch 7. Don't be too greedy. 8 has a good chance of hatching them all, as opposed to doing 10+ and end up "spoiling" eggs!

4. If you take care of the chicks in a closed environment away from mwewe and other predators, you should have 5 mature hens for every hatch-cycle, per hen.

5. If you manage to get 5 hens for the 8 eggs hatched and you had 20 hens, you'll have 100 new hens for the first cycle. There are three cycles for every hen per year. That's a good 300 news hens. Plus your original 20 hens, you have 320. Let's just say 300 for the sake of it.

6. By the way, by the time the hen is watching for the third time in the year, the first batch of chicks will already be hatching too. NIIICE!

7. But remember you have an assume 50/50 for cocks and hens! So you have 150 cocks, and 150 hens!

8. If you sell 100 mature jogoos in the Nairobi market, it's waaaay better than trying to win the "Lotto sio Ndoto" con-game.

In all this, you gotta put your mind, effort, money and most importantly, time to it. Don't look at the work right now, look at the end product.

And another thing, by the way, one kienyeji hen lays 15-18 eggs before wanting to hatch, if well taken care of that is. Let's say 15 eggs, give it 8 eggs to hatch and sell the other 7 eggs x 20 hens x 15 bob per egg, that's some 2k unaezalipa tokens za stima.

Always make sure you give the chickens the "newest" eggs for hatching. Eggs 15 days old have a 20% chance to hatch, 12 day old eggs have a 30% hatch rate. Eggs 10 days old have a 50% hatch chance. If it is 7 days, it shoots to 80%. Less than 7 days have a 90+% chance to hatch unless conditions like temperature and humidity fluctuate.

After hens hatch 5 times, sell them and rear the newer ones, they are rendered salvage, they don't lay that much. For those with bigger spaces, do paddocks for easier identification of ages for sale.

Always maintain your "floor stock" at 300 hens and 50 jogoos for easier management and space.

With this, you'll find out that you're collecting 200 eggs every day X 30 days = 6000 eggs less 2500 for hatching, you sell 3500 eggs every 4 months. That's 55k in 4 months. Sell 500 hens 250 jogoos and 250 mweras, at an average worst price of kienyeji 500 bob, 250,000 per year. Plus returns from eggs 55X 3 cycles totals 415K a year. Kienyeji only take about 20-25% of budget. Say 25%. Pocket the rest 311k. Average 25k a month and you don't wake up at 5 to go to work to come back home at 10 PM. More time for family.

Also Read: Six Crops That Can Make You Rich In 2022

Well, this is theory. The practicals have much more fun and some hardships. But it's fun doing kienyeji. And the money is tax free unless you feel charitable enough to give the government.

Make it a side hustle and it'll turn full time. MOST IMPORTANTLY: FEED them, WATER them, VACCINATE them, and give them MEDICATION at first sight of symptoms of illness. I can't stress that enough. Have fun farming. Na kumbuka, UKULIMA SIO USHAMBA.

Kienyeji chicken farming is ideal for Kenyan youths who do not have access to large pieces of land. We have been exploring such opportunities to benefit our youth and we found another very lucrative one that you should consider venturing into in this year 2021. That is mushroom farming, and as you will see from this article How To Make Money With Mushroom Farming In Kenya Throughout The Year 2021 it is nothing difficult to start. We also wrote and gave details of the profitability of mushroom farming in this article: How Profitable is Mushroom Farming in Kenya? Costs and Market analysis. You also have full time support from Richfarm Kenya incase you have questions about mushroom farming through our weekly training and even on phone 0724698357.

Kiwi Fruit Farming Remains An Undiscovered Goldmine In Kenya

Kiwi is a temperate fruit and it can do well in the temperate regions of Kenya like Central, Western highlands, Central Rift Valley and Many other places. It’s also hardy and can tolerate extreme cold and extreme hot temperatures but being favoured by warm climates.

It can grow in a wide range of soils provided they are well-drained and have pH of 5.0 and 6.5. The plant does not require much fertiliser; in fact, exposure to a lot of fertiliser results to burning of the roots, therefore, you simply need to use compost manure.

