Turning Waste into Value With Smart Farming
Chris from Nakuru has built a unique business that focuses on transforming plastic wastes, animal wastes, and farm residues into valuable resources for local farmers.
His hustle revolves around constructing kitchen gardens for planting groceries, making compost manure, and producing organic pesticides and foliar sprays using rabbit urine and other natural concoctions.
The main goal of Chris’ initiative is to address food security, fight climate change, and reduce global warming, while empowering his community through sustainable farming.
👉 Download the MESH app Google Playstore. Ni 2MB!
Starting the Hustle: Motivation, Capital, and First Customers
Chris’ journey began with a small group of youth and women from his community who shared the vision of smart farming. “Starting capital ilikuwa 30,000 Ksh,” he explains.
“Tulipata fedha hizi kupitia donations na grants kutoka kwa friends wetu.” Their first customers were neighbors and community members who were introduced to the program through local awareness campaigns.
By educating people on the benefits of organic farming and the quality of their products, Chris and his team managed to gain trust quickly.
For him, the daily motivation is simple: to serve his community while providing harmless and effective organic farming solutions.
“I love to teach people how to farm smart and produce food safely,” Chris says. His commitment to high-quality products, coupled with occasional discounts, keeps customers returning and recommending his services to others in the area.
Challenges, Learning, and Growth of Kitchen Gardening
Like any growing business, Chris faces challenges. Financial constraints and lack of machinery and skilled labor are among the main hurdles.
Despite these challenges, he has learned valuable lessons, especially after joining MESH. “Nime learn vitu mob sana in terms of digital networking,” he says.
The platform has helped him expand his knowledge, improve his networking, and gain exposure to new ideas that have positively impacted his business operations.
Joining MESH also provided opportunities to connect with other entrepreneurs, share experiences, and access resources that he wouldn’t have had otherwise.
Chris emphasizes the importance of trying out ideas and seeing if they work. “Kama uko na idea, just try it out uone kama itajipa,” he advises fellow MESHers.
Why Chris Loves His Hustle
Chris’ love for his hustle comes from the direct impact it has on his community.
The joy of seeing local families grow their own food, use safe products, and adopt sustainable farming methods is unmatched.
He enjoys the creative side of turning what others see as waste into valuable resources for agriculture.
Kama unadai ku-reach out to Chris, click here ku-connect na yeye!