Muhseen Hassan, a Kenyan farmer has shared how he lost hundreds of shillings after investing in tomato farming.

In an interview with Tuko, Hassan revealed he was previously in carton selling business before making the bold decision to venture into farming.

With the zeal to succeed, he leased land in Kajiado and set up a greenhouse, which cost him KSh 85,000.

He also used KSh 65,000 for other farm expenses including seedlings, farm equipment, fertilizer, and piping.

“I went for a low-cost wooden greenhouse instead of the metal ones to cut costs. Since I had the design, I just assembled local funds to build one, making my construction cost practically low. Extra expenses came when I realised after building the greenhouse that the land did not have proper water security, and I had to invest in gutters and piping. Luckily, I had a spare tank,” he said.

Things took a different turn when the plants died from infectious bacterial wilt disease. The farmer attributed this to poor farming practices in initial stages, blaming his agronomist for inappropriate guidance.

Initially, he wanted to sterilise the soil and plant the tomatoes in planting bags instead of raised beds. This, he says, would have helped eliminate and prevent soil-related diseases.

While the farmer had conducted research before investing in tomato farming, he admitted he had not gone deeper into some details such as the severity of diseases.

17 farming laws every farmer should live by

The painful loss forced him to invest in knowledge thanks to experts from the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) who guided him on soil steaming process and how crops in bags are raised on metallic beds.

“I networked with other farmers from across the country who are doing the same variety. I had to pivot after the loss. It’s a good thing I already had started my YouTube channel, and I went seeking solutions for what happened to me. In that path, I managed to network with established and experienced farmers in the region, interviewing some of them for my channel. It has given me skills that can feed me, like building greenhouses and consultancy.” He noted.

Hassan, who currently builds low-cost greenhouses for upcoming farmers advised aspiring farmers to seek knowledge from experienced farmers instead of getting misled by unqualified agronomists who are out for quick money.

“Prevention is better than cure. Take all necessary steps to ensure effective greenhouse and crop management. Plan ahead. I learned that you can plant something else in the greenhouse, like tomatoes or dhania, between rows of tomato seedlings to ward off pests. Some crops do better in certain regions than others,’’ Hassan noted.

“You must understand the variety you are planting and how it does in your region. Nevertheless, farming for business means making a profit; thus, every necessary step and precaution must be taken to prevent crop loss,” he added.

According to him, greenhouses should be well-ventilated and a farmer must have enough uninterrupted water supply to last through the season since tomatoes are heavy feeders.