The issue of unemployment among the youth is unsettling more people, and a 29-year-old Bachelor of Commerce Kenyatta University graduate from Kapkeruge village in Nandi County has turned to digital farming, which enables him to earn up to around Kshs 1 million, from tomatoes, tea, and cabbages sales annually. Speaking to West Media, Robert Choge said he delved into the venture after learning business management skills at the Xtra Publishing Limited where he was working as a business executive.
In 2016, he started planting cabbages, tomatoes, and tea seedlings for sale as an investment and to add to his job income. He said the idea transformed into a rich venture, earning him lots of money annually, which is way better than the salary he received, and he urged Nandi residents especially the youths who haven’t got any jobs to try out farming.
He said the tea sales bring in about Kshs 500,000, cabbages up to Kshs 400,000 and tomatoes up to about Kshs 200,000. “I started with a capital of Kshs 50,000, which was the commission I was paid in an advertising company and I used the money to fence my farm and with the remaining cash, I bought two bulls which I later sold and used the money to expand my farm area,” he narrated.
His farming practice has now lasted three years and has attracted many people from different areas who are interested in benchmarking, the latest visitors from the Nandi County agriculture department. Apart from being a farmer, Choge doubles up as a Director and Founder of Jelberts Kenya Limited, which deals with greenhouse construction, farm consultancy and drip line installation.
