Organic farming is slow but has lifetime gains

By AGATHA NGOTHO Science Writer

Organic farming is slowly gaining momentum in the country as consumers become keen on food safety.

Sylvia Kuria from Ndeya in Limuru, Kiambu county, has been on it for the past 10 years, but it has not been an easy journey.

“The secret is to start small. I started organic farming on a small farm of about half an acre to provide food for my family. It was difficult but I did it,” she told journalists who visited her farm on Friday.

In one year, Kuria had grown a variety of more than 25 vegetables and ensured her family had enough to eat.

“With time, I had enough to eat and I started selling the surplus in baskets,” the mother of two said.

Kuria urged farmers to change their mindset and stop growing food using synthetic fertilisers, which raises soil acidity.

“Fixing nitrogen by planting trees and growing cover crops takes time but the fruits are sweet and you enjoy them longer,” she said.

Dr Mathew Muma, a senior policy analyst at the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis, says the country currently produces at least five million tonnes of organic food for export and domestic markets annually.

There are at least 250,000 consumers of organic food mainly in Nairobi and the number is increasing.

Kuria said conventional agriculture where farmers use synthetic input does well in the first five to seven years then the yields start reducing. But in organic farming, the yields are low in the beginning but starts to pick up in the sixth year.

“This goes on as long as you take care of the soil. Farmers using fertiliser say the yields have been going down by half than what they used to get 10 years ago. A place that was giving a farmer 20 bags is now producing three bags,” she said.

Kuria further explained that organic agriculture is not just about growing safe food, but also having healthy soils that will ensure a farmer has enough food today and for many generations to come.

She plants legumes, including cowpeas, pigeon peas and green grams. They fix nitrogen into the soil, hence improving its quality.


“I do that because I want to be able to renew the soil all the time. This also provides green manure because I don’t have enough animals to provide me with manure. It is also important to grow trees. We can't grow food if we don’t have the support of the trees,” Kuria said.

She has grown more than 500 tree varieties in her five-acre farm. She carefully chooses trees that will support her venture. Some trees fix nitrogen into the soil, others provide shade when it is hot, and yet others provide fodder for animals when it is dry. For instance, she has coriander which is good for goats. She also grows fruit trees.

Across the country, however, soil health experts have attributed the decreasing crop yield to the little attention given to soil.

Researcher Ratemo Michieka from the University of Nairobi said the government should establish soil laboratories and educate farmers on the importance of soil testing.

“The state should also subsidise the cost of soil testing. Misuse and excessive use of fertilisers in our fields are really degrading our soils,” Michieka said.

Currently, soil testing costs between Sh1,000 and Sh2,000.

Kuria does soil testing at the University of Nairobi at Sh2,000 after every one and a half years.

“You cannot be in business without knowing the health of your soil,” she said.

Kuria does home delivery to customers within Nairobi county. She sells an assortment of vegetables in a basket at about Sh1,000. She grows vegetables in seasons so the cost varies. During the rainy season, she grows cabbages, broccoli cauliflowers, carrots and other vegetables that do well in cool temperatures.

She is able to sell more than 20 baskets of the assorted vegetables in a week. The basket has an assortment of 50-60 kilogrammes of broccoli, same for cauliflower and 20-30 pieces of cabbages.

“Our target is to have a minimum of 20 baskets in a week. I used to grow everything all season and I realised I was not getting much yield. With time, I learnt that vegetables have seasons and that’s when I started growing specific vegetables at different seasons,” she said.

In the short rains of September-October-November, she grows tomatoes, cucumbers, gorgets, capsicum (pilipili boga/tamu) and red onions.

Kuria said the food is enough to feed a family of five to seven people for a week. She hopes to feed 500 homes a week. To achieve this, she plans to contract some farmers in Ndeya from next year.

Source: Daily News