Oyster mushrooms, for example, produce around 10kg per square foot of growing space in a year’s time. At the current price of Sh300 a kilo, that’s Sh300,000 worth of mushrooms from a 10’x10′ space! Exotic mushrooms do not travel well, so as a small local grower you will always have an edge over distant producers. In most supermarkets, the oyster mushrooms are also the first items to sell out.

Before, mushroom farming has been a very complicated venture requiring lots of chemistry, biology and attention. This made it a no-go-zone for the small-scale farmers. However, there continuous seminars and workshops by JKUAT which can make you a master.

4. Onions

Although the onion has played second fiddle to conventionally cultivated crops, it might just be the next big thing in 2016. It is a goldmine waiting to be exploited. It can answer your perennial cash difficulties since its commercial potential is enormous.

A net of onions weighing between 13-14kg fetches Sh900 on average or Sh70 per kg. With proper management a hectare of land can fetch between 14 to 17 tonne. Do the calculation. To obtain even higher returns you can use F1 varieties which have a harvest potential of up to 23 tonnes in a hectare. Most of these varieties only take three months to maturity which makes it possible to cultivate the crop for up to three times in a year.

This is in contrast to other crops which can only be cultivated once or twice in a year. These should be your favourite profitable crops, as they all enjoy strong demand year after year, yet can be grown by anyone who has, or can learn a few basic gardening skills. Profitable crops in Kenya. Profitable crops in Kenya. Profitable crops in Kenya.