the 24yr old student raking big money from his half acre passion farm

In about twelve months, Morris Maina
Thuo will officially become an
accountant by profession.
Hopefully, he could get a job as an
accountant in a blue chip company.
But whether it happens or not, Maina
is not very worried---He has found a
money maker in passion fruits.

The fourth year Bachelor of Commerce
student at the University of Nairobi is
already raking in Sh 20,000 a week
from half an acre passion crop of 700
plants.
At the small farm given by his uncle
at Githakwa in Githunguri, Kiambu
County, Maina’s crop yields more than
250 kilos of passion fruits whose
market value ranges between Sh 80-
100 per kilo.

“I was growing the vegetables like
cabbages, kales and lettuce but there
was a lot of uncertainty. I decided to
change,” says Maina at his farm.
The 24 year old student juggles
between his accounting lessons and
the farm and so far, he has no worries
about marketing. “I cannot sustain the
demand so far. I have actually teamed
up with some other young men in the
area to grow the crop in their farms so
that we can sell together,” he explains.

He has added value to his farming and
now sells seedlings some of which is
grafted to produce better yielding
varieties. “We graft seedlings and we
have purple passion and Sweet yellow
varieties. They are fast moving,” says
Maina.
Quite techno-savvy, Main has taken up
Whatsup and Mkulima Young website
as his key digital marketing platforms.

“The Mkulima Young site is like a
market place. You meet buyers and
sellers at the same time. It has really
boosted my marketing,” he says.
Maina emphasizes the need for
applying modern marketing tools for
young farmers. “I am digital and I
want to be serious digital farmer.

Farming is not just about dirt. You can
be a smart farmer,” he encourages
youths who fear agriculture.
From his testimony, Maina is an apt
example of how a side farming job can
boost one’s income….. Another digital
farmer!