It is a shallow rooted crop, therefore, requires frequent irrigation for maximum yield. However this property also helps it to absorb water fast in areas with little rainfall hence surviving such climate.

We have actually written a full article with the basics of growing kiwi fruit in Kenya. Below is the link to the article:

The Basics of Kiwi Fruit Farming in Kenya

Kiwi Fruit Farming

But just how profitable is the fruit?

There are very few markets where demand exceeds supply. One such market is for Kiwi fruits which, despite being a relatively new idea in Kenya, has taken the market by storm. And you just need to have a taste of this fruit to understand why so many people love it.

There are very few farmers who have gotten wind of its valued benefits so far. Actually, production of Kiwi fruits in Kenya is yet to kick off on a commercial scale. Now that’s where the mammoth opportunity is. You can take advantage of this low-supply-high-demand situation in Kenya and make your kill.

The average kiwi vine takes 2 to 3 years to mature and start producing fruits. The first few harvests may however not be as productive but this tends to improve throughout the plants mature life.

How much to invest

Let’s start with good news; Kiwi seedlings are now available in Kenya for an affordable price of Ksh.200. You can contact Richfarm Kenya (0724698357) to have clean certified seedling.

The crop management is similar to passion fruit management practices. That means you will also need trellis and enough manure and water to bring up a healthy profitable crop. See the complete guide below; it contains the cost estimates for an acre.

How much to expect

An acre of kiwi fruits carries about 650 vines. In the third year, each vine should give you about 20 fruits; that’s on the lower side. That gives you about 13,000 fruits in a season. Check out the prices in supermarkets today and you will find a retail price of between Ksh.90 and Ksh.100 per fruit. Supposing you sell the fruit at a wholesale price of Ksh.70 per fruit, that acre will give you a cool Ksh.910,000. Now keep in mind that the production increases with time.

I know I have left out most details from this article but we have compiled this comprehensive Kiwi fruit farming guide for Kenya with step by step information from planting through to harvesting and marketing.

It also contains budget estimates that will help you plan appropriately and relevant contacts from whom to source kiwi fruit seedlings and other farm inputs.

It is now available on PDF so you can even read it from your phone while at the farm. You can request for your copy through our Resources Page.

How To Produce Fruits And Vegetables For Export Market For Extra Profit

Is fruits and vegetable farming profitable?

The demand for Kenya avocado, macadamia, passion fruits and a range of other fruits and vegetables in the international market is high and on a promising rise. As such, fruit and vegetable farming presents a good opportunity not only for farmers but also for exporters and other people in the value chain to make good profits from agribusiness.

Fruit Farming in Kenya

For the Kenyan farmers, both domestic and export markets have their own unique advantages but the common thing is that they are undersupplied. In fact, the main limiting factor to farmers accessing these markets is their inability to produce sufficient quantities.

What challenges are farmers in Kenya experiencing?

There are a number of challenges that face farmers in the horticulture sub-sector which include:

1) Low incentives in terms of local market prices.

2) High costs of inputs that include seeds, fertiliser, pesticides.

3) Stringent international standards and market requirements, which are a barrier to accessing the export market. A good example are the conditions put forth by China for Kenyan avocado.

4) Post-harvest losses and lack of quality to improve consumer acceptance.

5) Low availability of capital and limited access to affordable credit for horticultural
farmers.

6) Climate change, mainly unpredictable weather, and presence of pests and diseases. Kenya currently cannot export avocados to South Africa and some European destinations until we demonstrate that we can properly manage the fruit fly and false codling moth. Until we find ways of managing the citrus greening disease in oranges and the woodiness disease in purple passion fruits, the markets for these fruits will remain unexploited.

7) Low adoption of modern farming and processing technologies by Kenyan farmers.

8) Poor infrastructure: Inadequate storage, lack of pack house facilities and refrigerated trucks constrain marketability of horticultural products.

How can you address these challenges?

The first this you should do is get training on production of fruits and vegetables as well as compliance to market requirements. The stakeholders in the avocado and macadamia production value chains are doing a good job in this. Farmers should ensure they attend their trainings and implement what they learn. Richfarm Kenya always updates these events in their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Richfarmkenya/. You can follow the page to receive regular updates.

