Entrepreneur

About Me

Am Sammy Kimani John born in 1967 in Nakuru. Am married with five school going children. Am the bread winner; my wife being unemployed. Am educated upto college level and currently working as teacher at Vanessa grant girls, a private secondary school in Rongai Nakuru. I have taught for almost twenty years now and have not made much personal development due to the fact of low pay, dependence by my aging mother and meager savings, though I believe I have been a blessing to many students that I have taught. I started small scale vegetable farming to supplement my income in 2006.This is after realizing that relying on salary alone to bring up five children and educate them is almost impossible. I have struggled against many challenges to succeed in farming as a business venture.
I started with a small loan of Kenya shs. 20000 and planted tomatoes in a one acre rented plot under farrow irrigation. The proceeds were not high due to a low harvest and poor market price but I did break even. I re-invested about 15000 shillings in the same plot and planted butternuts and green pepper. The proceeds this time were better and encouraging. I rented a bigger plot of two and a half acres where I have continued mixed vegetable farming to date, mostly under farrow irrigation. Am able to pay school fees, feed and clothe my family from the sale of my harvest. Am also able to help my aging mother to pay school fees and take care of her grandchildren left in her care by a departed brother and sister. With your generous help, am hoping to expand my project to be able to meet these financial obligations faithfully and with ease and improve my family’s wellbeing and save them from the jaws of poverty that is always threatening and also continue assisting my community with supplies of green vegetables especially during the dry season. God bless!

My Business

My business is farming. I plant vegetables which include kales, tomatoes, green pepper, onions, butternuts etc. I do this in a two-and a half rented acre plot.The renting fee per acre is Kenya shillings 5,000 per year amounting to 12,500 per year. I also use three casual labourers whom I pay Ksh 200 per day amounting to Ksh 15600 per month. I spend approximately Ksh 15000 every month on farm inputs e.g. fertilizers and chemicals. My income from the project is about Ksh 10000 less all the expenditures. This amount to approximately Ksh. 120,000 per year.
The demand for the vegetables is high from the local community and neighboring schools especially during the dry season which am able to supply because am able to irrigate my farm from the nearby river.
The risks in this business include unexpected diseases and unpredicted climatic condition especially frost and flooding which leads to unexpected expenditure which in most times am unable to meet. Another risk is the poor market prizes due to oversupply. I use the income from my business to pay fees, feed and clothe my family and also assists my mother to meet her financial demands which include paying school fees for orphaned children left by departed brother and sister. The remaining is ploughed back to my business.

Loan Proposal

I will use the loan for horticulture farming under irrigation on my two acre rented farm. my farm is near a river. Am planning to grow tomatoes on one acre, butternuts on half an acre and pepper on the other half- renting and ploughing the shamba Ksh 10,000 , buying tomato , butternuts and pepper seeds and fertiliser Ksh 15000. chemicals eg pesticide and herbicides Ksh 5000, fuel for irrigation and labour Ksh10000.

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