Ambitious farmer establishes a successful enterprise after being financed to purchase a water pump and tank
By George Gichuki
isionFund Kenya, a credit only microfinance institution, provides financial services and livelihood solutions to various communities across the country. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of World Vision International and a member of AMFI-K. Based on its mission –giving children a brighter future – VisionFund Kenya has a strong presence in the rural and far flung areas. Most of its customers are vulnerable and their incomes are low. In that respect, the demand for water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) products among them is very high.
One of these customers is Patrick Muema, a resident of Kitane village in Matuu sub-county. Muema farms vegetables, tomatoes and onions for sale in Matuu market and its environs. He joined VisionFund Kenya in 2014. Occasionally, the area experiences long dry spells. This makes farming quite challenging due to shortage of water and high temperatures. During the dry seasons, most families travel for long distances to fetch water using donkeys. It is not a walk in the park.
After joining VisionFund Kenya, Muema bought a water tank through financing. “The water tank has helped my family in a big way,” says Muema. “ We used to walk a distance of about six to seven kilometres so as to fetch water and this consumed a lot of valuable time,” he adds. He harvests water during the rainy season for domestic use, besides irrigating his kitchen garden.
Muema also used another loan from VisionFund Kenya to purchase an irrigation pump in 2020. Before that, he was paying people to fetch water for irrigating his farm using buckets. It was a very tiresome and expensive exercise. By farming vegetables and tomatoes during the dry season when they are in short supply, Muema is able to rake in huge profits. “Last year, on average, I would sell tomatoes worth Kshs. 20,000 from my farm every day during the peak season, earning me almost Kshs. 600,000 per month,” he happily says. He has also been able to plant crops in a big piece of his farm through irrigation. The money generated from his farming enterprise has enabled him to pay school fees for his two children (one is in high school while the other is in grade seven), put up a permanent house and buy food for his family. Victoria Kimondio, a relationship officer of VisionFund Kenya, Tala branch applauds Muema for being a loyal and ambitious customer. “I met Muema when he had not ventured into farming and was a member of a self-help group borrowing an average of Kshs.30,000,” she recalls. “Due to his good track record, he can now borrow as much as Kshs. 100,000 as an individual,” she adds. According to Victoria, Muema has been able to access both business and WASH loans from VisionFund Kenya, which have helped him to succeed in agribusiness. His life has also been transformed in a major way.
