From two wheels to soybean fields

In Siaya County, Kenya, motorbike taxi driver, Erick has transformed his life through soybean farming. His journey began when he was invited to join the Youth in Sustainable Aquaculture (YISA) programme, the Mastercard Foundation, Farm Africa and a consortium of partners’ initiative that aims to enhance resilient livelihoods and create meaningful work opportunities for young people like Erick.

Since joining the programme, Erick has received technical training in the production of soybeans, an ingredient used in feed for fish and poultry: “We’ve had several training sessions, and as a result, I’ve gained a lot of knowledge about soybean farming.”

Armed with his new knowledge and skills, Erick works as a Village-Based Advisor (VBA), recruiting and training young women and men in the YISA programme’s soybean value chain. “As a VBA, my role is to recruit and train smallholder farmers on soybean production — from land preparation, planting, disease management, to harvesting and post-harvest handling,” he shares.

Transitioning from maize to soybeans

Besides being a motorbike taxi driver, Erick also farmed maize to support his family. However, after one season of growing soybeans, Erick decided to stop farming maize and concentrate on soybeans.

“I used to grow maize and would harvest about four bags per acre,” Erick explains. “But with soybeans, even with challenges, you can get around ten bags per acre. Without challenges, yields can go up to 18 bags per acre. Last season, I planted three acres and harvested ten bags. That experience convinced me to stop growing other crops.”

Despite harvesting ten bags, Erick remains hopeful that this season will be more favourable. “Last season, the rains stopped just as the soybeans were at the flowering stage,” he explains. “I had to hire a water pump to pump water into the farm since my farm is close to the river. If it weren’t for the harsh weather conditions, I would have harvested more than ten bags,” he adds.

Increase in household income

Soybean farming has transformed Erick’s life, significantly improving his household income. With his soybean earnings, he has been able to pay a full year’s school fees for his children and build a new home.

“In the past, my children would often be sent home due to school fees arrears,” he shares. “But thanks to the proceeds from soybean farming, made possible through the YISA programme, I can now pay their fees for the entire year at once.”

He adds, “I used to live in a small house within my father’s homestead. After joining the YISA programme, I’ve been able to establish my homestead and build a three-bedroom house.”

From a taxi driver to a soybean producer and aggregator, Erick’s journey through the YISA programme has not only secured his children’s education but also given his family a stable and dignified job and a home.

Erick is confident that he will soon have enough capital to scale up his aggregation efforts, thanks to the readily available market: local farmers, interested companies and the programme’s challenge fund.

“We have a ready market from fish feed millers who use soybeans in production of fish feed. When they heard that I had soybeans, they came in numbers to buy. In addition, Farm Africa linked us with Thrive Agric, a company that will also purchase soybeans from us,” explains Erick.

He adds, “Unfortunately, due to limited capital, I haven’t been able to aggregate as much as I could. Many of my farmers still have more than 800 kgs of soybeans awaiting aggregation. But I’m confident that by the next planting season, I’ll be able to aggregate more, as I’ve applied for the programme challenge fund.”

The increase in soybeans will also support fish farmers’ businesses by increasing the availability of high-quality protein-rich feed for their fish.

Beyond YISA programme

Although the YISA programme is set to run for five years, Erick remains confident that his soybean production will continue long after the programme ends. He attributes this optimism to the availability of soybean seeds and a reliable market for the product.

“After five years, this programme will come to an end. However, it won’t end with my farmers — nor will it end with the seeds. My farmers will continue growing soybeans, and I will continue with aggregation. In the long run, I plan to establish an aggregation centre where all soybean farmers can bring their produce,” says Erick.