A young, thriving agripreneur has urged fellow youth to embrace agribusiness as a job rather than wait for white collar jobs.
According to Mkulima Mdogo Seedlings proprietor Loise Kabuti, agribusiness is still underutilised, and it would reduce an overreliance on white-collar jobs as well as create employment for oneself and others besides filling the country’s food basket.
Kabuti, who is in her late twenties, studied electrical engineering at the university while her husband, Lamech Victorious, specialised in the construction industry, but the two did not shy away from soiling their hands to form the award-winning agro-based company known for producing fruits, vegetables, herbs, and tree seedlings. The latter is the farm manager, while the former is the firm’s CEO.
“After finishing school, we decided to give farming a hand, albeit without the skills and expertise that we have gained over the years until we transitioned to soilless media propagation from the traditional nursery bed we started with in 2016,” says Kabuti.
The skills they took over from their grandfather, who was a farmer, motivated them to start the agribusiness empire, which has currently employed over 60 young men and women in different capacities as they produce more than 200,000 seedlings per week using trays and soil-less media (coco peat) in a greenhouse setup. The demand for their well-hardened, quality seedlings keeps rising.
Subsequently, the firm is able to rake in above Sh300,000 per month, according to Kabuti.
She cautions the young people against being rigid in their career choices, noting that getting into the farm in whatever capacity, even in a small way, would eventually pay off as long as one exercises patience and continues to learn.
“Learning never ends. Researching and employing the services of qualified personnel like agronomists has given our firm a niche in seedling production, and that is why we have a broad clientele from all over the country and beyond,” he continues.
“Make use of technology, be patient, and do not despise small beginnings,” she advises.
Further, Kabuti calls on the youth to shun antisocial behaviours like indulging in crime and substance abuse but instead use that energy productively as they earn a livelihood.
When KNA visited the farm in the outskirts of Kenol town, we found a group of young people who had gone to purchase seedlings and also learn how to manage them in order to get a return on investment.
We spoke to Allan Mwangi, a young agripreneur in the neighbouring Kirinyaga County.
“I finished school and decided to venture into tomato farming as I searched for a job in animal husbandry that I studied at the university, but after 3 years I became passionate about farming, and this is now my full-time job,” he says.
He has employed three people on his farm and is able to cater for the operational costs and take good care of his family, as he attests to making an average of Sh100, 000 per month.
The young agripreneurs have, however, lamented the high cost of farm inputs and have called on the government to subsidise the same.
“Pesticides, herbicides, and fertiliser prices are high, and if we can access them at subsidised prices, we will be able to reap more from farming while also encouraging more young people to venture in,” argues Mercy Mwangi, another young farmer based in Kiambu County.
They have also urged the government to provide the services of agricultural extension officers so as to help them develop more programmes to become more self-reliant as well as teach farmers ways to improve soil quality and new farming methods, complaining that they are forced to rely on private entities who are only available at a fee.
By Florence Kinyua