Lesson 1: Less is more!

Farmers have a lot of factors to consider when growing crops, what seeds to use? What fertilisers to apply? Do I irrigate in the morning or evening? How much water should I use? and the list goes on and on. We needed to lessen these questions so that they could grow more and increase their income. So, we decided to bring on board partners that would address each question a farmer would have across the value chain. From soil testing companies, to seed companies, to agronomists and even crop insurance companies all under 1 roof leaving our farmers to focus on purely what they love most which was crop husbandry.

Lesson 2: Weekly crop updates

We realized that visiting a farmer once a month to train them on how to grow inside a greenhouse was a long time and any recommendations given during this time were not quick to turn around the crop. We had to increase the number of visits so that we could be able to address any pests and diseases issues in time and avoid further damage. Even though some farmers received weekly visits, we had other farmers that only needed 1 visit every 2 weeks. The success was actually more visible on the bi weekly visits and allowed us to adopt this as the standard agronomic practice for all our farmers under the greenhouse plus+ program.

Lesson 3: Economies of Scale

Different farmers took different sizes of greenhouses from our Kadogo greenhouse 8M by 15M=120sq.m all the way to our Mzoefu Greenhouse 16M by 30M=480sq.m (almost the size of a basket ball pitch). In all these greenhouses, they all had fixed costs while some costs were variable and depended on the size of the greenhouse. Variable costs included seeds, fertilizers, chemicals and even water for irrigation. However, the fixed costs were labour salaries, agronomic visits and produce collection costs. Farmers with smaller greenhouses were using 1 person to take care of their greenhouse while farmers with even 2 units of the Mzoefu Greenhouse-16M by 30M were using the same 1 person. Salaries were the same but given that the production area was bigger on the second case, it allowed farmers with bigger units to enjoy a bigger pie. Agronomic visits were made 2 per month with each visit costing the same. Since this is taken as a consultancy, it has 1 cost not dependent on the growing area. The major disadvantage was the high capital costs of taking up the Mzoefu which costed 4 times the cost of the Kadogo. Our best performing size that was not too high for the farmer and at the same time the yield was significant to cover for the expenses was the Mwanzishi Greenhouse 8M by 30M. With an average of 33% return on investment per annum.

Lesson 3: Planting Cycles

Most of our farmers planted all their crops at the same time therefore when they went out of season, they did not have income to cushion them from monthly expenses such as salaries and utilities. For farmers that had taken more than one unit, we followed planting cycles by spacing the planting dates of each unit by up to 1 month which allowed them to have continuous harvests through out the entire year. The output of course would fluctuate but they were confident on having income spread out through out the growing cycle.

Lesson 4: Farming Records

As much as we had agronomists visiting these farms every two weeks, we needed to know what activities took place in the farm. We were able to note that farmers that had farming records had less occurrence of pests and diseases and their yield was much more. Identifying even causes of problems was easy as we could simply refer to the records for all information concerning the amount of water irrigated, the number of seeds planted, chemicals used and fertilizers applied. Farmers with records also found expansion easier as they had a point of reference for all their farming practice information. At the time of produce collection and payment reconciliation, it was also easy for the farmers to correct deliveries that our customers had complaints with. We hope to continue this practice to allow full traceability of our farms enabling the customers to get healthy foods.

Lesson 5: Management matters

We had farmers that succeeded and farmers that failed. When we did our root cause analysis to understand why failures occurred yet all farmers had the same agronomist, same seeds and same inputs, we realized that 87% of farmers failed because of poor crop management by the farm workers. We dug deeper and realized that the farm workers left to operate the greenhouses did not have any background or experience in agriculture. They were new to aspects of weeding, spraying and even irrigation. This made it difficult for them to implement recommendations given by the agronomists. In some cases, farm workers were spraying the wrong chemicals to the wrong plant causing more damage to the crops. For farms that had farm workers with experiences in farming, implementation of recommendations by the agronomist was excellent and this translated to greater yield.

Over the course of the implementation of greenhouse plus+, we have been able to deliver over 438 Tonnes of fresh produce from farms across Kenya to our customers both local and abroad. This access to the market has greatly helped our farmers who now can return their investment and continue growing their production sites in order to gradually increase their turnover.

We believe, by bringing on board all these partners needed on the value chain and connecting farmers to markets, we can increase income for farmers while ensuring we feed our growing urban population.