As a farmer, you should also ensure that you plant the varieties that suit your farm. New fruit and vegetable varieties are also being introduced in the market; these varieties are more productive, resistant or less susceptible to pests and diseases. Richfarm Kenya is always posting information about these varieties on our social media pages and website. Farmers have a responsibility to investigate which varieties of the crops is better for their environment. The officers from our company work very closely to farmers to help them in this. We actually have some information up on our website about this. See the articles below:

1. How To Choose The Best Pawpaw Variety For Farming In Kenya in 2020

2. Farmers Make More Money With The New Muranga 20 Macadamia Variety

3. Why Solo Sunrise Is the Most Popular Pawpaw Variety in Kenya and the World

Are Kenyan farmers exporting more fresh produce abroad?

Domestic consumption of fresh produce is still high and currently stands at about 90 per cent of total production.

However, export market is currently growing and the major markets are in the Euro-zone.

To improve margins, Kenya has focused on diversifying to other non-traditional export markets such as the United Arab Emirates, Middle East, China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

The main products to the European Union are French beans, snow peas and sugar snaps, broccoli, herbs, and spices and avocados, among others. Kenya exports vegetables, herbs and spices, avocados and mangoes to the Middle East market.

How Fresh Produce Exporters Association of Kenya (FPEAK) is helping the small farmer to export fresh produce

Small-scale farmers in Kenya have previously been hit by the European Union’s stringent food safety regulations. The tough measures, combined with rising cost of production, knocked-out some farmers from growing the vegetables for export, leading to drop in the amount of vegetable exports. On the other hand, fruit farming is not as challenging as vegetable farming when it comes to controlling pests and diseases. As a result, small scale farmers in Kenya can easily produce fruits that meet the set standards for international market.

FPEAK links smallholder farmers to its members who buy from them, pack and export to various destinations. They also advice the farmers on the kind of crops that they can grow for the export market.

How Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) works and how farmers can satisfy what Kenya-GAP requires?

Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) is a set of practices that a farmer should follow in order to produce fruits and vegetables that meet export market requirements. In our country, we have Kenya-GAP which explains to farmers the internationally accepted practices in growing fresh produce. These are measures that ensure the food we present to our buyers is safe to eat. It also takes into consideration aspects of environmental conservation as well as the health and safety of our workers at the farms.

In other words, Kenya-GAP teaches us the farmers the best practices with regard to the use of farm products such as pesticides, fungicides and fertilisers while also taking care of employee welfare and farm management, among others.

If you would like to know more about this, you can check out the national standard KS 1758 part II on fruits and vegetables. It explains very well the compliance criteria that farmers in Kenya for both local and export market should observe.

What kind of vegetables and fruits should farmers to grow to access the export market?

Vegetables: French beans, snow peas, broccoli, courgettes, carrots, garden peas, salad onions, leeks and cucumber.

Fruits: Avocados, passion fruits, mangoes, pawpaw, oranges, strawberry and dragon fruits.

Herbs and spices: Basil, coriander, thyme, parsley, mint and chives.

We are always happy to provide you with more details about fruit and vegetable farming in Kenya and how you can access both the local and international markets. You can always reach us on phone or whatsapp on 0724698357 or 0723213602.

How To Prepare Chia Seeds And Their 7 Proven Health Benefits

If you have been wondering why in countries like Australia, America and the European countries chia seeds have exploded in popularity, let me fill you in.

Chia seeds are among the healthiest foods on the planet. They are loaded with nutrients that can have important benefits for your body and brain.

And what's more, Chia seeds are incredibly easy to incorporate into your diet.
The seeds themselves do not have any readily sensable taste, so you can add them to pretty much anything.

They also don’t need to be ground, which makes them much easier to prepare. They can be eaten raw, soaked in juice, added to porridge and pudding, or added to baked goods. You can also sprinkle them on top of cereal, yogurt, vegetables or rice dishes.

