Agri-business-arrow-roots farming

Thomas

Nairobi,kenya, Kenya

15% repaid

Entrepreneur

Name

Thomas

Member since

August 2015

On-time repayments

71 installments  •  11%

About Me

My elders say it was a period of great famine in the land, the farms were desolate and scores of livestock died. Many families, would go without meals and malnutrition took toll on children . Many adults were famished too and it was a time despair, it was the worst of times in Meru - the year was 1985 .

My parents worked hard to put my four siblings and I in school. We did not have everything a child wants but we were such a close knight family, love was our glue, as it is to this day. I laud my parents for upright upbringing and to them I owe much than I could ever say.

Ever since I can remember I’ve had a fervent desire to be a Writer .When I graduated from University in 2006 ,I landed a job in a Bank but a year later I quit to write, and write I did. I’ve a authored a book entitled, ‘Lamentations of African Wilds ‘and now working on two more. My other writing genres are proposal, content, business plan, blogging and general ghost writing .

Not long ago, I found another fulfilling occupation-farming! I‘m inspired to do farming for food security and livelihood .I started with a few livestock ( 1 heifer and 10 indigenous chicken) but the farm is fast growing. Currently I have 3 heifers, 50 Indigenous chicken ,5 ducks and arrow-root farm with 700 plants.
With the help of Zidisha I’l inject capital into the agribusiness for expansion.My Projection is the next 1 year is 10 000 arrow-root plants .I’ve particularly found arrow-roots Production a remarkable venture owing to its low cost of production (comparative) using highland technology ,low risks and sustainability. Once the project stabilizes I wish to inspire other community members to embrace it through capacity building .

Not only do I want to enhance my livelihood through farming but create impact to the community through food security ,I also find agribusiness very interesting .Until recently when I had to unlearn, I had put in my mind that a farmer is an old chap who wears long overalls and chews tobacco while hauling manure into a dilapidated wheel barrow. Times have changed; farming is now a rewarding occupation .It unleashes confidence ,creativity and it is altogether fun.My favorite thing about being a farmer is that I wake up every day knowing exactly what needs to be done and I’m seeking your empowerment to do it.

My farm in Meru has very favorable conditions.There is water,electricity and good transport infrastructures .The community around is very hearty and cordial except that alcoholism among the youth is a thorny issue.

I like reading fiction and classics as well as writing ( The book I'm currently writing is entitled 'Interview with a Ghost' ). On a good day you may catch me carving egg shells. There is something fascinating about the shape of the egg, and the idea of making this into art.

My Business

I do mixed farming-Crop and livestock .
On crop segment my focus is arrow-roots . I 'm using Upland Arrow-root Technology .This farming method can contribute greatly to food and income security, while helping in climate adaptation in Kenya, bearing in mind many river valleys have dried up due to global warming. Upland arrowroots technology involves planting the crop in trenches lined with polythene paper and filled with soil manure mixture at a ratio of 2:1. Planting trenches are spaced at 0.5m. One acre of upland arrowroots technology grown tubers will accomodate 29,333 plants which will yield 29,333 tubers sold @ Ksh 15 ($0.15)= Ksh 439995 ($4399.95 ) gross income. The tubers are in high demand in Kenya due to increased health consciousness .Arrow root leaves are rich in vitamins and minerals. They are a good source of thiamin, riboflavin, iron, phosphorus, and zinc, and a very good source of vitamin B6, vitamin C, niacin, potassium, copper, and manganese. Corms are very high in starch, and are a good source of dietary fiber.

On Livestock framing my present focus is heifer rearing and indigenous poultry ( later on I'l introduce pigs. As dairy farms grow and specialize in milking cows, one enterprise that may be removed from the dairy farm to allow for milk cow herd expansion is heifer raising.I thus buy heifers,feed and sell after a few months (8-10 months) at a profit.Say a heifer goes at Kes 10 000 ($100),at maturity I could sell at Kes 45 000 ($450).

I also keep indigenous poultry,mainly chicken and ducks.They are easy to establish,are more prolific and unproblematic to rear,are more genetically diverse, well adapted, and more resistant to local pests and diseases and they are are vital for future food security, leading towards self-employment and self-reliance.In addition they fetch better prices in the market compared to hybrids.

I'l be able to service the loan from the proceeds of my writing services and salary from my employment .I'l plough back 50% of the profits for business expansion and remainder for home improvement and education of my daughter.

