Kenol: A young, thriving agripreneur has urged fellow youth to embrace agribusiness as a job rather than wait for white-collar jobs.
According to Kenya News Agency, Mkulima Mdogo Seedlings proprietor Loise Kabuti emphasizes that agribusiness remains underutilized and could reduce the overreliance on white-collar employment, create self-employment, and contribute to the nation’s food supply.
Kabuti, in her late twenties, pursued electrical engineering at university while her husband, Lamech Victorious, specialized in construction. Together, they founded an award-winning agro-based company known for producing fruit, vegetable, herb, and tree seedlings. Victorious manages the farm, while Kabuti serves as the firm’s CEO. After completing their studies, they chose to venture into farming, initially lacking skills but eventually transitioning to soilless media propagation from traditional nursery beds since 2016.
The couple’s agribusiness journey was inspired by skills passed down from their farmer grandfather. Their enterprise now employs over 60 young individuals, producing more than 200,000 seedlings weekly using trays and soil-less media like coco peat in a greenhouse environment. The demand for their quality seedlings continues to grow.
Kabuti notes that their firm generates over Sh300,000 monthly. She advises young people to remain flexible in their career choices, highlighting that involvement in farming, even on a small scale, can be rewarding with patience and continuous learning. She stresses the importance of research and hiring qualified personnel, such as agronomists, to carve a niche in seedling production, attracting clients from across the country and beyond.
Kabuti also encourages the youth to avoid antisocial behaviors like crime and substance abuse, urging them to channel their energy into productive endeavors that provide a livelihood. During a visit by KNA to the farm near Kenol town, young individuals gathered to purchase seedlings and learn management techniques for better returns on investment.
Allan Mwangi, an agripreneur from Kirinyaga County, shared his story of transitioning to tomato farming after studying animal husbandry. He now employs three people and earns an average of Sh100,000 monthly, covering operational costs and supporting his family.
Young agripreneurs have expressed concerns about the high cost of farm inputs, urging the government to provide subsidies. Mercy Mwangi, a farmer from Kiambu County, argues that access to affordable pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers would boost farming profits and encourage more youth to enter the field. They also called for government-provided agricultural extension services to foster self-reliance and teach improved soil quality and farming methods, as they currently rely on costly private entities.