Turning wild berries into a cash cow

According to Stephen Mwanzia, “Information is very important”. He was previously an admin in the Digital Farmers Kenya Facebook group but when conventional farmers flooded into the group, he decided to open the Digital Organic Farmers Kenya Facebook group.
He farms gooseberries, passion and tamarind. He partnered with Esther McCarthy in 2017 to lease 16 acres in Tigoni, Limuru. It was challenging at first because they were required to make payment in advance for a 5 year lease. They have since added 5 acres in Nakuru.
He has also introduced black raspberry, atherton raspberry and red raspberry. An acre of gooseberries produces 6 tonnes of produce. The gooseberry is a cherry sized, golden-yellow globe that is deliciously sweet. It’s a good source of carotene and ascorbic acid.
The fruits can be eaten fresh or dried. They can be eaten in crumbles or raw with ice cream, ideal for snacks, pies and jam making, puddings and chutneys. They can also be stewed with honey and eaten as desserts.
Stephen had been working in Rwanda where he borrowed the idea to farm gooseberries. He is currently working on applying for funding to do value addition to turn the berries into wine, jam, dried berries, juice and roasted seeds. In this new venture, he seeks a medium-term loan of Kshs. 100 Million. “Money is in the value addition” says Stephen. He makes more from seeds than he does selling the berries.
His dream is to ensure that the value-added products can reach the grassroots through corner shops. He targets producing 100,000 tones of value-added gooseberry products.
Gooseberries have many health benefits for the kidneys, blood pressure regulation, cancer prevention and diabetes blood sugar control. They are also free of chemicals as they are organically grown.
Gooseberries fall under the African Underutilized Vegetables (AUVs) and need to be promoted because if you eat AUVs you are eating medicine as food. This is why the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) rolled out a campaign to promote the cultivation of underutilized indigenous fruits such as guavas, gooseberry and jack fruits on a commercial scale.
Director of Crops Systems at KALRO Dr. Lusike Wasilwa said the neglected fruits are nutritious, climate-resilient, economically viable in the right setting and adapt to local conditions, especially in marginal areas. “In the past, these fruits have been ignored by agricultural research, not included in agricultural extension curriculum, and did not benefit from organized value chains. However, due to their adaptability and nutritional qualities, they could make a major contribution to increased food availability, affordability, and nutrition security,” stated Dr. Wasilwa.
In a paper named “Underutilized Fruits for Improved Nutrition and Health”, Dr. Wasilwa indicated that combined effects of climate change, declining agricultural biodiversity, water scarcity and degradation of natural resources are challenging world’s food security.
She said Kenya needs interventions that will go beyond the promotion of current staple crops and include fruits and crops previously considered of secondary importance.
“In 2016 we started educating farmers on growing, marketing and value addition in a bid to eradicate the negative perception that locals have had towards the fruits. Through value addition farmers can earn a lot of money by making juice” said Dr. Wasiliwa.
The market for gooseberries is always there because Stephen does not meet the demand from supermarkets that sell organic produce. A pallet that weighs 200gms sells for between 160-200 Kshs. He sells the seeds at Kshs. 100 for a packet of 50 seeds. His market consists of the Karen Provisional store, organic farmers market, Zucchini, Fruity fruits, Fresh field shop (Galleria Mall), Crossways supermarket (Thika Rd)
The gooseberry plant takes 5-6 months to mature and can be harvested for 3-6 years. It is a climbing vine and thus needs support with strings. They are planted at a spacing of between 0.5m-1.5m. He is working hard to promote the AUVs both at farming level and consumption through the Digital Organic Farmers Kenya Facebook group.