Loan Proposal

I wish to expand an arrow-roots project and run the farm more efficiently.The loan will help me cover some of the operating costs necessary to run the farm.In detail I'll do the following with the loan:

1.Meet labor cots-Prepare and expand the area for new arrow-roots planting.
- ( USD 100)
2.Buy 500 arrow-root tubers - (USD 100)
2.Buy essential farm equipment(hoes,spades and wheelbarrow)-With better equipments (, I will cover more land quickly and I will not need to hire thus cutting costs in the long-run (USD 900)

Feedback

None

None

None

Loan Info

Project Type

Classic Loan

Disbursed amount

$298.00

Date disbursed

Dec 3, 2015

Repayment status

Late

Projected term

15 months

Other loans

Lenders

X

xander

Plainfield, Vermont, United States

A

AndreeBrouwers

Antwerpen, Belgium

N

nsamberger

London, United Kingdom

NhinSD

San Diego, United States

J

jgillard

Winchester, United Kingdom

Zidisha

Sterling, United States

MakeSense

-, St. Kitts and Nevis

andreas

Katsdorf, Austria

O

OneSummer

Muenster/Westphalia, Germany

F

FilemonInvest

Odense, Denmark

Myrar

Aarau, Switzerland

R

robandcasey

JOHNS ISLAND, United States

C

ckd25n

san francisco, United States

swendl

Iowa, United States

postnihilist

Honolulu, United States

BF

Bob Fitzjohn

Fontvielle, Monaco, Yemen

tswickrama

Orlando, United States

W

wally

Torino, Italy

G

greendave

Manchester, United Kingdom

H

HobbyCollector

Beach City, United States

R

run426

DeBary, United States

J

jumpfunky

Dortmund, Germany

P

Purplejeep

Moravia, United States

A

axienjii

Amsterdam, United Kingdom

D

Dan

United States

M

misaheat

United States

J

Jonas

Linköping, Sweden

T

theironbank

United States

D

duncanb

United Kingdom

P

plhughes

United States

K

Kber9156

North Parramatta, Australia

B

bigMo

United States

A

AaltvM

Netherlands

B

blambert

United States

M

Microfinance

United States

Grant Xavier Storer

Seattle, Wa, United States

S

sarahb

United States

L

Lagrange

United States

Matthias Schulz

Berlin, Germany, Germany

Kyle Hoback

Omaha, United States

R

ross22

United States

K

Kelly729

United States

LL

Bulgaria

Becky Thompson

Leeds, United Kingdom

Sara

United Kingdom

UD

Ulf D

Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Peter R

Fulda, Germany

B

Bruce

Hong Kong

Dave Bogard

New York, United States

Veeti

Helsinki, Finland

C

carlos

United Kingdom

Torsten Schreiber

Frankfurt, Germany

AA

Adam Atlas

Montreal, QC, Canada, Canada

Elias

Ulm, Germany

S

sa

Canada

KH

Kaylee Howell

United States

K

Kristen

United States

DR

Derek R

Australia

MW

Matt Willis

United States

WH

Walter Hill

United States

H

Hakon

Drammen, Norway

JM

John Meserve

United States

PP

Peter Paap

Netherlands

ward

Netherlands

Max Lettenberger

Madison, WI, United States

T

Till

A small town in southwest of Germany., Germany

Jani

Finland

Kevin

San Francisco, United States

HS

Harry Shulman

United States

Crystal

Ohio, United States

M

Marc

Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom

KD

Kent Don

United States

BS

Bruno Silva

United States

TS

Ted Suzman

United States

EB

Erica Brescia

United States

Jennifer Weber

Canandaigua, Ny, United States

A

Anthony

United States

Sandi Kaucic

Stow, Ohio, United States

Maren Robison

Seattle, United States

Mouhamed

United States

MM

Marshall M

United States

KL

Ket Lin

United States

Sam

Earth, United States

Paul

Seattle, United States

Cameron Graham

Nashville, TN, United States

JD

Jeff DePree

United States

Sandra

Böblingen, Germany

Oliver Hasenberg

Iserlohn, Germany

WE

Wendy Emlyn

Devon, United Kingdom

Ask Thomas a question about this project, share news and photos of your own, or send a simple note of thanks or inspiration.

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  • Wendy Emlyn    Jul 21, 2016

    We haven't heard from you for several weeks, and you're getting very behind with your payments. Please contact [email protected] to discuss the best way forward. We want to help you, but you have to do your bit too!
    God bless you,
    Wendy

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  • Wendy Emlyn    Jun 13, 2016

    Please can you contact Zidisha to arrange a lower weekly installment.That is better than letting yourself get behind with your payments, which can make it harder to get another loan. You can increase your installments again when you have more money coming in. Zidisha is very helpful and wants you to succeed rather than struggle!
    God bless you,
    Wendy

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  • Wendy Emlyn    May 22, 2016

    Hello Thomas. Are you able to start making payments again yet? If not, please get in touch with Zidisha, and ask them to reschedule your loan.
    God bless you,
    Wendy

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  • Thomas    Feb 1, 2016

    I hereby request adjustment of the weekly installment to Kes 500.Thankyou

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  • Wendy Emlyn    Jan 28, 2016

    Hello Thomas. Can you get in touch with Zidisha again to reduce your payments to a more manageable level? That is better than letting yourself get behind with your payments, which can make it harder to get future loans.
    God bless you,
    Wendy

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  • Thomas    Jan 4, 2016

    Dear lenders, happy new year! I request to adjust my repayment installment to Kes 1 000 . I'm in a low season owing to the holidays but soon after January I'l revert to the original repayment schedule.Thankyou for consideration.

