Water tank for my drip irrigation

Wallafixa

Kibichoi, Kenya

100% repaid

Entrepreneur

Name

Wallafixa

Member since

April 2014

On-time repayments

113 installments  •  27%

About Me

I am Wallace Ngugi, an agribusiness entrepreneur and a banker by profession , aged 30 years. I have a Bachelor of Economics degree from Kenyatta University. I am married with a 7 months son. I started my agribusiness journey as a first year using my first student loan in my rural village Gume, Kibichoi sub-location, Githunguri constituency, Kiambu County, Kenya. Growing up, financial constraints persisted but with the exposure I was getting in economics, I decided to do agribusiness as part of the solution to this challenge. I had a passion in farming. I ventured in horticulture farming as the main activity after analyzing the current trends of growing urbanization in my locality and associated accruing benefits from the growing food demand. Moreover, demand of fresh produce from the farm. Farming was my optimal venture because of availability of land and water in my locality, favorable climate, and labor availability as it is highly populated. The income generated goes towards supporting my family, invest in expansion of my portfolio, save for further education among many others. I have a vision to be an exporter of fresh farm produce. In my free time I like engaging in outdoor activities.

My Business

In my portfolio I grow colored capsicum, chili, spinach and kale. There being a high population in my locality the demand for vegetables is inevitable. Kibichoi is also centrally located within Nairobi Metropolis. Other towns providing ready market are Thika, Ruiru and Kiambu. I sell my colored capsicum in Nairobi city park market highly demanded by the Asian community living around there. Chili is my latest entrant targeting the exporters. I sell spinach and Kale to the local community as customers have a great preference for fresh produce. I harvest them on order. There has always been a constant flow of loyal customers on daily basis with little surplus that I take to a local market. I grow my crops under irrigation in open field, for chili, spinach and kale, and a greenhouse, for pepper, so am able to take advantage of the dry season. The main risk to my business water shortage. For pest and disease I avert by integrated pest management strategies. I also seek information from partners in agronomic support.

The introduction of chili saw my water use increase in great volumes. I pump from a well whose capacity have gone down and it is no longer sustainable. I decided to invest in pumping water from nearby river passing through our farm down he ridge. The whole project has a budget of $1200.00. I have managed to finance 80% from my savings and. I seek to request a loan of $150 dollars to cater for labor and digging a trench to lay the pipes and electric cables.

the below highlights my current expenses and revenues:
TOTAL MONTHLY EXPENSES
Amounts ( $)
1 Labor -40
2 Electricity -30
3 Capacity building -10
4 Pest and Disease management -60
Total: 140

TOTAL MONTHLY SALES
Amounts($)
1 Pepper: 300kg @ $0.80 -240
2 Kale 200KG @ $0.30 -60
3 Spinach 200KG @ $0.40 -80
Total: 380

Total profit= $240

Loan Proposal

The dry spell has come to an end with the long rains here. They have followed a prolonged drought that saw many streams dry and wells run dry as the water table went down. Early December 2014 i had planted a quarter acres of tomatoes prospecting high revenues in the dry season that is experienced in the months of January, February and early March in the East African region. In some instances rains in the past were experienced over the dry spell though for a short duration. They reduced the unforgiving realities of drought. Short rains that start in mid October failure preceded the dry spell and what followed is a prolonged drought. I had not foreseen this weather crisis as i undertook my tomato project. For the first two months water was sufficient for my crop. The challenge came when my well run dry and had to hire the services of a truck to ferry water from the river to water my crops eating into my profit. It is in this regard that i have decided to work on a sustainable plan that will enable me harvest rain water and conserve it for use in the dry season. I have a long term plan to dig a ground reservoir in the near future that will hold about 100 cubic metres of water. It thus require a great deal of finances that call for planning. To save the situation i am placing a request for a loan of 166 dollars to acquire a water tank that can hold 3000 litres of water. I currently use a 500litre tank to feed my drip system. I require to pump water for a number of times to irrigate my whole crop which is not even cost efficient due to electricity use. A bigger capacity tank would even help me save time that i spend pumping small amounts of water and spend it in other activities. A 3000 litre tank cost $ 256. Out of this amount i will contribute 90 dollars from my savings. A loan advanced to me by zidisha lenders will be of great help to my business.

My Videos

Jan 18, 2021: Young and farming

Feedback

3

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Loan Info

Project Type

Classic Loan

Disbursed amount

$166.00

Date disbursed

May 6, 2015

Repayment status

On Time

Projected term

17 months

Lenders

A

ashtanga99

Newport, United States

TheWhiteCat

Surrey, United Kingdom

M

Mårten

Inden, Switzerland

ads68

Melbourne, Australia

fairspirit

Utrecht, Netherlands

BF

Bob Fitzjohn

Fontvielle, Monaco, Yemen

E

E

Marin county, United States

Matching Fund

Sterling, United States

J

jdallatezza

United States

mepster

San Francisco, Ca, United States

I

idris

United States

KM

Kirsty M

United Kingdom

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

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  • Wallafixa    Jan 18, 2021

    My story: youtu.be/734C1VGkKlE

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  • Wallafixa    Sep 4, 2015

    My ailing dad has really left us grappling with debt. I will make all my past due payments next week.