Because of their ability to absorb both water and fat, they can be used to thicken sauces and even used as egg substitutes in recipes. They can also be mixed with water and turned into a gel. Adding chia seeds to recipes will dramatically boost the nutritional value.

Here are 11 health benefits of chia seeds that are supported by human studies:

1. Chia Seeds Deliver a Massive Amount of Nutrients With Very Few Calories

Despite their ancient history as a dietary staple, only recently did chia seeds become recognized as a modern day superfood.

A 1 ounce (28 grams) serving of chia seeds contains:

· Fiber: 11 grams.
· Protein: 4 grams.
· Fat: 9 grams (5 of which are Omega-3s).
· Calcium: 18% of the RDA.
· Manganese: 30% of the RDA.
· Magnesium: 30% of the RDA.
· Phosphorus: 27% of the RDA.

They also contain a decent amount of Zinc, Vitamin B3 (Niacin), Potassium, Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) and Vitamin B2.

This is particularly impressive when you consider that this is just a single ounce, which supplies only 137 calories and one gram of digestible carbohydrate!

Just so that we’re all on the same page, 1 ounce equals 28 grams, or about 2 tablespoons. Interestingly… if you subtract the fiber, which may not end up as usable calories for the body, chia seeds only contain 101 calories per ounce.

To top things off, chia seeds are a “whole grain” food, are usually grown organically, are non-GMO and naturally free of gluten.

2. Chia Seeds Are Loaded With Antioxidants

Antioxidants fight the production of free radicals in our bodies, which can damage molecules in cells and contribute to ageing and diseases like cancer.

Chia seeds have antioxidants that protect the sensitive fats in the seeds from going rancid. When we eat the seeds, we ingest these antioxidants delivering immense health benefits to our bodies. There are some claims online about chia seeds having more antioxidants than blueberries, but I was unable find a study to verify this claim.

3. Almost All The Carbohydrates in Them Are Fibre

Looking at the nutrition profile of chia seeds, you see that an ounce has 12 grams of “carbohydrate.” However, 11 of those grams are fibber, which isn’t digested by the body.

Fibre doesn’t raise blood sugar, doesn’t require insulin to be disposed of and therefore shouldn’t count as a carb. The true carb content is only 1 gram per ounce, which is very low. This makes chia a low-carb friendly food.

Because of all the fiber, chia seeds can absorb up to 10-12 times their weight in water, becoming gel-like and expanding in your stomach. Theoretically, this should increase fullness, slow absorption of your food and help you automatically eat fewer calories.

What this means is that if you are struggling with diabetes or you want to lose weight, then chia seeds should definitely make part of your diets.

4. Chia Seeds Are High in Quality Protein

Chia seeds contain a decent amount of protein. By weight, they are about 14% protein, which is very high compared to most plants.

They also contain a good balance of essential amino acids, so our bodies should be able to make use of the protein in them. Protein has all sorts of benefits for health. It is also the most weight loss friendly nutrient in the diet, by far.

A high protein intake reduces appetite and has been shown to reduce obsessive thoughts about food by 60% and the desire for night time snacking by 50%.

Chia seeds really are an excellent protein source, especially for people who eat little or no animal products.

5. Chia Seeds Are High in Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Like flax seeds, chia seeds are very high in Omega-3 fatty acids. In fact, chia seeds contain more Omega-3s than salmon, the fish.

Currently, chia seeds are the richest know plant source of omega-3 fatty acids.

However, it’s important to keep in mind that the Omega-3s in them are mostly ALA (Alpha Linolenic Acid), which makes them a little inferior to animal Omega-3s.

6. Chia Seeds May Improve Certain Blood Markers, Which Should Lower The Risk of Heart Disease and Type 2 Diabetes

Given that chia seeds are high in fibre, protein and Omega-3s, they should be able to improve metabolic health. This has been tested in several studies, but the results have been inconclusive.

In two studies, a diet with chia seeds, soy protein, oats and nopal, has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, increase HDL cholesterol and reduce inflammation.

The most successful application of chia seeds to date was in a study on type 2 diabetic patients. In this study, 20 diabetic patients received either 37 grams of chia seeds, or 37 grams of wheat bran, for 12 weeks.

