Gideon Kiio, 31, is an IT specialist by profession. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Information Technology from the Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, which he graduated from in 2017.
However, in 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic that severely affected various businesses and other activities around the world, he decided to venture into fruit farming.
"I spent little money when I started because I had land, seeds, fertiliser and access to water. I started on my father's land, which borders a seasonal river. I spent Sh50,000 to buy seedling bags and transport manure," says the young farmer, who grows pomelos, citrus and seedlings for sale.
His farm is known as Two Brothers Pixie Farm and is located in Kaiti Sub-county, Ukia Ward, about 2.5 kilometres from Itangini market, along the rough road leading to Ndumbi Secondary School, Makueni County.
The farmer reveals that so far he has 500 mature fruit plants on the farm.
He also has a range of seedlings that he sells to customers within and outside the area.
"A mature tree produces 100-200 kg of fruit in a season. Giant trees can produce up to 500 kg," reveals the farmer.
Before planting his saplings, he first cultivates the land well. "This helps to loosen the soil. Orange varieties are planted 4 metres from tree to tree and 5 metres between rows," he says, adding that the planting holes are dug in the shape of 2f cubes.
"We recommend goat and cattle dung - goat dung is the best. However, during flowering you need to supplement with foliar fertiliser to prevent fruit abortion," says Kiio.
Some of the management practices he carries out on the orchard include scouting for diseases, pests and disease control.
He also ensures that the plants are sprayed when necessary. In addition, weeding, pruning and marketing are some of the activities he carries out.
Kiio reveals that he has over 25,000 citrus seedlings and 4,000 mango seedlings. "We also have 800 senna siamea (mukengeeta). We donate to individual farmers, churches and schools as part of our CSR," he adds.
He says he gets most of his customers through farmer referrals, from farmers who have bought from them. They also post on social media, especially Facebook.
The farmer says that lemon seeds take three weeks to germinate and eight weeks to reach transplant height. He adds that grafted seedlings take two or three years to produce fruit.
Among the challenges he has experienced in this type of farming is the ban on polythene bags, which makes access to potting soil a challenge.
Other challenges include the emergence of new pests and diseases, transport and challenges in handling deliveries.
The farmer says that pests such as aphids, spider mites, leaf miners, thrips and mealybugs, and diseases such as powdery mildew, leaf spot, gummosis and dieback have all affected his crops.
He sells tangerines for Sh250, Washington navel oranges for Sh250, Minneola oranges for Sh250, pomelos for Sh300, variegated lemons for Sh300, Meyer lemons for Sh300, Mombasa limes for Sh300 and Murcott/honey tangerines for Sh500 each.
Kiio also sells Caracara oranges for Sh500, Clementines for Sh500, Apple mangoes for Sh150, Kent mangoes for Sh150 and Ngowe mangoes for Sh150 each.
The farmer gets the water he uses to grow his orchards from a shallow, solar-powered well.
"Fruit farming is a lucrative business. But you have to consider the conditions under which a particular type of fruit will thrive. Specialise in a particular variety and be strategic about marketing," advises Kiio.
He says his future plans are to expand the nursery with the aim of exporting to other countries and introducing more varieties from other countries.
"Secondly, I want to plant 50,000 seedlings in 2025 and 100,000 seedlings in 2026. Finally, I'd like to turn our CSR, the seedling donation, into a foundation," he adds.
