Organic fruits and vegetables production

Paul

Nairobi, Kenya

100% paid forward

Entrepreneur

Name

Paul

Member since

April 2014

On-time repayments

81 installments  •  64%

About Me

My name is Paul Kimani. I was born in Koru, Western Kenya and grew up as an ordinary African child from lower social class. My family was forced to move from our home following the deadly ethnic clashes of 1991.
We moved to Nairobi where my mother has been a trader at a city market.
I'm very passionate about the environment and advocate for living in peace with nature, wildlife and most importantly with other people. I often visit Nairobi National Park as I enjoy seeing wildlife roaming freely in their natural habit just a few kilometers from the center of the busy city. It shows we can accommodate each other if we chose to. I also enjoy participating in conservation activities and have been planting trees to mark different events in my life such as birthdays and anniversaries.
I have a bachelor's degree in Tourism Management from Kenyatta University.
My hobbies are, camping, fishing, cooking, gardening and writing articles.

My Business

I started a grocery supply business where I was supplying eggs to hotels and fast food outlets, but later changed to less bulky products. I now supply mushrooms, strawberry, cherries, gooseberries and blueberries to supermarkets and other retailers in Nairobi. I source the fruits from farmers in various counties (Laikipia, Nyandarua, Nyeri and Kiambu). The products are packaged and labeled at the farm and all I apply is my marketing skills to sell them. My cost include that of transport and delivery, which leaves me with a markup of 15-25% depending on market prices. Fresh produce are highly affected by factors of supply and demand and fluctuation of price. I intend to solve this by producing them myself.
I have so far completed a short course in mushroom production at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
I own a small farm where I have planted fruit trees, vegetables and rear chicken, goats and very soon pigs as a "grow your own food project."
I'll be delighted to share the progress with zidisha family.

Project Proposal

There is an increased demand for quality organic food. I intend to plant tamarillo fruit trees and intercrop them with kales and spinach. The money will be used to purchase the seedlings, land preparation and installing of irrigation system and purchase of compost manure. I already have a well in place. Tamarillo mature after 8 months and that's why I will intercrop with kales and spinach which will be ready in 2 months. They will be harvested weekly for a period of up 18 months.

Feedback

1

None

None



Loading...

Project Info

Project Type

Pay It Forward

Disbursed amount

$299.00

Date disbursed

Feb 25, 2023

Backers

Scott

Oregon, United States

fairspirit

Utrecht, Netherlands

sderickson

Berkeley, CA, United States

Patrick

Nyeri, Kenya

Framework Eyewear

Utrecht, Netherlands

Brenda

Nairobi, Kenya

TF

Todd Fonseca

United States

Vratik Krocik

Prague, Czech Republic

Lurch

United States

Pamela

Kisumu, Kenya

Antony

Nairobi, Kenya

John

Bungoma, Kenya

Ryan Agnew

Australia

DO

Denis Ontiveros

Guildford, United Kingdom

Miftakhul

Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia

Gilbert

Embakasi , Kenya

Manfred

Nairobi, Kenya

Grace

Kikuyu, Kenya

S

Sibyl

Basel, Switzerland

JB

Juan Busco

United States

SH

Shawn H

United States

E

Erica

United States

Samwel

Bondo, Kenya

Kees

Germany

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

Please log in to comment.

  • Paul    Jan 14, 2024

    The price of the bike went up by close to 20% affecting all my plans as I had limited funds to invest in it.

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Paul    Jan 14, 2024

    The price of the bike went up by close to 20% affecting all my plans as I had limited funds to invest in it, but at least I have it now and will put it to good use.

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Paul    Nov 20, 2023

    I am yet to receive the e-bike I ordered as there were many pre-orders. I was hoping to receive it sooner to aid in my deliveries, but have to wait longer.

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Paul    Nov 6, 2023

    Thank you for backing me on this project. It will help me in taking new steps towards a clean environment.

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Kramy    Oct 29, 2023

    I love the direction that you are taking your delivery business. I am in Canada in computer repairs. I got an eBike and used it a lot last summer for anyone close to my home. I avoided driving 2200km, and saved about $350 in gas. All the exercise made me feel awesome.

    I hope that your eBike is everything that you dream it to be!

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Paul    Oct 28, 2023

    Hello, I'm delighted to post that I have cleared the loan. The funds helped me establish my farm by adding more pawpaw trees. I have also joined a community of fruit farmers and took part in seminars to improve farming where I learnt about conservation farming where we grow crops and at the same time take care of our environment. I would not have experienced all this were it not for zidisha. So far so good and the sky is the limit. I look forward to a bumper harvest of healthy organic fruits.

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Paul    Sep 30, 2023

    Kindly allow me to adjust. I missed the last week payment and I wish to get back on track.

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Paul    Sep 16, 2023

    I lost one of the crucial orders and this has greatly affected our cash flow, however I remain optimistic that this will change in the coming weeks.

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Paul    Jul 21, 2023

    Thank you so much for funding my project. It will help me purchase pawpaw seedlings, organic manure and cater for labor. This will be beneficial in setting up my organic food forest that will ensure we produce healthy food for my family and my neighbors.

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Paul    Jul 11, 2023

    Thank you so much for supporting me in my past project. I started an organic farm where I grow organic vegetables and tamarillo fruits. This has taught me a lot about organic farming as I had to research on how to deal with various challenges like pests. It has been an exciting journey and I'm looking forward to harvesting the fruits in a few months as I even add more crops. I want to play an active role in producing healthy food for my neighbors.

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Paul    Feb 24, 2023

    Thank you for backing me on this project. The funds will set me on an exciting journey of organic food production. I intend to purchase tamarillo seedlings, kales, spinach and the inputs required. I will also install drip irrigation system.

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Kramy    Feb 21, 2023

    Way to go on your healthy food business! We need passionate people looking after our food, and the health of our neighbours. You're good for your community!

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Antony    Feb 18, 2023

    Good luck

    Log in to reply • Share
    • Paul    Feb 20, 2023

      Thank you Antony. I'm looking forward to raising the remaining 46% in the 3 days left.

      Log in to reply • Share
  • Paul    Feb 10, 2023

    Hello, it's been a while since I updated you on my progress. I bought a property in Kiambu County and relocated. This has really uplifted my life as I've now taken charge of what we consume as a family. We grow organic vegetables for our consumption which is awesome. We also get an opportunity to bond as we tend to them.

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Paul    Jun 22, 2015

    I have stabilized and can pay more than the amount due.

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Paul    Feb 23, 2015

    My business has gone through turbulent times with some customers owing us a lot of money in debts. I will increase my installments next month because by then the issue will have been solved. Kindly bear with me.

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Paul    May 30, 2014

    I appreciate what zidisha is doing and intend to walk with them every step towards growing my business.

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Paul    May 30, 2014

    I appreciate what zidisha is doing and intend to walk with them every step towards improving my business.

    Log in to reply • Share


Loading...

Loading...

Loading...