When they got the chia seeds, they saw improvements in several important health markers. Blood pressure went down by 3-6 mm/Hg and an inflammatory marker called hs-CRP went down by 40%. A risk factor called vWF also decreased by 21%. There was also a small drop in blood sugar, but it wasn’t statistically significant.

7. They Are High in Many Important Bone Nutrients

Chia seeds are high in several nutrients that are important for bone health. This includes calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and protein. The calcium content is particularly impressive… 18% of the RDA in a single ounce.

Gram for gram, this is higher than most dairy products. Chia seeds may therefore be considered an excellent source of calcium for people who don’t eat dairy.

Read also:
- Chia Seeds Farming in Kenya: How Profitable Is It, Complete Guide on Growing It

- Just 3 Months From Planting The Tiny Chia Seeds Have Brought Us Giant Cheer

- Chia Seeds Farming in Kenya: New HerbRich In Oil Has Great Income Potential

As chia seeds become popular in Kenya, its cultivation becomes lucrative. This presents a great business opportunity. You can take advantage of this opportunity now while the demand is high.

We have have compiled this comprehensive chia seeds farming guide for Kenya with step by step information from planting through to harvesting and marketing.

It also contains budget estimates to help you in proper planning. It is now available on PDF so you can even read it from your phone while at the farm. You can request for your copy through our Resources Page.

Habiba Beats Dry Weather In Wajir To Earn Fortunes From Lemon Farming

In a vast, dry region where water is scarce and drought is the norm, 35-year-old Habiba Mohammed and a mother of 7 has adopted lemon farming under irrigation, totally transforming her life.

Now she not only supplies fresh fruits to Wajir town and its environs, she is also an employer and a model farmer in the village of Bangal.

Her farm is used as a case study in bid to encourage area residents to diversify since Wajir is one of the regions in Kenya that has been badly affected by extreme weather.

While many pastoralists have lost their livestock to drought over the years, Habiba is not regretting the decision she made eight years ago.

Habiba’s passion for farming started at a young age. “Farming is my passion, and I got it from my father. When I came here, there were no farms,” she says.

Habiba: Successful farmer in Wajir

Now she is reaping big ever since her ‘discovery’ that irrigation agriculture is the way to go in the region.

She has dedicated two and half acres of her 20-acre farm to crop husbandry and from the figures, it is clear she is on to something special.

In addition to her lemon trees, Habiba currently has 300 pawpaw trees (occupying about a ¼ acre) and watermelons. After every three months, she is assured of at least Sh300,000 from sale of lemons alone, and Sh400,000 from pawpaws every year.

She has also set up a green house where she plants tomatoes and other perishables for local consumption and time after time plants watermelons.

“I supply the pawpaw lemons and it is not enough, I cannot satisfy the local market,” she says.

The huge profits did not start coming until she improved her farming methods. Through the assistance of a non-governmental organisation, Mercy Corps, which saw her hard work and enthusiasm in farming, she was given a solar powered pump which she uses to pump water from one of her three wells.

TACKLING POVERTY AND FOOD INSECURITY

To conserve water, she uses drip irrigation on some sections of her farm, despite the associated cost. She has five overhead tanks which distribute water.

“The solar pump has increased my yields. Before I could get between Sh20,000 and Sh50,000 per harvest,” she says.
She has subdivided her land to optimally utilise it and because it is expansive she leaves some of the sections fallow.

In addition, Ms Mohammed uses mulch and compost manure with the aim of not only conserving water, but also to maintain soil fertility.

But undertaking is not without challenges, “Because of the salinity of the water, the drips and pipes have to be changed regularly. This is in addition to the fact that water levels sometimes go down because of drought,” she says.

A pipe long enough to supply water in the whole farm costs Sh15,000 while a drip kit for a three-quarter farm is Sh34,000.

Habiba used Sh60,000 to sink each well. She still uses diesel to pumps in two wells but hopes to install other solar pumps.

Previously, pastoralists would graze livestock in her farm and would destroy her crops since land in that region is communal and was not fenced, despite having bought it at Sh1 million in 2012.

