This archive report was first published on 9 July 2021.
Miraa Farmers in Igembe North Emulate Success of Dairy Farmer Isaac Nderi ¶
Isaac Nderi, a dairy farmer from Igembe North, has inspired his peers to adopt dairy farming after the collapse of the miraa market.
Five years ago, Nderi started the idea of dairy farming in a miraa-growing zone, but his peers discouraged him. However, he held onto his idea and moved forward, taking the discouragements as motivation to make it work.
Today, those who discouraged him at the time are now envying him, with some trying to learn from his experience on how to go about dairy farming.
Nderi's influence has made a good number of residents of Igembe North start adopting dairy farming, even though they have been known for large-scale miraa farming and some little food crop cultivation.
Nderi is an exemplary dairy farmer who owns Mlinzi Ni Mungu Dairy Farm in Nkandone area in the constituency.
He attributes his success to his passion for dairy farming and insights he gets by visiting agricultural institutes like Kaguru Agricultural Training Centre in Imenti South.
On his quarter-acre-piece of land, he keeps 30 dairy cows of Ayrshire and Freisian breeds and employs six workers who work on the farm and his dairy shops in Laare town and Nkandone.
"The farm is solely for milk production and if a cow calves a bull, I give it to my two boys who help me on the farm as a way of motivating and appreciating their work," said Mr Nderi.
He added that the bulls are not included anywhere as part of the workers' monthly pay.
His cows can produce 150 litres of milk in a single day, which he distributes in his two dairy depots located at Laare and the rest is sold to neighbouring homes and local hotels.
This translates to about Sh7, 500 in a single day and a gross earning of Sh225, 000 per month.
"From milk only, I get about Sh100, 000 income per month after deducting other expenses including workers' pay," said Mr Nderi.
He also uses the manure from the cow dung on his farms and sells the rest, which goes for Sh40, 000 per lorry load.
Nderi has adopted technology where he uses a milking machine to milk his cows and has also installed CCTV cameras that assist him in security and monitoring the progress of his herd.
He encourages young people especially from the miraa-growing region to venture into dairy farming, adding that it is a well-paying venture that only requires passion.
