AMAZING ! HALF ACRE FARM THAT MAKES N1.4 MILLION EVERY MONTH

                                                                                                                                                

was reading online some time ago and saw this story…..  just had to share it… it is certainly worth reading ….  one determined woman who is doing so much with so little... and the concept is so easy to apply anywhere.. here it is..  ( edited )

Some 20km away from the Nairobi city center, a farm in Ruai has been drawing visitors in big numbers. In 2011, Sanla Farm caught the attention of the United Nations. During the celebrations of the World Food Day, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) recognized it with an award as the Best Farm among small-scale farms in Nairobi area.

It is a half-acre plot called Sanla Farm which showcases what fortunes a small piece of land can yield. It has been recognised for careful use, modern techniques, and as a portrait of food security.

The farm houses 20 dairy cows which produce more than 500 litres of milk daily, three 50 x 100 feet greenhouses where tomatoes, cabbages and green pepper sparkle, a fish pond, a homestead, bore-hole and a biogas unit.

Nancy Karanja, the proprietor, says the farm rakes in an estimated N1,500,000 per month.

“I have been rated farmer of the year for the last three years by Njiri District Agricultural Office for organizing my land efficiently to accommodate so many activities,” she says.

On entering the farm, one is immediately struck by how well-organised. Everything seems to be just where it should be in the small space. A safely secured cowshed with pedigree animals welcomes you into the farm. Each cow could be seen eating Napier grass comfortably in their rooms.

Next to the cowshed is a pen with five calves feeding. Opposite the animals is a feed store filled with hay, silage and Napier grass. Near the cowshed is a newly-constructed biogas plant and a crop section.

The three greenhouses occupy a quarter of the land. But this is not all since a few metres away, fighting possible distraction by beauty and planning, one encounters lines of young strawberries and watermelons growing well under drip irrigation.

The 5m x 6m fish pond is in one corner near the borehole and holds more than 300 tilapia fish.

Mrs Karanja, a former accountant, says this kind of business was her childhood dream. She says farming is her passion. She has always wished to escape the hustle and bustle of the city.

David Karanja, Nancy’s husband bought the land in 2008 with the sole aim of building a home for his family. Nancy saw the small piece of land as not only one on which she would live but also one on which she would achieve her childhood dream of farming.

So she started off with just one Friesian cow that she was given by her mother. “I said to myself that this land would not be just a home as he had intended, but also a source of living,” the mother of three says while attending to customers.

“I started off with one cow, a Friesian that my mother gave me in 2008. It used to produce about 10 litres of milk. Today I have 20 Friesian cows that guarantee sound cash daily. producing almost 500 litres of millk a day” The cows feed on grass which is very abundant. And i make sure they are clean and healthy. “ The farmer owes the success to “constant support from my husband” who has been instrumental to the progress.

Mrs Karanja used to earn a total of N80,000 monthly and is now content being at home, “unlike being in that hectic traffic to town every morning.” Also she says the therapeutic effect of being close to nature all the time is undeniable. She is more relaxed and loves what she is doing.

She has employed five people, who she says, have made the work much lighter.

When she was laying the foundation of the business, Mrs Karanja tried her hand at greenhouse farming starting with a 50ft by 100ft structure at N150,000; she planted tomatoes. Now she has three in which she plants tomatoes, green pepper and vegetables and cabbages.

“I used to sell 10 crates of tomatoes per week at N1500 each. Now I sell different varieties of vegetables including tomatoes, onions, carrots, cauliflower and green beans,” she says. Vegetables alone, she adds, earn her an average of N100,000 per month.

When she ventured into fish farming, she started with 70 fingerlings but now has more than 300 tilapia fish. 

“Fish reproduction is rapid depending on management and feeding. There is also high demand for fish. In fact, I’m planning to double the number in the next one year.” To cut down on the costs of production, she collects cow dung which she uses as fertiliser.

She also makes silage by mixing Napier grass, molasses and waste food products. Napier grass is shredded into half-inch long pieces, which are packed in polythene bags to ferment. This takes a week to be ready for use.

Patience, persistence and consistency are some of the pillars that Mrs Karanja says gave her the shine. Some of the challenges are hiring the right staff and getting feeds for the cows. She sums up: “Life is a struggle. but never give up.”

article was originally published at http://www.kenyanbusinessreview.com.