My Transition from a Greenhouse to Open Field Tomato

I was introduced to both tomato and hydroponic farming in Kibiko Young Africa Works Hydroponic Farm.

I fell in love with both.

Once I stopped tomato production in Kibiko, I begun tomato farming in Juja, Ndarugo area.

Transitioning from a greenhouse to open-field is not just about transitioning from one production model to another; it is also transitioning from supported to unsupported farming.

At Kibiko, I billed KCB and MasterCard Foundations for everything – from nutrients to greenhouse repair.

Here are some of the themes I am experiencing anew: ?

Labour

At the greenhouse, I was the manager and labourer. However, half an acre of tomatoes requires more labour than I can provide. I regularly outsource labour.

So far, 99 percent of all the labourers I have worked with have disappointed. Only the words of Mother console me.

“All labourers are like that. We just figure out how to deal with them”. She tells me every time I lament about how everyone is so unreliable.

These people do not have phones they can use to say they won’t report to work?

“All labourers are like that. Just figure out how to deal with them”.

The other day, Mary, my semi-trusted labourer ghosted me. Took me by surprise. I had thought she was the One. I would pay her extra. Like She’d say, this task costs “Kshs. 200” And because she’d done an amazing job and Kshs. 200 feels little, I’d say, “let me add you 50 bob”. Ha-ha.

Then she ghosted me at a critical time.

I deleted the dreams of her and me from my future and sought an alternative. The alternative cost 50 percent more. So, I tucked in my tail and slid back to Mary's DM. Wiser. Now she says Kshs. 200 and I stare at her utill she says, 150. There is no heart in this business.

Watering

Each time I envisioned open-field tomatoes, watering was the biggest hurdle. And it is.

I was used to 16 drip lines. All I needed to do was push on a switch and listen to the delicious sound of water filling the drip-lines, which signalled the start of irrigation.

At some point, we got a timer that automated everything.

But in the open field!

The process of watering starts with sourcing for petrol. Preferably, the previous day. Using a jerry-can, which some established petrol stations refuse.

Next month, I will be praying that EPRA lowers the price of petrol.

The next step is figuring how the petrol and the water pump gets to the watering man, the river and the farm. This usually involves a boda guy and he does not do it for free.

A watering day ends with at least 3 MPESA messages starting with “… Kshs. XX sent to…”?

Pest Management?

At Kibiko Farm, pest and diseases are managed centrally. I also had an agronomist who would come to my greenhouse, join me in a crop walk and make a report about the kind of management required.

We used sticky traps and Tuta traps.

The other day I saw a few Tuta moths flying around the farm and went straight to the agro vet. I bought 2 Tuta lures and Tuta-san and installed them at the farm.

The Tuta-san went missing the next evening.

And there went my efforts at IPM.

Cost of Everything

Anytime I had visitors to my firm and they asked me “how much is a kilo of calcium nitrate costs”, I’d say, Let us ask Amiran.

Today, I know that DAP costs Kshs. 120 per kg in retail. 50kg of the government fertiliser costs Kshs. 2,500. I know because I got myself 2 bags.

I also know that Funguran is blue copper. I know its price. As well as the price of Summit, Wuxal.

I am also becoming quite good at asking the Agro-vet seller, “What is a cheaper alternative to this?”

Logistics

How to get petrol to the farm?

How and where do I get all these necessary chemicals?

I propagated my seedlings, how do I get them to the farm?

I need extra DAP. How do I buy this extra DAP, direct the boda guy and have it reach the labourer before she starts talking about overtime?

It gets easier (and cheaper) with time, but in the beginning, transportation and logistics took a huge amount of resources and figuring it. ?

Market

The nagging question is, I put the time and money into this soil – the half an acre will cost between 80 and 100k – will I get it back?

At Kibiko farm, I drove my harvest to the grading shed, where someone else worried about how to make money off the tomatoes.

Now, I look at the Tuta-eaten leaves, and despite the fact that my spray-guy encourages me (I am certain he has never met a woman as mental about Tuta as myself), I cannot help but wonder if in the next 2 months, the Tuta will still be under control.

In this, there is no KCB or MasterCard to bail me out.

I had a sweet deal at Kibiko.

***

That said, Kibiko remains operational. Hydroponics production is still ongoing.

If you book for a farm visit, we will visit the Kibiko farmers still doing production.

And this time, I can tell you the practical differences between open and greenhouse tomato farming.

In this moment, I am a new parent consumed by thoughts of how her teenager will be like when she grows up.