Farming remains the most significant economic activity in Kenya, though less than 8% of the land is practiced for crop and feed production. Less than 20% of the land is proper for farming, of which only 12% is listed as high potential agricultural land and about 8% is common potential land. The remainder of the land is arid or semiarid. About 80% of the workforce involves farming or food processing. Farming in Kenya is typically practiced out by small producers who normally cultivate not more than two hectares using limited technology.
Types of farming systems
- Extensive
- Intensive
These systems may be carried under large scale or small scale farming depending on the level of technology, availability of land, capital, and skilled labor.
- Extensive farming
- Intensive farming
- Small scale farming
- Large scale farming
Extensive system
Requires farming in the large pieces of land using very little input to produce the desired products.
Small scale farming
Is a Farming system which involves growing crops and raising livestock in small pieces of land for maximum yield per unit area, through the use of high levels of labor and capital by application of modern farming technologies
Intensive farming system
It is a Farming system that involves the commercial reproduction of large quantities of crops and livestock on a large farm.
Large scale
It is a Farming system that involves growing crops and rearing animals on a large piece of land applying modern farming technologies.
Here are the different types of farming you can consider to start.
Poultry farming
Poultry involves the keeping of chicken, which can be; Indigenous(Kienyeji), layers, or broilers. The Improved indigenous breeds are as well available to farmers. Other birds may also be reared like quail and guinea fowl but chicken is more popular in Kenya taking 98%. Their eggs are consumed more than meat in Kenya. Its meat has hotels as their biggest market.
When engaging in poultry farming, attention to detail, and proper knowledge is a must for a successful venture.
Passion fruit farming
Passion fruit is one of the biggest fruit exports. The local market demand is as well quite high. They are taken fresh or the pulp is used for making juice and other products e.g. yogurt. There are 2 popular types in Kenya; the purple variety that grows in high altitudes and the yellow type that has higher yields and is disease resistant.
Greenhouse farming
It is what some people would call an approximately perfect farm. This is because it provides a controlled environment that best suits the growth of crops. A greenhouse is an enclosure in which moisture content and temperatures can be regulated. Your crops are as well protected from the outside menace of insects, rodents, and other animals. This means greenhouse farmers may farm all year round in and out of season. Most popular greenhouse crops are; courgettes, tomatoes, capsicums, cabbages, cucumbers, and other vegetables which are high-value crops. Its Yields are higher compared to open field farming for the same space utilized.
Dairy farming
dairy farming may be very profitable and high demanded but there is a certain fear when it comes to keeping dairy cows. Dairy farming may be practiced in both high and low lands. Varieties reared common in Kenya are; Jersey, Freshian, Ayshire, Guernsey, and crossbreeds. What you require is patience with your cows, a good setup, good feeds, proper cow management, and technical support from a good vet and nutritionist.
Mushroom farming
Mushroom farming is not very old farming in Kenya. Cultivation used to be complex affairs but things have been made way simpler for farmers from numerous research, training, and workshops. Farmers who want to engage in mushroom farming do not require a huge piece of land compared to other crops. A quarter-acre land is enough to have an incubation house and a cropping house. You may make use of the vertical space too since mushrooms don’t grow tall. If you have a thousand bags in one cropping room, you may get close to two tons of button mushrooms going at an average of Ksh700/kg. This equates to about Ksh1.2 million. They are sold to supermarkets, hotels, and households.
Garlic farming
It is a high-value horticultural crop. They are part of the onion family. It is loved for its flavor in food and health benefits. It performs well in its optimum conditions and good care. Garlic takes about six months to harvest.
Fish farming
Commercial fish farming has taken off and these time fish are reared in ponds. The African catfish, Nile tilapia, and the rainbow trout are very popular. It isn’t hard to start a fish farm if you have the right information.
Beekeeping
Beekeeping needs a small space compared to other crops. You may have 50 colonies of bees in only a quarter acre of land and the best thing is, it doesn’t require to be fertile or need rain. There are well available beehives that may give you about 9–13 kg of honey per harvest and maybe harvested 6–10 times in a year.
Keeping bees is however cheaper in terms of labor and is less competitive bearing in mind it doesn’t compete for the same resources with other kinds of farming. Among other types of farming in Kenya