Support harvesting of beans

Maureen

Eldoret, Kenya

30% paid forward

Follow Maureen

How it Works

Entrepreneur

Name

Maureen

Member since

March 2019

On-time repayments

107 installments • 86%

About Me

I am a small business owner operating a side hustle in Soy, Kakamega County. Having grown up in a town bordering the North Rift part of Kenya, I developed a passion for farming at a tender age given that this part of the country is considered the bread basket with farming being the main economic activity.
My observation of vegetables being a staple in the Kenyan diet prompted me to commence small scale vegetable farming which is slowly growing in clientele. I initially embarked on trials for kales, spinach, cow peas, cabbage and pumpkin leaves but have since focused on kales and indigenous vegetables known as managu which I sell to neighbors from my home area.

My Business

I primarily produce Vegetables including kales and Indigenous vegetables which I sell locally on a retail basis to households within my home area. On a day my sales range between Ksh 900 to 1200 depending on whether it’s a maker day as this implies that some local stall owners also make bulk purchases for onward bulk breaking and retail selling.
The challenge I face is seasonality of the vegetables as there are times when there is a glut especially during the rainy season hence over supply causes a dip in the prices. During the dry season, I do local irrigation(using a watering can) to ensure the crop received adequate water as the prices are at a peak at such times this enduring better profits.

I also try to minimize use of pesticides and herbicides as I am conscious about their effects.

I hope to see my business grow to a point whereby I can diversify it with poultry rearing

Project Proposal

As a small-scale farmer, I regularly need additional finances to support certain aspects of my farming enterprise. The funds will enable me to engage more casual farm hands to support harvesting, drying, sorting and storage of the bean harvest which I hope to offload in later 2025 when the prices are more favorable. Engaging casual laborers creates employment for youth in my village area.