This is because she also cultivates fodder for her eight cattle and four Toggenburg goats which provide milk for her and her family. The conflict was, however, solved amicably five years ago after elders intervened.

The entrepreneur has four farmhands of whom one is on a permanent basis.

And with the need to monitor weather and market, Ms Mohammed uses mobile phone applications to know commodity prices, market forces as well as get weather updates.

“Irrigation-farming is a sure bet to tackling poverty and lack of food,” she says.

To become a successful farmer like Habiba, information is the most important asset. If you need more information on different agribusiness projects that you can undertake in Kenya, our Resources Page displays several farming guides that you can request for in form of pdf.

Pawpaws Make You Money While Asking For Very Little Input From You

The more I travel and visit farms in different parts of our beautiful country, the more I fall in love with pawpaw farming in Kenya. I specifically love the small red-flesh Solo Sunrise variety growing in the hot areas of ukambani and parts of Embu and Meru. I recently tasted some fruits from Vihiga in Western Kenya and I was thrilled! The climate and soils there are also perfect for a pawpaw farming business and the locals are taking up the opportunity.

Now talking about a business of growing pawpaw makes the deal even sweeter. Despite all the health benefits and the sweetness that these fruits offer, they are some of the easiest crops to cultivate commercially.

Mountain pawpaw farming in Kenya

In February this year (2018), I visited a pawpaw farm in Marigat, Baringo County. Yes, that’s right; Baringo County. This place is one of the most hostile parts of Kenya in terms of climate. It was my first time to experience real heat waves with temperatures rising to about 40°C.

You would expect nothing meaningful to come from such a place. I was surprised to find a thriving pawpaw plantation right at the heart of this place. The 2-acre Solo Sunrise pawpaw farm had all the trees still fruiting.

“Production has really gone down since we last had rains in October last year. We are currently getting just about 250kg from each acre in a week.” Said Robert. I later learned that he was selling a kg of the fruits at Ksh.80 due to the low supply.

I noted that the trees are not irrigated, and they had not been weeded for the longest time save for the slashing of the grasses. I wondered how they survived the dry spell and still produced that much.

Later in March, we were called to Matuu to supply seedlings. It is here that I found another pawpaw farm right at the middle of an arid area but still producing well.

Philip, the manager of the farm told us that they were not tending to the pawpaw trees at all since they were old and the owner of the farm was planning develop a 2-acre commercial farm.

“So you are not harvesting any fruits from these old trees?” I asked Philip.

“We are harvesting. Every tree gives us about 2 fruits every two weeks. We supply a small market comprised of friends of my boss.” He told me.

Since then I have visited several other successful pawpaw farms in Kenya especially in Meru and Baringo. A few farmers have the crop at a commercial scale but the much they do is to weed twice a year and water about once a week. Those who do this can tell you that an acre of solo sunrise pawpaw can yield up to 40 tons in a year.

An acre of solo sunrise pawpaw can produce 40 tons per year

Pawpaw farming is best done in places with warm or hot climate. In such places, farmers who have access to irrigation water make a kill since the price of pawpaw in Kenya is never less than Ksh.30 per kg.

Pawpaws grow very fast and in the hot areas, you get your first fruits in 6 months from planting the seed. This is the case I found in Marigat, Baringo County and Matiliku in Makueni County.

In these dry places, the pawpaws are also not frequently attacked by pests and diseases. In fact, several of the farmer I visited were growing pawpaws purely organically, even using animal manure as the only fertiliser.

The maintenance cost of a pawpaw orchard can be as low as Ksh.10,000 for an acre in a year since only labour during weeding and application of the manure is needed. This one acre then produces about 20 tons of fruits in a year – that is without irrigation. Check out the current market price of a kg of pawpaw in your local supermarkets or open air market and just find out how much you are able to make from one acre of pawpaw with this minimum input.

Pawpaw farming guide for kenya
(PDF)

Now you know what you can do to invest that extra cash you have. Also ensure that you get this papaya farming guide that will guide you right from planting of the seeds through the growth period to harvesting and marketing.

Request for your copy through the Farmer's Resources Page.

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