Turning a Farm into a Commercial Enterprise

James was making $50 a month at a coffee factory, barely enough to make ends meet. So, he quit his job and rented a small plot of land next to a stream, just outside of Nairobi, and he and his wife used buckets to irrigate and sell a few vegetables. Then James met Kickstart’s Field Innovations Team and acquired an early Starter Pump prototype. With the pump he quickly rented, and began irrigating, a full 2 acres of land to expand his production. He grew his enterprise by planting multiple cycles of cabbage, spinach, kale, local vegetables, and green maize – taking advantage of dry season prices. James soon hired six employees, so that he could irrigate the farm 12 hours per day.

James’ Successes

Six years later, James earns $2,700 from each half acre of cabbage, which he harvests on a 3-month rotation, and he earns even more from growing the popular local greens. He has built a large new house, opened a shop for his wife, and sent his kids to top schools. And now he has saved almost enough to pay cash for a residential plot of land in Nairobi costing $50,000 USD.