Godfrey’s bumper harvest

At just 27 years old, Godfrey Kirimi is redefining what it means to be a modern farmer in Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya. From humble beginnings in 2018 with a small tomato plot, Godfrey has grown to manage a six-acre farm, cultivating onions, tomatoes, cowpeas, sorghum and millet, and now employs over 30 workers. His transformation was fuelled by passion, learning and the support of Farm Africa and AGRA’s Strengthening Regenerative Agriculture in Kenya (STRAK) project.

Godfrey’s journey with STRAK began in August 2022, when he joined the project eager to learn. Through the training, he was introduced to sustainable farming techniques such as crop rotation, basin planting, mulching, crop coverage and integrated pest management.

The impact was immediate.

“Before, I used to produce about 20 tonnes of tomatoes per acre, but now I get over 40 tonnes per acre,” he says proudly.

“I was empowered with knowledge on insect management, proper use of manure and how to reduce water loss. Mulching, especially, helped me cut down irrigation costs.”

One of his hardest lessons came from a costly mistake. “I lost Ksh 140,000 because I planted the same crop twice on the same land. But now I rotate my crops; watermelons one season, tomatoes or sorghum the next. It really works.”

Today, Godfrey’s two acres of onions yield around 15 tonnes per acre, with projected profits of up to 50% revenue, a significant improvement from the initial 5%. For tomatoes, profits have jumped from 20% to 70%, showing how smart practices translate to real financial gains.

But for Godfrey, success is not just about profit, it is about people.

“What motivated me to become a Village-based Advisor is my desire to learn and share,” he says. He now mentors over 150 farmers, teaching them to run farming like a business. “I train them on using less fertiliser and more manure, and on aggregation so they can sell as a group and earn more.”

The response has been overwhelmingly positive. “They love the teaching. They are especially curious about mulching, crop coverage, using basins and fertiliser management.”

Godfrey’s favourite topic to teach? Manure. “I enjoy showing them how to use farmyard manure. It is cheaper, natural and it really improves the soil. It’s better than relying only on fertiliser” he says.

As young people make up 84% of the unemployed population in Kenya, Godfrey encourages them to invest in agriculture as an opportunity for employment.

Read more stories from the same project in our publication below.

Photos: Farm Africa / Bertha Lutome.