This product is currently available to all farmers in Kenya with plans to slowly roll out to East Africa.

Matters Seeds…

A seed is an embryonic plant encapsulated in a protective outer covering called a seed coat. Seeds can be grown in many ways; Small seeds must be placed on the surface of the seed-raising mix because if covered too thickly they might not germinate. For other seeds, it’s recommended that they are planted at twice the depth of the thickness of the seed itself.

Pros;

• For crops, such as beans, that are quick to germinate, one may consider starting from seeds.
• Seeds are much cheaper than seedlings.
• For those of us who like choices, starting from seed offers one an option of choosing between different varieties available in the market. Seedlings confine the farmer to the variety used by their provider.

Cons;

• Planting the seed directly is riskier, since the seeds have to put up with hazards such as adverse weather patterns, like drought or flood, high wind (for open-field farming), pests, and weeds. In order to be successful, one has to ensure that the environment in which the seeds are growing in, is conducive.

• The farmer also has to be prepared to thin the seedlings; that is, pulling out a few plants between the rows to make sure even spacing between the plants. Lack of spacing will result in crowded plants that will compete for light, water, and nutrients. Crowded plants have also been to be prone to diseases due to the lack of airflow.
• Seeds generally take a little longer to grow than seedlings. It’s good to note that there are some crops whose germination rate is slower than most plants even if you plant them as seedlings. It is because of the growth rate of the 2 that leads to the second difference; seeds are cheaper as compared seedlings.

Matters Seedlings…

A seedling is a young plant grown from a seed in a nursery.

Pros;

• Seedlings will give you a significant head start on the season, since their maturity rate will be shorter and will result in an earlier harvest.
• On the other hand, most seedlings will take a minimum of 2 weeks to germinate.
• Seedlings are more resistant to pests, because they are more mature and stronger when transplanted. Many pests love snacking on the tiny seedlings. Therefore, the risk of losing the plants is lower as compared to seeds.

Cons;

• Seedlings are definitely much more expensive to buy than raising your own from seed.
• With seedlings one is restricted to the variety grown by the supplier.
• Seedlings pose a threat of introducing weeds and/or diseases into your farm. It’s therefore important to get your seedlings from a certified company/producer to avoid such inconveniences.

All in all, the choice between the 2, Seeds or Seedlings, will come down to the farmer’s preference.

What do I plant?

This is a common question asked by aspiring farmers. This question is normally followed by a series of questions, Will it do well? Is there a ready market? What are the returns?

One of the things to consider is the type of soil on your land. The soil provides your plants with the essential nutrients, water and air, necessary for healthy growth and development. Knowing the type of soil on one’s land will go a long way in guiding you on what to plant. There are many types of soil; they include loamy, sandy, clay, and silty. In Kenya, we have loamy sands which are found in the highlands, alluvial (silt) soils found along river valleys, volcanic soils found in sub-humid regions such as the lake regions and black cotton soils found in places like Mwea. Different soils have different advantages and shortcomings; the sooner you get to know them the better. Soil tests are also encouraged as a preventive measure before planting.

Another thing you need to consider is the climate. This mainly applies to farmers who opt for open field farming. Climatic factors such as rain, wind, humidity, temperature and light are essential to plant growth but excess or lack off might negatively affect your crops. For example, wind is essential for pollination but excess wind might cause excessive water loss or even destroy your plants. One of the major things to consider is the market availability. You don’t want to be stuck with 1000kgs worth of produce. Find out the types of crops that are profitable. One may also research on the types of companies out there that buy crops for exports and compare this with prices in local markets. Obviously the companies will win but they might require a lot of things for one to be considered viable for their export programs, thus, making local markets the best solution. Examples of websites that provide farmers with marketing information in Kenya are National Farmers Information Service (NAFIS), M-farm and many more that are just a click away.

Next comes the wait. Anxiety sets in, hair falls out, prayer meetings are held, sacrifices are done (LOL). Mrs. X told you how her tomatoes did so well but yours don’t look like hers. What could be the problem? Most of the time, you lack good advice and not from Mrs. X, but from an experienced professional we call an agronomist. Agronomists are research scientists who study plants and soil to help farmers get better crop yields. An experienced agronomist will provide information and guidance on the right chemicals, fertilizers and inputs to use from planting all the way to harvesting.

