From computers to greenhouses

Food Africa Enterprise Limited director John Maingi (left) in his farm in Kahawa Sukari, Nairobi with a friend Bob Martin Kinyua. ANTONY OMUYA | NATION

What you need to know:

  • Maingi says that a lot of farmers get into farming without consulting an expert on the basics such as what crop to grow and how to go about it.
  • “I convinced my mother, my elder sister and brother to come on board. With a capital of Sh350,000, we set up two greenhouses measuring 30m by 100m in our compound at Kahawa Sukari, Nairobi and bought seedlings.
  • “I realised that greenhouses are expensive to set up for the common farmer because they could not afford the Sh300,000 on average companies are charging. I thought of introducing a cheaper option.

When Seeds of Gold meets John Maingi, he is ecstatic. He had earlier spoken to a high-profile client he had been introduced to and there were prospects he was going to offer him a job.

The client was a former government official who owns 10 acres in western Kenya. He was consulting Maingi on the best crop to plant this season.

And he had another sweet deal for him. He wanted Maingi to manage the farm. Maingi arranged to visit the farm in a week’s time for a survey before he could advise him on the way forward.

“Today is a busy day for me,” says Maingi as we settle down for an interview. That morning, he had spent some time in a five-acre farm in Kiserian where he is overseeing the installation of a full drip irrigation system for one of his clients, Kevin Salaash, 25.

“The system will be up in a week’s time, after which I will help him plant watermelons and later manage the farm.”

At 24, Maingi is the director of Food Africa Enterprise Limited, an agricultural company that offers services such as setting up of greenhouses, installation of drip irrigation systems, dam liners, fish ponds and soil and water sampling.

His love for farming began five years ago when he was a first year student at United States International University. What began as a side hustle to earn him some pocket money has crystallised into a full-blown business. When he started, farming was something he could do, but now, farming is the only thing he wants to do.

“I was watching a programme on CNN about young farmers in India. The young people had started small and were doing very well. Some of them were my age. Then I was 19. Their experiences jolted me. I soon after started to research on greenhouse farming,” says Maingi.

His parents, equally passionate about farming, were happy to support their son.

“I convinced my mother, my elder sister and brother to come on board. With a capital of Sh350,000, we set up two greenhouses measuring 30m by 100m in our compound at Kahawa Sukari, Nairobi and bought seedlings. At first, it was trial and error as we started with farming capsicum.”

The trial worked. They harvested five tonnes of capsicum and sold the produce to two companies, Fresh n Juici and Veg Pro, getting a profit of Sh500,000. Maingi did not need further convincing that farming is the ‘‘next big thing’’.

He set up his company in 2010, but he did not start with offering drip irrigation system services. He started with supplying food to restaurants and hotels around Nairobi. This opened his eyes to an untapped market of agricultural consultancy.

“I realised that greenhouses are expensive to set up for the common farmer because they could not afford the Sh300,000 on average companies are charging. I thought of introducing a cheaper option.

I partnered with a Turkish company, Vatan Plastic Istanbul, to provide farmers with cheaper polythene to set up greenhouses,” says Maingi, who searched the Turkish company online but met them for the first time in an expo last year.

The deal saw him start importing plastic materials from Turkey to make greenhouses for farmers at a cheaper price. To install a 5m by 10m greenhouse, he charges Sh95,000.

Having found market for the greenhouses, Maingi set to expand his business. His next frontier was learning how to set up drip irrigation systems that many small-scale farmers avoid because they are deemed expensive.

“Drip kit system is great for open field farming because it reduces the cost of labour significantly. Farmers stand higher chances of getting better yields from the irrigation,” explains Maingi, who got most of his knowledge by consulting experienced farmers, reading farming books and researching online. Drip irrigation costs Sh65,000 for an eighth of an acre.

WITHOUT CONSULTING ON BASICS

Maingi says that a lot of farmers get into farming without consulting an expert on the basics such as what crop to grow and how to go about it.

“Before we start any project, the first step is to do a soil analysis and the second is water testing so that if there are any pests, they are killed before we start farming. If the soil lacks nutrients, we also know what to do to correct this,” he says.

“We don’t allow farmers to grow anything. We advise them on what grows best, at what time of the year and what fetches good prices.”

In the event that a farmer decides to farm in an area that does not have a constant supply of water, Maingi normally advises them to construct a dam.
“It is important to dig and set up a dam using dam liners, which are made from block polythene,” he says.

With an income of Sh500,000 per month, the computer forensics and cybercrime graduate has found his calling in farming and he is creating jobs.

“Many people who take up farming have made it their side-hustle alongside their busy careers. In most cases they are holed up in offices chasing their careers and they hardly have time to check on their farms as often as they would wish. Consequently, their farms are neglected and the return on investment becomes dismal.”

Maingi notes that such farmers need a manager who will check on the farm constantly and give a detailed report on the progress.

“We have ground agents who are agronomists who visit clients’ farms three or four times a month and give reports. Technology is the next frontier in farming and we have developed a mobile app that makes it easier for farmers to track their crops through photos sent from their farms in real-time,” he says.

Maingi has employed 19 workers, including 15 groundsmen, two technicians who survey farms and give recommendations as well as finance and marketing staff.

“When we get big jobs, the number gets higher because we sub-contract a lot.”

When business is good, Maingi sets up about 12 greenhouses in a month, two fish ponds and a dam in a week.

ATTENDING TRAININGS

Maingi, who sharpens his agronomy skills by attending training sponsored by seed companies, also trains farmers on food safety, Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) regulations and basic agronomy. A week before the interview, he had attended training on soil and water sampling hosted by a company known as Crop Nutrition in Nairobi.

“It is important for any serious farmer to know about the GAP safety regulations especially if they want to target the export market.”

His clientele ranges from small-scale farmers who want to set up greenhouses in the compounds to women’s groups (chamas) and large-scale farmers.

“There are many opportunities in farming; you do not have to start big. Start at your parents’ kitchen garden. Once you produce something, you will see the benefits. A farmer will never sleep hungry.

If for instance I am broke today, I will harvest capsicums, sell them and get money to buy food,” he says.
So, shall he one day return to computer forensics?

“Not to fight cybercriminals. I will only go back to computers to figure out how we can use them to farm.”