Turning a small farm into a strong business This spring, we are celebrating farming entrepreneurs in Kenya who are proving trade is a powerful tool to build secure futures, for themselves and their families. Munyis Kinyaga is doing exactly that, by turning his small farm into a strong business. Munyis was not always a farmer; he grew up as a herdsman, protecting his family’s livestock while his siblings attended school. This education gave his siblings opportunities: “My brothers have studied, they have put in that effort to the point where they are able to earn their living using papers (certificates, diplomas and degrees)”. Recognising Munyis’ sacrifice, his father bought him a farm in Manyagalo. With no farming experience, this was a blessing but also a challenge for Munyis. Ambitious and hardworking, he grasped every opportunity to learn, not only taking on training in crop yields, trusted seed suppliers and negotiation, but also by volunteering a portion of his land as a demonstration farm and joining a farmers group. Today, Munyis’s farm is as successful a business as his brothers’ formal jobs, and once again, his hard work is benefitting others - all four of his children go to school. “I have to educate them,” Munyis says emphatically. “If I didn’t make it to school, then let them.” Munyis Kinyaga, farming entrepreneur, Kenya Credit: Traidcraft Exchange/Ian Gatere 12 traidcraftshop.co.uk
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