I hope this information helps.

Happy Planting!

Figure 1

Interpretation:
If a farm’s results indicate 0-3, the farmer will get remedies on the soil tests on the best measures to take.
What happens if you’re the soil tests indicate numbers 4 and 5? Don’t worry Illuminum Greenhouses’ got your back. We have adopted a method known as potting which involves mixing the un-infected soil with manure and fertilizer needed for your plants and then you can plant as usual. Figure 1 above shows how we successfully planted tomatoes using the potting method.

Benefits of potting include:
 Less water, and;
 Less fertilizer

Soil testing services have remained affordable and we have ensured that we partner with the best testing facilities in the sector to allow us acquire accurate results that we can use to offer proper agronomic services. 85% of our farmers that did a soil test before planting recoup their investment within the first season and as such clearly demonstrates the importance of these tests. If you need one, just contact us and we will send in our agronomist to collect the soil samples on your farm. Hustle free!

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we are curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths”– Walt Disney

Farming success stories have become the new-age form of seduction for most investors. Farmers have been to known to triple their initial investment in a matter of months! Therefore, armed with THE multibillion agricultural idea, the required finances and land, how does one convert the idea into actual money? Here are a few simple rules and mistakes beginning farmers should avoid:

Do’s

• Do become knowledgeable on the subject. The farmer should attend workshops and seminars, read various articles related to the crop you want to venture in. Farmers will be able to interact with experts and learn on new technologies.
• Do start small. The most advisable thing to do as a first time farmer for the first growing season is to start small and expand gradually. However big a land you have, it would be advisable to dedicate a small portion of land during the first season. This will make management easy.

Don’ts

• Don’t assume! Many farmers usually brush of details they deem to be unimportant such as soil testing to find out whether the soil’s nutrients, contamination level, composition and acidity level. Overlooking some of these issues might lead to huge losses.
• Don’t obtain information from the wrong sources. Do not only rely only on advice from other farmers. Use agronomists from known agricultural companies or the Ministry of Agriculture.
• Don’t ignore. For example, a farmer might decide to spray his crops once a month instead of twice as is required. This might lead to crop infections which could have otherwise been avoided.

Farming has been made easier by greenhouses. Greenhouses are typically equipped with plastic walls which helps in moisture retention and regulation of temperatures. Farmers can, therefore, capitalize on out-of-season crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, basil, and other vegetables that usually command high prices in some markets. Plants are prone to damage from insects. A greenhouse keeps plants in isolation, locked safely away from the outside world where insects, rodents and other animals could damage crops.

Greenhouses come in all sizes depending on the size of your land or your preference. The most obvious reason to have a greenhouse is that one can grow vegetables and flowers all year round. Greenhouses also protects crops from weather elements such as blizzards and high winds. At Illuminum Greenhouses we offer high quality, modern greenhouses at affordable prices. We also have professionals who will provide expert advice to farmers. Our goal is to provide quality products and services that will ease the farmer’s journey. For more information, please visit our website at www.illuminumgreenhouses.com

Agri-Investors being shown Herbs for Export

Participants of the training included guest speakers from Farmlift, Farmsoft, KCB Bank and our professionally trained team who got to equip our farmers with the necessary knowledge on what is really needed through out the entire agriculture value chain. While we focused on agricultural equipment needed to farm, Farmlift shared on proper farm management with record keeping and KCB provided information on access to agriloans to allow our investors access capital.

The overall objective of the agribusiness training is to support agri-investors and agriculturalists achieve sustainable production through equipping them with detailed information on agriculture as well as giving them a visual on how the produce evolves from the soil to the plate.

Agri-Investors being shown Global GAP Compliance

We did this by visiting one of our clients Millicent Ruteere, CEO Celine Farms, who deals with exports in herbs where we discussed Global GAP certification and the process taken to certify your produce for export. The response from this training was phenomenal, we had all the slots filled up and already are taking in interested agri-investors for the upcoming training. We would like to announce that we have finally decided to make the training’s a monthly occurrence to ensure we reach as much investors wanting to invest in the sector. Though the training is currently being done in Nairobi, we will slowly begin rolling our similar programs across the country to allow other investors access this information. For any dates of the upcoming training, please follow our social media pages on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We look forward to having you on our training.