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  • Alexandre Genereux    Aug 27, 2015

    Any news?

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  • Wallafixa    Jun 10, 2015

    I am having problems raising the initial installment because of the burden i have supporting my sick dad he suffered stroke early this year and still in college on my last semester.

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  • Wallafixa    Jun 3, 2015

    I replaced the water tank supplying the drip system. I do pump water up. The tank also supply for domestic uses at home. @ Alexandre Genereux

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  • Wallafixa    May 28, 2015

    My new pepper project established at the onset of current long rains. It follows the drought season that saw extensive crop failure.

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  • Wallafixa    May 28, 2015

    Water tank after installation. The green pipes feed the drip pipes

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    • Alexandre Genereux    May 29, 2015

      I'm curious... How is the tank water supply replenished? Only rain water or do you need to pump it?

      Nice setup by the way!

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  • Wallafixa    May 7, 2015

    To all my lenders, I did receive the loan you advanced to me at 0045hrs GMT +3. updates on what i purchased coming soon. Thanks a lot for your support.

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  • Wallafixa    May 6, 2015

    I take this opportunity to thank my lenders for the loan advanced to me. I am grateful. I intend to purchase a larger capacity water tank, 3000 litres, to substitute the one i currently use which has a capacity of 500 litres. The tank is instrumental in feeding my drip system for irrigation.

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  • Wallafixa    Apr 24, 2015

    At times life can take away what it has given generously. It feels sad when your loved ones grapple with a challenge especially of disease. Imagine yourself on one while you having your speech and can walk comfortably without need of any assistance. In other words you are healthy, then go to sleep and when you wake up there is nothing you can do by yourself. After diagnosis it is established you are suffering from stroke. Am writing this in regard to what my dad is going through. Everyday am hopeful he'll rise up and walk by himself and his speech return as he did a couple of months ago. Its now four months in that medical condition. I pray he gets well soon

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  • Wallafixa    Apr 23, 2015

    Drip after installation

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  • Wallafixa    Apr 23, 2015

    Zidisha has been an inspiration and this platform came in the hour of need for us youths in the developing countries. I have trailed my journey since i ventured in agribusiness back in the year 2011 when i was a freshman in the university. It has been a journey with mixed reactions. On one hand, like any other business, fortunes have been made and on the other the worst that many new entrepreneurs do not get along easily, making losses to a point of even losing almost the entire investment. However, an entrepreneur is motivated by his vision and having clear goals and the plan to achieve them, they are unstoppable no matter the challenges they face. For those of us in farming business the biggest challenge that we fear is drought and more so prolonged one like it happened late last year, 2014, into early 2015. It was a rough time for farmers.
    Zidisha platform has actually helped many to counter the challenges they face. For my case i have been able to expand my scale owing this to the loan advanced to me by zidisha lenders. The economic benefits of more economies of scale are really self explanatory. I must thank all the lenders, volunteer mentors, borrowers and the whole zidisha family for the noble course. If not many then more people now have a livelihood.

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  • Hadija    Apr 18, 2015

    Hello,
    I wasn`t able to talk to Wallafixa but I`ve left him a text message, hope to hear from him soon.

    Regards,
    Hadija

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  • Wallafixa    Mar 30, 2015

    The long rains are here hoping they do not fail like the short rains last year. The drought that followed hit farmers hard. Neither those who depend on rain fed agriculture nor irrigation farming escaped the drought.

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  • Hadija    Mar 15, 2015

    Hi,
    Am Wallafixa`s VM. I`ve just spoken to him, he`s said he intends to repay before the week ends.

    Regards,
    Hadija

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  • Wallafixa    Feb 13, 2015

    So far the drip system has worked well and fruits are beginning to ripen

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  • Wallafixa    Nov 22, 2014

    I have a challenge raising my initial installment as a result of reduced revenue from my tomato crop. This is because of the devastating effects of Tuta absoluta pest in the region greatly wiping the whole field of the crop. It has prooved hard to control. Am therefore left with the option of reducing my installment amount to maintain my on time repayment and at the same time support the pepper crop.

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  • Wallafixa    Oct 17, 2014

    Am so much thankful Henry.

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  • Henry    Oct 15, 2014

    CONGRATULATION WALLAFIXA NGUGI IN YOUR BUSINESS KEEP IT UP.

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  • Wallafixa    Oct 11, 2014

    Pauline thanks so much. all the best too in your endeavous

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