Secret Techniques to Double Your Yield Without Breaking the Bank

Issue 2 - November 2024

Jambo Fellow Farmers!

Like you, most Kenyan farmers start their journey with a small shamba, wondering how to make the most of every acre without emptying their pockets. Through floods and droughts, a few emerge victorious…but most give up along the way.

Today, I'm excited to share some game-changing techniques that will help you transform your farm and become one of the few successful farmers in Kenya—and they don't require expensive machines or inputs!

What's Inside This Issue:

• A simple soil testing trick that saved me KES 15,000 in wasted fertilizer

• The "companion planting" secret that doubled my maize yield

• Why my neighbors thought I was crazy for using "trash" (until they saw my harvest!)

The KES 50 Soil Test That Changed Everything

Remember buying that expensive fertilizer that barely improved your yields? I've been there! Last season, my neighbor Mzee Kamau spent KES 22,000 on fertilizer, only to see mediocre results. Here's what I discovered:

Before spending a shilling on inputs, take a handful of your soil and do this simple test:

1. Put your soil in a clean glass bottle

2. Add water until it's 3/4 full

3. Shake well and let it settle overnight

The layers that form will tell you exactly what your soil needs. I will be sending a sub-issue that will show you how to "read" these layers and save thousands on unnecessary inputs! So, if you are reading this and are not yet subscribed to this newsletter, please subscribe. You do not want to miss this.

The Maize-Bean Marriage That Pays Double

"Karibu chakula!" That's what I tell my maize plants when I plant beans alongside them. This traditional technique has a scientific secret – your beans actually feed your maize! Here's what happened on my farm:

• 2022: 8 bags of maize per acre (planted alone)

• 2023: 15 bags of maize + 6 bags of beans per acre (planted together)

But there's a specific spacing trick that makes all the difference. (Stay tuned for our sub-issue where I'll share the exact measurements that worked for me!)

From Trash to Treasure: My "Crazy" Composting Story

When I started collecting banana peels and chicken droppings, some people laughed. But after three months, I had created "black gold" worth KES 30,000 in fertilizer value – absolutely free!

In the sub-issue, I'll show you:

• The perfect "recipe" for compost that works like expensive fertilizer

• Which kitchen waste items are worth their weight in gold

• How to speed up decomposition using local materials

Special Offer for Our Early Subscribers!

As a thank you for joining our farming family, you'll receive our free guide which I call: "The Muranga Method: 5 Zero-Cost Techniques to Improve Soil Fertility." To get your copy, simply share this newsletter with 3 farming friends and have them subscribe by following this link: Click here to subscribe to The Kenyan Farmer’s Agribusiness Insider Newsletter.

You can then request for this free guide via WhatsApp at +254 724 353993 indicating that you have shared the newsletter with the 3 people x,y, and z and that you need your copy of the guide. If you have no WhatsApp, email us on [email protected] with the same details.

Coming Next Month:

• The forgotten indigenous crop that's selling for KES 400/kg in Nairobi

• How I reduced my water bill by 60% using mulch

• The pest control mixture that costs KES 200 to make (and works better than KES 3,000 sprays!)

"Every shamba has potential; wisdom makes it profitable."

Your fellow farmer, Mkulima John

P.S. Did you know that most farmers lose KES 20,000 per acre due to one common planting mistake? Subscribe now to make sure you don't miss next month's revealing issue!