Good people,

I am sure one of us has done this. We can't be all doing potato, pig and Maize farming!

Bwenyenye, My partners and I have a pilot project - 10 acres under cultivation in Nakuru - maize and beans. 5 acres planted with Nyayo and 5 planted with Wairimu. I can report to you that Nyayo is doing much much better than Wairimu. I have never planted any other bean varieties so I cannot comment on that. About the source of seeds, our man on the ground (MOG) sourced them from a seed shop in Nakuru and the cost of seeds was approx 10k. The MOG who has more experience on such matters advises that on average, each acre will produce between 1200 and 1500 kg. The last time I checked, beans were retailing for Sh 6,800 per 90 kg bag. Other costs include ploughing 2k per acre , weeding 2k per acre (allocate these 50:50 with the maize) and harvesting costs which I have not yet quantified. Happy planting!

Bwenyenye, I have no idea why it (beans farming) attracts fewer farmers. However, it is laborious compared to maize farming and this may be a factor. About profitability, I guess it depends on whether your shamba can sustain beans farming without fertilizer input. When the rains delayed, the MOG referred to above recommended interplanting - his reasoning being that beans would perform well even with reduced rainfall. We consider this an experiment and will change to other crops if the results are not as expected.

@Aaccelriskconsult wrote: bout the source of seeds, our man on the ground (MOG) sourced them from a seed shop in Nakuru and the cost of seeds was approx 10k.
Do you have the no of the store for seeds in Nakuru. Am desperately looking for seeds. What quantity did you plant in the 5 acres. Where did you get maize seeds. I have looked for 614 allover but failed.

accelriskconsult...how did the bean farming go? Bwenyenye any experiences to share?