Mushroom farming

Entrepreneur

About Me

I was born in Nakuru and I have lived here for most of my life. I went to Mama Ngina Primary in Nakuru and later schooled at Utumishi Boys Academy which is also in Nakuru County. I later joined Moi University in the year 2010 to pursue my bachelor's degree in Information Sciences. After completing my course I decided to create a job instead of looking for one. So I started doing research in Agribusiness mostly because I wanted to utilize a small piece of land at home. I wanted to do something unique and so an idea of mushrooms came up and .-yes the idea was not very new but it was not common - so I decided to venture into this business but it was difficult to come up with capital. So with the help of friends and family I was able to start. Since then I have encountered several challenges which led to the temporary halt of the business. Mostly I could not dedicate most of my time into the business because I had not finished school yet. So the business without a doubt went own due to obvious reasons. Now that I have finished school, I would like to revive the business into operating full time. I am seeking capital to reinvest and I have actually found a way. I am a freelancer, working online as a writer and again I seek to create employment for my fellow youth through this means. I am yet to start training of people willing to start working online in Nakuru County before expanding. Hopefully I will be able to raise enough capital to go back into Agri-business .I am planning to be a full time farmer and according to my production plan, I could be able to harvest 10 to 20 kilos a day.

My Business

Mushroom farming is not very common in Kenya and they are a very unique plant. Mushrooms are not green, meaning they don't produce their food/ energy like any other plants therefore they get energy by feeding on already dead organisms mostly plants. They also require a certain type of environment which is modified to meet their specific needs. One mushroom farmer said that mushrooms are like domestic livestock because you have to take care of them but as much as they are like livestock, they need everything right where they are. Therefore, mushrooms require darkness and a lot of humidify in order to grow. Therefore, the best structure for them would be a mud house for a small-scale farmer like me but for large scale farmers, other specialized structures are used. Mushrooms are associated with several myths but the fact is, mushrooms are very nutritious and take a small period to grow: 21 to 30 days this makes it very unique because as a farmer you would start production in a short period. But there is much involved in the process of production. Mushrooms grow in two stages: incubation and fruiting, and the environmental factors involved in these two stages are different. The material in which mushrooms are planted is called substrate. A farmer could prepare his substrate or purchase directly from institutions such as J.K.U.A.T. Also mushroom seeds are bought from the same institution for about ksh 1000 for each kilo. Each kilo if planted well could produce about 25 kilos. Basically there are two common varieties in Kenya but the most common is The Oyster which goes for about ksh 800 for each kilo

Loan Proposal

I would buy three kilos of mushroom at around 35 US dollars. This would ensure that I have a consistent production plan which will enable me to harvest for a continuous period of time for several weeks before I purchase more seeds. If the seeds grow well I could harvest around 5 kilos everyday for a period of about one month. A kilo of oyster mushroom retails at round ksh 800 i.e. 10 US D so that's around 50 US D everyday. I would definitely be able to repay the loan and even expand. My main objective is creating good value for customers and creating employment

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