John CheruiyotMr. Alex Njenga, 53 may not click or make sense to many Kenyans. He is however a Mahatma Gandhi of agriculture to Kenyans who listen to him on radio Inooro, Coro, Kameme and KBC (Mali Shambani and Sikio ya Mkulima). He is an icon and a guru driven by alternative ideas in modern agriculture. He is a moving encyclopaedia and an advocate of the latest ideas in crop and animal production. He is a speaker, trainer, facilitator, publisher and a writer. He has written over four books on the latest trends in agriculture. Like Mahatma Gandhi, Njenga puts on the attire of common people. You may mistake him for a peasant by his dressing.
He is also a director of Kenya Multipurpose Development Institute a firm committed to empowering Kenyans through training and transfer of alternative technologies.
The eCentury team visited him at his Ngong residence. On the veranda of his house were several bales of wheat straws used for mushroom production. His compound is a showcase of plots of strawberries, pumpkin plants, sweet potatoes-some from overseas, particularly from Asia and other local breeds. His intention is to multiply for distribution to the farmers. In his compound also were rabbits and poultry which were of pedigree quality and of a rare breed. His poultry for example were sourced from Israel and are being multiplied.
Near the veranda were a few jatropha plants (a bio-diesel plant) being propagated for distribution to farmers. Njenga trains particularly in ASAL regions.
In his living room were dried and powder mushrooms and pawns (mushroom seeds) used for teaching, training and demonstrations, others were the different types of sweet potatoes available in the country.
In his library were the books he authored. The workshops and training programs he is involved in include: bee keeping, mushroom production, fish farming, rabbit rearing, poultry management, herbal farming and green house technology.
Njenga is a graduate of Egerton University; he holds both a diploma and a degree in Agriculture from Egerton. He has over 30 years experience in professional agriculture. His passion and commitment is to train, empower, motivate and to make farmers innovative, prosperous and successful.
He observes, “Kenyans need to move from current farming of growing low value crops to high value crops like mushroom, strawberries, potatoes, pumpkin and vanilla. They also need to venture into fish farming, beekeeping, and dairy goat rearing. If Kenyans begin to use honey instead of sugar, chicken for red meat, mushroom and sweet potato for food they will become the healthiest people on the planet.”
Njenga pulled his calculator from the pocket and took eCentury writer step by step. He began with sweet potatoes.
He observed, “One eight of an acre of sweet potatoes takes 4,000 pieces which produces about 10 tubers each or 40,000 tubers. If a farmer takes six tubers from each piece to the market annually this translates to 24,000 tubers. If he makes heaps of four tubers it will translate to 6,000 heaps, he sells each heap for Ksh.20 this will amount to Ksh.120, 000 for an eight of an acre or Ksh. 960,000 for an acre. Isn’t this a good income for a small scale farmer? ” He asked.
“Sweet potatoes are not only food but medicinal. They control viral diseases. A potato weighing 800g cost less than 400g bread. The day Kenyans shift from bread to sweet potatoes for breakfast, they will not only save their hard earned cash but improve their health. ” He notes. “Sweet potatoes may be dried and made into flour which may be mixed with Amaranth to fight cancer and high blood pressure. The sweet potato flour may be mixed with mushroom flour to improve on quality and palatability.”
The next high value crop was strawberry. He said “An eight of acre of strawberry carries 5,000 pieces .Each piece of strawberry yields 2kg annually. Hence an eight produces 10,000 kilos. If each kilo goes for Ksh.400 this translates to 4million. An acre fetches Ksh.40 million! ”
On the mushroom farming Njenga observed, “This country imports mushrooms from China, India and South Africa. Five star hotels serve mushrooms soups from imported mushrooms. The demand for mushrooms in the country is greater than the supply. Hence mushroom farming is a gold mine. Besides the day Kenyans will themselves eat mushrooms this country will be great health wise. Popular mushroom are oyster and button. They are eaten directly. They are dried, ground for baking, porridge making and even in making of ugali”.
“Mushroom farming is a profitable enterprise” He noted.” It uses farm residues like wheat straws. One kilo of mushroom seeds (spawns) is grown on a bale of wheat straws. It takes one month for oyster to mature. A kilo of mushroom spawn produces 10 kg of mushroom. Each kilo of mushroom fetches Ksh.600 hence 10kg fetches 6000 in one month. To make good return, a minimum of 10 kg spawns are needed to make Ksh.60, 000. Mushroom farming is an indoor enterprise. Mud, grass houses and other simple structures may be used to grow mushrooms. ”
He added “The emerging trend in herbal industry is based on medicinal crops and herbs.” On pumpkin farming he had this to say “Pumpkin has medicinal qualities. Its seeds cure dysentery and supply plenty of zinc vital for sperm development in men. Its pulp is a dewormer, while the juice cures urinary complications.”
Indeed Alex Njenga is an agriculturalist, researcher and practical oriented scholar. He is simply an agricultural scholar for the masses. He is passionate for a people driven agriculture. His outreach programs through the media, workshops and demonstrations have won him both friends and foes.
“I was summoned by my superiors who felt I needed their approval before embarking on any move particularly in the media” He observed. He added “I told them what is wrong when I teach farmers through the media? How come I have not received any complain when I train in workshops and open air Barazas?”
“I told my superiors that my university chancellor gave me ‘the power to read and to do all which pertains to my degree. I teach farmers ideas proven by research. ”
Njenga is a professional needed in the 21st century Kenya. In his Kiambu farm he has fish ponds, rabbits, poultry, geese, ducks, dairy goats, turkeys, parrots and dwarf hens. He a type of expert needed in third world country like Kenya. According to Njenga diseases like diabetes, cancer, hypertension, skin disorders among other diseases would be history if crops with medicinal properties were promoted and Kenyans encouraged to shift to high value crops and animals.
Njenga talks to farmers on radio every Friday from 8:30-9:00 AM and every Tuesday from 8:30-9:00pm in Coro FM and on KBC radio every Monday from 8:30-9:00pm.