How greenhouse farmer beat setup costs to earn millions

Listening to Alice Chuaga speak about
her farms worth millions of shillings,
one would be forgiven to think that
she is an agronomist or a greenhouse
technology expert.

But the greenhouse farmer from
Nyeri says her passion and use of
cheap materials is what has driven her
to attain this kind of success.

Ms Chuaga says she opted for
improvised greenhouses with lower
maintenance costs, that uses water
more efficiently and one that can be
easily moved to cut on setup costs.

An average greenhouse unit of eight
metres by 30 meters costs about
Sh200,000. This cost includes laying
pipes for drip irrigation. Ms Chuaga
says farmers who are unable to afford
the steel structures can build their
own greenhouses using timber poles at
a much lower cost.

“I set aside Sh16,000 to personally
construct and install the pipes for drip
irrigation for a single greenhouse unit
and now I own three,” she says.

“I have two greenhouses on my a
quarter plot in Nyeri where I plant
tomatoes and capsicums,” Ms Chuaga
says, adding that she has already
erected the third one in her kitchen
garden to grow passion fruits.

“My first Anna F1 tomatoes harvest
from the improvised greenhouse in my
kitchen garden was quite notable. I
harvested 19,000 kilogrammes (kg) of
tomatoes which I sold at Sh110 per kg.”

The tomatoes mature after 75 days
and after each harvest she says she
collects between Sh209,000 to
Sh450,000.

Although prices fluctuate because of
supply and demand, she says during low
seasons she harvests 3,016 kgs of
tomatoes with a kilo going for as low
as Sh60 but on the higher side a kg
would go for Sh110.

“I sell the tomatoes to hotels in town,
individuals and some to my neighbours,”
she says.

The mother of three also grows
capsicums. She says any vegetable can
be grown in greenhouses and capsicum
has fetched her good profits.

“I got the idea from my friends in
Nairobi. The first time, I managed to
harvest 20kgs of red and yellow
capsicums. Recently, I earned
Sh160,000 from selling capsicums to
ABC Place and Zuchiri hotel in
Nairobi and Mombasa.’’

To cushion her from tough times
especially during low production or
market glut, she says has also planted
sukuma wiki among other vegetables in
her backyard and does not lack
Sh1,400 from weekly sales.

Besides greenhouse farming, Ms
Chuaga also keeps 180 indigenous
chicken where a mature cock goes
for Sh1,200 and a hen Sh600. The
once impoverished farmer, Ms Chuaga
is now reaping the fruits of her
labour.

She now counts the millions of shillings
that she has earned from growing
tomatoes, capsicums, kales, broccoli,
cauliflower and onions and from sale of
chicken and eggs.

“ I love to venture into other types of
crops as a way of earning additional
income ,” she says.
The success of her improvised
greenhouses has attracted many
people and has gained her slots in 

international trade fairs.

“I get quite a number of referrals.
Hence, I have constructed 12
greenhouse units for other people.
They always thank me,” says Ms
Chuaga.

Despite the high returns, she doesn’t
rest easy and has recently acquired a
115 acres land in Loitoktok where she
has planted tomatoes on an open field
as she focuses on large scale farming,
although she prefers greenhouse
farming.

“Greenhouse farming is the best as it
prevents crops from human consumption.
“It uses little or no chemicals despite
people’s mentality that alot of
chemicals are used in this form of
farming,” she says.

Greenhouse farming has rewards, she says.
“These include higher and more
consistent production per acre, which
translates into more profits, protection
from harsh weather conditions like
frost and wind, limited exposure to
damaging pests, natural sunlight and
ventilation, longer growing seasons, and
more economical water usage,
especially in dry areas,” says Ms
Chuaga.

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