It is green on the outside and red inside, and very profitable to grow. Watermelon farming in Kenya is easy to start, the plant requires little management and the market is plenty. This is a watermelon farming guide for anyone thinking of ways to start a watermelon farm in Kenya. The watermelon fruit is mostly composed of water. The over 92% water in the fruit serves as a great refreshment to quench thirst. It is also very nutritious: A watermelon […]
By working toward a goal, you end up getting much more than your desired outcome. Setting and achieving meaningful career goals provides three essential career nutrients: increased job satisfaction, higher self-esteem, and improved quality of your life. But how do you form a right-size a goal that’s ambitious, but doesn’t overwhelm you? Here are a few tips to help you truly understand how to achieve goals. You Need Clarity Studies show you’re more likely to succeed when your career goals are […]
There are many ways to improve sustainability on your farm – whether it’s agroforestry (planting trees that give nutrients back to the soil), intercropping (planting different types of crops from year to year to ensure the soil can recover from different harvests), or using organic fertilizers – many are low-cost, simple and they can help to prevent environmental degradation, deforestation and food insecurity. We only have one earth so we should do all that we can in our power to […]
Deep Industry Knowledge Chances are you have a thorough understanding of the marketplace you’re about to enter. You wouldn’t be staking your reputation, your time and financial resources on your new startup if you didn’t. The sobering fact, however, is that most startups fail. According to Shikhar Ghosh, a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School, the rate of failure startup can be as high as 95%. So, knowing that going in, doesn’t it make sense to stack the deck in your […]
With an estimated income of more than $100 billion annually, agriculture remains Africa’s largest economic sector. Agricultural production in Africa continues to increase gradually and is almost at par with South America. However, as Africans become more tech savvy, innovations are on the rise as technology experts turn their attention to creating mobile solutions for the modern farmer. Analysts have shown that by 2025 half of Africa’s population will have internet access with about 360 million smartphones on the continent. Also based on their estimation, […]
There are hundreds of success stories in newspapers or online platforms dedicated to agribusiness success stories in Kenya. But not many who are interviewed in these farming success stories will stand up and talk about how their agribusiness ventures failed, how that actually feels, and how they are dealing with it. It’s simply not very ‘empowering’ or inspirational…but it needs to be out in the open. If you’re a successful farmer in Kenya right now, chances are, this isn’t your […]
Basic Bookkeeping Tips For many small businesses, the most common bookkeeping errors are also the easiest to fix. Use these six tips to help keep your business on sound financial footing. 1. Use the right accounting system. Most businesses use either cash-based or accrual-based accounting. If you use the cash method, you count income when you receive it and expenses when you pay them. Under the accrual method, you count income and expenses when they happen, not when you actually receive or […]
By Caroline Wambui, It is frosty as we navigate Mpukone village in Kathangari, Meru, to Ndegwa Farm, some 37km from the county headquarters. Kenneth Gitonga, the CEO of Meru Dairy Union, is busy on the farm, which he owns, issuing instructions to a worker. The farmer keeps six calves, 10 heifers, seven dry, and 12 lactating cows. The animals are chewing the cud when we arrive, the cold weather having not dampened their spirit. Gitonga says he gets an average […]
By Silvia Pavlova Networking is one of the most essential personal skills for business people, but it is extremely important for entrepreneurs. Communication and strong presence in the entrepreneurial ecosystem are productive approaches which will help you along your way to building strong relationships with other entrepreneurs from different age groups, nationality and fields of interest. Business networking events organized around the world bring together extraordinary groups of highly-skilled and talented entrepreneurs who are united around the idea of communication, […]
Throughout Kenya pressure on land is increasing. Average farm size is decreasing as plots are sub-divided and farmers in Kenya struggle to find space on their farms to grow subsistence and cash crops as well as keep livestock. Many farmers in Kenya would like to keep dairy cows but do not have the money to buy animals and build zero-grazing units or sufficient land to grow enough feed. But have you ever considered keeping dairy goats as a more affordable and […]