Mr Saruni Duya’s eight-acre farm, near the village of Nguruman, in southern Kenya, produces mangos, bananas, cucumbers, and also many different “Asian vegetables”, most of which are meant for the market.’
He farms the same land that his father farmed for many years, and his grandfather before him, but the few innovations which Mr Duya has introduced have brought about big changes. “We grafted some mango trees, and now they produce much more”. He has planted trees along the contours of his farm, and some have already provided timber.
He has also designed a detailed crop-rotation scheme and successfully combines different crops so as to make the most of the limited space and available water. Naturally, there are some difficulties, the largest of which is marketing his products. Without a strong farmer organisation in this area, middlemen pay very low prices for the vegetables.
But in spite of these problems, “this is a profitable business”, and one that makes Mr Duya very proud. Logically, he expects his children to farm this same land in the future. “Farming is good, but they have first to complete their school. Just as I’ve made some improvements, they will then be able to take this farm to another level”.
Text: Jorge Chavez-Tafur
Photo: Susan Mwangi
