Soybean cultivation reaps huge dividends for Kenyan farmers

As it stands today, Africa is the youngest continent on the planet, with nearly 60% of its current population under the age of 25. With the population of Africa set to hit over 2 billion by 2050, there is a pressing need to provide jobs for the youth. Agriculture has a real potential to have a transformative impact especially for the youth in Africa.

Esther Livai, 21, is a testament to the potential that can be found within agriculture. Completing secondary school education had been a major challenge for Esther after the demise of her father while she was still in school. Immediately after finishing school, she decided to venture into agriculture to for her sustenance. She initially tried out maize farming on a parcel of land that belonged to her mother. The first season went well but she was alarmed at the low price of the maize.

As part of the Prosoya-2SCALE partnership, Esther went to a training facilitated by FASUD, the Business Support Services (BSS) provider of the partnership and learnt about how to add value to soybeans. She decided to focus on the sale of soy-based yogurt which is proving to be a really profitable venture.

Given the unique cultural context which means that access to land for women can be very challenging, Esther decided to lease land on a seasonal basis to circumnavigate the land access challenge.

“Per season I can lease land for $20 for half an acre. Last season I planted on half an acre and 1.5 bags…. From this acreage I can expect at least four 90kg bags that if I sell the beans and the yogurt, provides me with enough money to sustain me. We usually sell to FASUD at KSH per kilogram which is quite a good price,” explains Esther.

Thanks to the proceeds from her cultivation of soya beans and the sale of soya yogurt, she has managed to enrol herself to college where she is studying to become a Medical Lab Technician.

As a parting shot for the youth, Esther says,” Agriculture is the best if you face your fears. It can be daunting at the start but there is a lot of employment and all your basic needs through agriculture. There is a lot of freedom in working for yourself in an honest, legitimate manner.”

Rael Ojwaya, 69, is also a farmer who has greatly benefited from the cultivation of soybean. Rael, who lives in Osogo village, Migori County started planting soybean in 2016. She now plants soybean on a one-acre plot of land which was given to her by her son, who is also a soybean farmer.

“Previously I used to plant maize and beans but when I learnt about soya, I converted my farm to soya. This is because the market for soya is assured through FASUD who offtake and also pay me on delivery. Production is also made easier because FASUD offer input credit which means when it’s time to plant I have the inputs I need. From an acre of land, I can make at least KSH 40,000($400) per season (4 months) which is able to make sure I live comfortably and enabled me to pay school fees. From a health perspective ever since I started consuming soya, I feel I have more energy in my daily activities,” says Rael

In July, after attending a training on value addition by FASUD, she started to produce mandazi(scones) made from soybean as well as yogurt and soya milk. Thanks to the demand for these products, she has now hired an additional person who helps to distribute the products in the neighbouring markets of Anjego and Osogo.

These examples are indicative of the importance of availing to farmers the right information to enable them make the best decisions to help them optimize their economic opportunities.