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  • Thomas    Dec 7, 2015

    Dear Lenders,thankyou so much.I received the loan.

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  • Thomas    Dec 1, 2015

    Dear Wendy, Robert, Sandra, Matt, Dave, Peter, Kmbrunskill, Marco, Didaz, NhinsD, Robandcase, Makesense, Run426, Marion, Sa, Blambert, AndreeBrouwers, Jonas, Prareen, Swendi, Bettina, Kantari, Word, Hakon, Heather, Tiojoca, Sara, Tswickrama, UlfD, Henry, Kristen, Xander, Carlos, Theironbank, Matthias, Martin, Hobby, Melissa, Torsten , Jumpfunky, Miko, Max, Till , Andreas, Derek , Jani, Jw, Herb, Filemon, Ckd25sn, Tisw lm, Bruce , Pierre, Walter, Daniel , Franklin, Harry, Crystal, Johno, Marc , Peter , Kaylee, Ian, Gaustam, Divya, Myrar, Fkorling, Eivind, Kent, Bruno, Kevin, Ted, Erica, Greendave, Jennifer, Dtr, Anthony, Sandi, Nathan, Brock, Jgillard, CDNlisa, Simon, Misaheat, Maren, Wally, Jonathan, Mouhamed, Duncanb, Microfinance, Meron, Onesumer, Kber9156, Aatum, Snoopy, Sandra, Purplegreen, Debsmith18, Sarahb, Elias, Marshall, Veeti, Bigmo, Michelle, Keltlin, Tisolo13, Dasteph, Sam, Axenjii, John, Tcollins, Becky, Ann, Kyle, Ross22, Paul, Cameron, Nsmberga, Adam, Pihyhes, Villa, Maria, JeffDePree, Lagranje, LL, Kelly729 and Olivier.Thankyou so heartily.

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  • Thomas    Nov 30, 2015

    Dear Wendy,Robert,Sandra,Matt and Dave. I thank you sincerely for your generosity and promise to pay back the borrowed amount within the promised period.

    Thanking you,

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  • Thomas    Nov 16, 2015

    “A farm includes the passion of the farmer's heart, the interest of the farm's customers, the biological activity in the soil, the pleasantness of the air about the farm -- it's everything touching, emanating from, and supplying that piece of landscape. A farm is virtually a living organism. The tragedy of our time is that cultural philosophies and market realities are squeezing life's vitality out of most farms. And that is why the average farmer is now 60 years old. Serfdom just doesn't attract the best and brightest.”
    ― Joel Salatin, Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal: War Stories from the Local Food Front

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  • Thomas    Nov 9, 2015

    Thankyou so much ,I have completed making the repayment of the first loan .I'm so thankful for the help .The arrow-roots are thriving well ,and I seek to expand the project.Thanks again

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  • Thomas    Nov 1, 2015

    Hello

    I trust all is well with you.I've made a repayment ,one more to go.Thanks

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  • Thomas    Oct 27, 2015

    Dear People ,

    I've made the 4th repayment .The crop is doing so well .I've plans to expand the project.Thankyou for your support.

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  • Thomas    Oct 19, 2015

    Dear Paul,

    I have made the 3rd repayment .The loan helped me alot,I was able to buy a 500 Ml water tank (I will post the picture ),and the arrow roots are flourishing .Thanks

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  • Thomas    Oct 2, 2015

    Dear Friends,

    I trust all is well with you. I have paid the first installment.Thanks

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  • Thomas    Sep 24, 2015

    Dear Paul,

    I successfully received the loan.Thank you so much

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  • Thomas    Sep 22, 2015

    Dear Paul,

    I am deeply obliged to you for the financial help you have extended for my arrow-root project. The help that you did ,to a great extent will spur accomplishment of some critical objectives as the project grows,and I will keep you updated with the progress. As spelt out under terms and conditions,I will gladly return the amount.

    Once again thank you so much.

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  • Rosemary    Sep 8, 2015

    All the best Thomas. Good business!

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    • Thomas    Sep 22, 2015

      Thankyou Rosemary,I'm excited for help extended by Paul Graham ,and your most kind support as well.I will keep you posted with progress of the project.

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