Starting Over
Conversation* with FRANCIS NGUGI, Vipani Farmer, 19 February 2007

Francis Ngugi thought he had seen it all. He started farming early on and he had his share of good times and bad times. But through hard work, he was able to build a thriving business on his rented farm. Until life dealt him a cruel blow.

"One day, I felt ill and went to the hospital. I thought I would be discharged the next day, only to find out that I had a severe case of tuberculosis. I had to stay in the hospital for two months and then continue on medication for almost five years. It took me a long while to recover. But even though I do not feel the energy as I did before, I am again fully engaged in my farm and my will to succeed is strong".

"When I was in the hospital, the bills grew day after day. The cost of my long-term medication took a heavy toll on our finances as well. And without me in the farm, my business also went through a rough time. My wife, Anastasia Njoki, could not manage the farm on her own as she also had to take care of my elderly mother and our 7 children (4 daughter and 3 sons). Consequently, our only source of family income shut down."

"We had to sell our assets one by one to pay for my hospital and medicine bills. First to go was the 8-hp diesel water pump, which fetched KES 45,000 (USD 640). Second was the 5-hp water pump for KES 25,000 and third was the 3-hp water pump for KES 15,000. Despite selling all we had in the farm, and even some of our household items, we still accumulated a debt of KES 170,000. Even worse, I had nothing to restart my business. This was the most painful thing in an already bad situation, as I had to sell my working capital with which I could have easily resumed generating money."

"Actually, this is my second time to start my farming all over again. I began farming at a young age", narrates 46-year old Francis. "While in school, I used to grow vegetables on a small part of my father's farm. From my sales, I managed to accumulate small savings. I left school after only lower secondary grade. In 1982, I heard of good money being made in Irish potatoes which grew well in Narok district, which was about 200 km away from home. I rented a half acre of land in Narok, and from six bags of seed potatoes, I produced 70 bags. I was excited by the results and I decided to reinvest all my proceeds. I rented more land; I planted potatoes in a total of 3 acres. But this time round, I could not even harvest my crop. Inter-tribal clashes started and I had to run for my life. I abandoned all my investment and came back home."

"In 1984, I started my small scale farming again. At that time, the Kenya Horticultural Exporter Ltd. (KHE) started contracting farmers to grow French beans and I joined. My farming then started expanding bit by bit. By 1986, I had saved KES 15,000. I bought a 5.5-hp water pump, and I kept expanding my production month by month. By 1988, I was growing kales, spinach, tomatoes, and French beans on an 8-acre piece of rented land. My average income then was KES 24,000 per month. But, one blow and all these disappeared."

"It was a struggle to start from scratch again. I couldn't do much without capital."

"Vipani could not have come at a better time:"

"I first heard of Vipani from neighboring member farmers but I did not believe what they were saying; it just sounded too good to be true. So I took time and enquired more from other member farmers before I went to the Vipani field staff to ask more questions. I got convinced and I became a Vipani farmer."

"Since I joined Vipani, our life started turning round. Vipani is like a friend who stands by you and helps you move from one level to the next. I could acquire credit and crop advice and access to premium markets. I started with an acre piece of land, and to date, 14 months down the line, I have expanded to about half of my eight acres with an average income of KES 27,500 per month. My old debt is fully paid off, but I have accumulated a new debt investing in my farm. I need some more time before I can be debt free, but I am not worried as long as Vipani stands by me. Soon, I expect to cultivate my entire eight acres. I would not have been able to do this without Vipani, you'll probably find me still struggling go get started."

Francis continues, "my wish is to provide a comfortable life, education and good health to our children. I hope that they will choose to become farmers. I have seen people make money in farming and I believe my misfortunes in life have nothing to do with farming as a business. However, I would not like our children to struggle to raise capital as much as I did. I need to generate money so that they have a safety net, and they could have a good beginning in their business."