Young Kenyan Professionals going to the farm

Take time on a Friday to observe the crowd in your favorite joint in the evening. Go to the mall on any given day and take a good look at the human traffic. Look around next time you are having Nyama Choma (Grilled meat) along the highways. Who are these people who are making a weekend road trip to unwind by the lake? These are the Kenyan young professionals and an emerging strong middle class. They work hard and play hard. They are high spenders and have expensive habits. Flashy lifestyles trying to outdo the other, with cars, parties and gadgets.

These young professionals are employed in banks, telcos, the Government, NGOs, insurance, law firms, audit firms and other corporate organizations. A number of them are entrepreneurs. They earn a decent salary but this usually is not enough to keep up with the lifestyle. The money that is saved has to be used in the best investment channels for maximum returns. There are several investment options but one seems to be trending and a lot of attention is being drawn to it. Farming! Kenyan young professionals have now adopted farming as a ‘side hustle’, which means a business done on the side.

Farming has had a bad face for some time now, but this seems to be changing. It is seen as a good source of income. A high return investment channel and a retirement plan. Younger people are though opting for new ways of farming. New farming technologies, short cycle and high value crops. The best part is they are doing this for commercial purposes. The demand has always been there and can only go up; the approach is what is changing. Yes, there are risks associated with farming but the success stories everywhere by other young farmers have shown it can be done. Just do it right.

The returns can be pretty good, but no one said it’s easy. Being new to farming, there is a lot to learn in the trade. Friends and family are the biggest advisers. Family may even own a chunk of land somewhere in the rural area that can be used as a start. Leasing of land is also an option in target areas. Savings are used and if they need boosting, a loan can be easily accessed as they are credit worthy. Since they want to do this right, expert opinions are sought for but they don’t come easy. Market research is usually warranted so that come harvesting season it’s clear where to sell the produce.

People used to ‘freestyle’ in farming but hard lessons have been learnt. There is need to understand the risks and anticipate them. By virtue of being an owner of a farm, there is need to drive the vision. Ignorance is not allowed, knowledge is power. This means one has to equip themselves with the necessary skills. It is the only way to draft a proper business plan for a farming venture. Consultation with experts and experienced farmers in the field is important for correct information. It is common to employ a farm care taker, usually not a professional to handle the farm. If they are not aligned to the owners goals, well trained or experienced then failure awaits. Cases of people being swindled by their own family on farms are also not rare. Someone once said that the best fertilizer is your own two feet on the farm. I totally agree. New farmers should make time to be at the farm, mobile phone management just doesn’t work well.

Farming has its downs and people have shared their frustrations. You can see this on social media groups like Digital Farming Kenya on Facebook. What you will also see are happy young farmers with amazing results. Farming can be very fulfilling. Seeing plants and animals grow before your eyes has a joy so refreshing.

I need not say the bigger impact associated with farming; food security, source of employment, and generally improving lives especially here in Africa. It has been said time and again that Agriculture has the potential of changing the African story if we fix some things.

One fix is to get the young involved. I believe technology is here to enable it.

It can be done, let’s go farming Kenya!!

Written by Paul Mburu Njuguna