Expanding my vegetable farm

Entrepreneur

About Me

My name is Moses Makokha. I am the last born in a family of eight. Four boys and four girls. My father died when I was five years old. I barely remember how he looked like except in an old faded photo .
My mother raised us up through a lot of challenges . We could barely have enough to eat. Nevertheless she worked tirelessly like a donkey and made sure we had some education. I managed to do well in Primary school, Kwanza in Tranzoia, and managed to join St Joseph's high school in Kitale. I was nicknamed 'scientist ' by my class mates because I was good in science. Bad luck of poverty caused me to drop out of this fine school with all my hopes! I joined Sosio Secondary school in Kilgoris as a day scholar. It was barely beginning with very little infrastructure and no science laboratory!
I managed to do my KCSE and came out averagely. I joined Kitale Technical Training Institute and enrolled in Mechanical Engineering course. 3 years down the line and the course was over.
I planned for further studies in USA through fundraising. I approached my MP and proposed to cycle a bicycle from Bungoma to Mombasa and back to raise funds for my studies. It was a crazy idea but I did it! Imagine when I came back the MP had gone underground together with all the remaining strategies! I was devasted but life has to go on. I don't believe in failure!
This was a very difficult moment of my life and a redefining time in my direction. I decided to move forward with another plan.

I also work and live with street children in Kisumu town . I have been doing this for the past 15 years. These children go to nearby community public schools . Some of the children are now in primary schools,secondary schools, university, others are doing welding and fabrication and motor vehicle mechanics while still others are married and having their own families. I find great satisfaction in helping the destitute in life.

When my business expands I will have surplus to help these street children to become good citizens, responsible and self reliant in the society.

My Business

When your business falls in line with your passion then it will succeed no matter the season. My passion is welding/fabrication and horticulture. I stopped pitying myself and started horticulture. I plant tomatoes,onions,kales,herbs among other vegetables. I sell vegetables to traders at the local market and kisumu city. We use the surplus for our family needs. I also do welding and fabrication business at Kibos market, our nearest shopping Centre . I fabricate steel booths ,chairs ,gates ,Windows etc. I now have employed two artisans and two casuals to do most of the work.
Recently I made some gym equipment . When we tried them after , the gym set worked well . I now have several orders for the gym equipment . Most customers come from Kisumu suburbs.

At the moment I want to expand my agribusiness. Demand for tomatoes ,kales,onions and traditional vegetables is high. Demand has outstripped supply. I look forward to fill the gap by expanding vegetable land . Though am doing vegetables in a green house, it can only contain a limited number of plants. I look forward to satisfy the market demand by growing more vegetables.

Loan Proposal

I intend to expand my two acre open land with various types of vegetables . My green house cannot produce what the market requires at the moment and 4 more green houses will be too expensive to afford . This is the reason why I want to expand on the available open space with drips for irrigation. The processes involved in this project are as follows:

- The cost of both Primary and secondary land preparation= 150 US dollars.

- Farm implements - 5hoes, 2wheel barrows, 2 machetes , 1000sockets for seedlings, 3 watering cans, Hose pipe , black netting for nursery = 500 US dollars.

- 1 Water storage tank 5,000litres = 600 US dollars.

- Solar water pump with panels = 1,500 US dollars.

- Assorted seeds ( tomatoes,water melons , coriander , butternut squash, kales, traditional vegetables = 200 US dollars.

- Drip irrigation kit = 500 US dollars.

- compost manure = 300US dollars

-Pesticides - 150 US dollars

- Total Farm labour = 600 US dollars

TOTAL PROJECT COST = 4,500 US DOLLARS

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