Isaac Kasonde is a young Kenyan who runs one of the biggest agricultural and farming company in Gaborone in Botswana.
On the 10-hectares farm which operates under the name Wealthpac, Kasonde practices crop, livestock and poultry farming.
His agripreneural journey began after completing his high school studies in 2018. According to him joining higher learning institutions was not on his priority list.
He wanted to join his family in business, a decision that was received with full support by his parents.
“Fortunately, I have very loving parents, I told them that I just wanted to join the family business and they told me to look for something to do. I decided to go into farming and they told me put it on paper; I gave them a proposal and they were happy with it,” said Kasonde.
On his farm, he grows various vegetables such as spinach, sukumawiki, chilli and pepper. The vegetables are housed in a well-structured net shade to protect them from the harsh climate in the region.
His main market is supermarkets and grocery stores. He also keeps animals such as cows, and pigs and birds including chicken and ducks.
According to him, any aspiring agripreneurs should first identify what they want, whether its animals or crops before stepping into the business.
The next thing they need to do is to do a research on the selected venture and understand its markets. He added that patience and building networks are also key.
“Farming is not just getting up and making quick cash. You have to have like a 15-20 years plan because providing food for nation is a big task. Its something you have to sit down and plan out,’’ he added.
His family owns another farm in Kenya where they grow maize and other crops. According to him, to acquire land in Botswana, one will part ways with between Sh 11 million and Sh 14 million ($ 80,000 and $100,000) depending on the region.
He has highly benefitted from the government of Botswana which sometimes provides seeds to him and plough his land using tractors. His advice to young people is to trust their selves in everything they do and give it their best.
“Think long term always so that you can get something fruitful. Anything short-term is not going to work,’’ he said.
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