In most African cultures women are not allocated lands especially for economic practices save for kitchen gardens where they practice small-scale subsistence crop farming hence denying them fiscal growth.
However, this narrative is gradually but effectively changing at Anthony Kiptoo’s village in Belgut, Kericho County in Kenya where a group of over 500 women are improving their financial strength thanks to, among others, a plan the 38 years old is implementing to build the women’s crop production capacity for better markets.
“I have come to realize that women, if empowered, can become a special engine for growth and food security in our community. This is why I use the business and farming knowledge I have acquired to change their story,” said the 2009 Bachelor of Commerce in Business Administration graduate from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT).
Anthony who is an agro-entrepreneur plying his trade in seedling propagation since 2017 says that he identified the women following his successful participation in the just concluded impactful Yara Leadership Academy for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) training programme in collaboration with local firm, Kuza Biashara.
Vertical farming
Due to the smaller size of the kitchen gardens the women have, Anthony has introduced a vertical farming method using grow bags and old tyres to grow vegetables within the small spaces.
“A good set-up of grow bags can accommodate up to 1,000 vegetable seedlings the same number an eighth of an acre of open field can accommodate,” he said.
The young entrepreneur’s role is to help the women get the quality grow bags, train them how to set up a vertical garden and sell them his quality raised seedlings before taking them through production and marketing.
In this, he is able to help them grow their income and at the same time find market for their produce while also creating market for his seedlings.
Some of the vegetable seedlings he raises using peat moss within 8x15m greenhouse include indigenous vegetables, kales, cabbages, red and yellow capsicum, celery, Chinese cabbages and cucumbers among others.
The cheapest of his seedlings goes at Ksh0.5 while the most expensive sells at Ksh23.
Creating market
To enable the women and other vegetable producers within the area access market, Anthony has secured market with some of the leading restaurants and high-end hotels in Kericho Town where he supplies organically produced vegetables such as lettuce, capsicum, English kales, cucumber and broccolis among others.
“Before, these eateries sourced the vegetables from Nakuru Town whch is miles away but now I source from the nearby farms and supply them on Sundays,” said Anthony, adding that with the approach he is able to beat competition.
In addition, he has been able to change the mindset of many he works with to start treating farming as a serious business.
Future plans
Besides planning to move into investing in other high-value crops such as avocadoes, passion fruits, and tomatoes, Anthony also wants to venture into animals feeds business as a way of increasing on his revenue streams.
“I have big dreams about crop production and uplifting fellow youths’ fortunes in the near future,” he said adding that he has already approach the county government and received capacity building certificate for certain crops such as coffee and maize.
