By Marion Achieng 

Diana Gatakaa saved her Nairobi hairdressing business with long-distance farming after she was left two upcountry plots in Tharaka Nithi by her parents, keeping both businesses afloat with a little help from each other.

“Farming is a bet. You may spend money to farm and the rains fail, so you incur losses. I would advise anyone to have a side hustle and not depend on one thing,” she said.

“I decided to adopt farming to improve my financial well-being and boost my hairdressing business, which was not doing well. I had goals and saw that farming could help me achieve them.”

As a hairdresser, she visits her clients in their homes across the city, keeping her costs low and meaning she can travel back and forth to her two plots of ¾ acre and half an acre in Kaanthi Village, where she is now growing maize, beans, and sunflower.

“I am usually busy with hairdressing during the end month period and school holidays. At these times, going home is tricky. If something in my farm needs tending, I employ someone in the village to help me deal with it,” she said.

“Weeding and harvesting are the most involving stages of my farming activities. I can hire four to five people to help me. During other stages, we usually work as a team of three people,” she said. 

But the mix of visits and employing help in the village has mostly added income for her.

“The best yields I’ve had were in 2025. I harvested 13 100kg bags of maize, two 100kg bags of beans, and three 100kg bags of sunflower.”. 

This brought in over Sh64,000 for the season.

“The best price a farmer in our area gets for a 100kg bag of maize is Sh3,500 and lowest Sh2,800. A bag of beans of the same capacity goes for Sh8,000 or Sh9,000 and the lowest price can be Sh6,000. For sunflower, a 100kg bag sells for Sh3,000. The price can fall by Sh200. Sunflower prices do not fluctuate as much. For maize and beans, the prices vary depending on the period you sell.”

She sells her maize at a store at Magutuni Market, and the sunflower and beans to individuals. 

She earnt much less for the long-rains harvest in 2026, planting late, when the rains came early. However, she was able to recoup the Sh35,000 cost of production. 

“Farmers in our area had to speculate when to plant crops. Some planted immediately it started raining, others later. The uncertainty of the rains and timing on the side of farmers affected our yields. However, I was able to recoup the cost of production.”

Countrywide, farmers who planted later in 2026 were hit harder by the long dry spell after the early rains. Added to that, limited fertiliser and poor matching of seeds to the soil and weather can further reduce yields.

“Small scale farmers like myself wait until the last minute to go for the subsidised fertilisers offered by the government . Sometimes, farmers do not get any due to demand.  Our area also has different soil types and farmers need to know which seeds do well on which soils to ensure informed farming.”

A centre near Kaanthi teaches farmers on soil types and which maize breeds do well where, she said.

“If a person decides to start farming, the first yields should be able to cover your production costs. That way, you have money for the next planting season and not spend extra money from your pocket. The farm should be able to cater for itself in terms of the production cost and at least give you a profit.”