It’s almost unanimous, the number one problem facing everyone before starting farming or any other business is Capital! We have highlighted below some of the ways you can get money to start your agribusiness.
Bank Loans
The most common way people get capital to finance their enterprise is through bank loans. You open an account with a bank of your choice, have it operational for a minimum of six months and you are good to go!
You will be given a loan depending on the amount of money you have been banking monthly at your bank. Unfortunately, since most graduates do not have an income to deposit regularly in a bank we have a solution that can still help you get a loan from your bank.
If you completely don’t have any source of income or capital for farming you can look for at least ten people (this is the minimum number of people to form a youth group in Kenya) you know, who are aged between 18-35 years and form a youth group (Youth group registration services are done at Huduma centres all over Kenya). By doing this your youth group can easily get funding from banks by raising only 30 % of the money being asked for.
Government Youth Funding
The Kenyan Government has launched various funding programmes that have been designed to specifically target the youth. Examples of these programmes include the Uwezo fund and Youth fund.
Individuals though have to meet certain requirements for them to be eligible for funding. The relevant information for this can be found here. These funding solutions can therefore go a long way in jumpstarting your farming business.
Family and Friends
One good source of business financing that is often overlooked is money from relatives and friends. A gift is one of the simplest ways of getting capital for a business. A friend or family member might decide to offer you a gift of money to help out start a business or you might initiate the process by asking. Though asking your friend or family member for a gift of money may seem impolite, when it’s a startup business, it can make sense.
Business Loans From Family and Friends
You can also ask for money from a friend or family member with a promise to pay it back. It’s usually in accordance with certain terms and can be done with interest or without interest. After asking for the money you promise to pay it back, over a set time period, and in accordance with certain terms.
For the sake of friendship and family ties, it is always best to handle this kind of loan the same way a bank would. This means it has to include a signed agreement which is called a promissory note and a time period you will pay back the loan.
Equity Investors
This is another way you can raise money to start a business.This methods gives you the opportunity is to give away part of your business to an “equity investor.” An equity investor can either be a friend or a family member. This will make you co-owners and thus share any net profits or losses generated by your business.
