This archive report was first published on 11 September 2019.
Lydia Kinyua, a 50-year-old former counselling psychologist, has found success in farming after quitting her job last September. She had spent 27 years in employment, but decided to take a leap of faith and start her own farm in the semi-arid Lewa area in Buuri Sub County, Meru County.
With an initial investment of Sh3 million, which included her savings and severance pay, Lydia sub-divided her 10-acre farm into two sections. One portion is dedicated to growing crops, while the other is used for rearing poultry and dairy cows. To overcome the challenges of farming in a dry region, Lydia sunk a borehole, which consumed a significant portion of her investment.
Before embarking on farming, Lydia consulted with experts and even visited Israel for benchmarking. Her hard work has paid off, as she now earns a decent income from the sale of onions and snow peas, which are her main horticulture crops. The snow peas are fetching prices between Sh130 and Sh200 per kilogram, while the onions range between Sh60 to Sh80.
Lydia's farm has become a source of employment for 15 casual workers in her community, who she says feel good about creating jobs for them. She practices overhead irrigation through the use of sprinklers and drip method, which has helped her overcome the challenges of rainfall shortages in the area.
Lydia's journey into farming was not without its challenges. She initially grew flowers and later arrowroots, but it was the snow peas that proved to be a hit in the area. She advises new farmers to join groups or attend seminars to get proper orientation on farming.
