Upgrade farm equipment

Entrepreneur

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

Loan Proposal

I propose to purchase new farm equipment including hoes, slashers,shovels,rakes as the ones I currently use are old and of poor quality which poses a challenge in usage as they may lead to accidents due to their loose handles.
I also propose to use some of the loan to purchase seeds for trials of pumpkin and a few other indigenous vegetables targeting production next season once I get to understand their germination and productivity dynamics

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