Naomi Ruhara: My dairy farm producing 400 litres daily has made me rich in my 30s

Farming is a big part of Kenya’s economy. There is a growing trend of Kenyan youth getting into agriculture. But farming isn’t a quick way to get rich.

It takes a lot of hard work, resilience and determination. One of the young people making a killing from agribusiness is Naomi Ruhara.

Naomi Ruhara is a young entrepreneur who has leveraged her business acumen in the agribusiness field. She is now reaping profits from the large and competitive dairy industry.

Naomi practises dairy farming in Githunguri, Kiambu County. She has a total of 50 dairy cows and can milk up to 400 litres of milk per day. Naomi maintained that, by her experience, dairy farming is a very lucrative space for any well-educated farmer.

“From my experience, dairy farming is gonna make you very rich. I have assets that I could not have acquired if I did not do dairy,” she said.

Naomi has been in agribusiness for 10 years, since 2012, learning and growing along the way. She admits to making mistakes when she started, but those experiences have helped shape her into the dairy farmer she is today.

In her 30s, Naomi is an inspiration to other young people in her community that anything is possible with good resource management and quality production. Courtesy of her venture, Naomi is an employer to 7 at her farm.

Each day, Naomi collects up to 400 litres of milk from her 25 cows. They milk the cows three times daily, starting as early as 3 a.m.

The farm major in the Friesian breed and her best cow can produce up to 38 litres daily. On average, a single cow produces up to 17 litres daily.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today if it were not for dairy,” she said.

She advised budding farmers who aspire to join the dairy industry to hop in and start production and get knowledge as it is the most important element.

“Once you’ve started, it only gets better. Number one, you need to have the knowledge. Just know something about the project you’re going into,” she maintained.

3 young Kenyans raking profits from dairy farming

The agriculturally well-versed farmer noted that the youth, such as herself, are extremely conversant with technology. For example, she uses the internet to scour for agribusiness stories through YouTube and Google.

To maximize milk production and profits, Naomi and her team carefully regulate the feeds given to the cows. They ensure the cows receive sufficient mineral salts and fodder to maintain a balanced nutritional intake.