Isabella Kiplagat from Koisungur village in Keiyo North sub-county, Elgeyo Marakwet has forged a successful career in farming on a quarter-acre farm, practicing mixed farming in an area where maize farming is the main agricultural activity.

The farmer says she started farming in 2014 to supplement her husband’s income adding that she opted for mixed farming after abandoning maize farming which proved unprofitable.

On her farm, Mrs Kiplangat does both livestock and crop farming. She has two cows and a calf with each cow giving her 10–12 litres per day. She sells 20 litres leaving the balance for her family.

With a liter of milk selling at Sh60, the farmer is assured of getting at least Sh36,000 per month in addition to having enough milk for home consumption.

“You don’t need to have large tracts of land to earn good money from farming. That small piece of land is enough to not only feed your family but also provide surplus for sale if you work smart on whatever land you have.” She told KNA.

She added that due to the size of her land, she does not intend to increase the number of cows, and therefore she regularly sells them when they multiply to meet her family’s financial needs, especially school fees.

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“In the same farm, I keep chicken thus ensuring that my family has enough supply of eggs and chicken meat, with the surplus going to the market,” she said.

Mrs. Kiplangat also rears ducks geese, and pigs adding to her income. She revealed that she recently sold two pigs earning her Sh42,000.

“I sold a mature pig at Sh28,500 and a 5-month-old piglet at Sh13,500, which gave me the motivation to continue with the rearing of pigs,” she said.

She uses manure from the pigs to grow vegetables which is another stream of income.To cut production cost, the cooks the vegetables for the pigs and birds, saving her the cost of feed.

She revealed that she makes more than Sh60,000 monthly from her combined income from her mixed farming.

She encouraged other women to invest in farming adding that it does not require a huge capital to start.