From Kitchen Herbs to Potatoes: How Sahwira Built a Farming Business

For commercial farmer Charles Nyandoro success in agriculture has come from treating farming as a hands-on business rather than simply putting crops in the ground and waiting for harvest.

Known as “Sahwira”, Nyandoro started farming commercially in 2024 and has since expanded from growing kitchen herbs to cultivating potatoes on 10.5 hectares.

He shared his experience with other farmers at the Seed Co Winter Field Day in Arcturus where he said close supervision and careful planning had been central to his progress.

“You need to adhere to detail, that’s the secret. You need to be there. Whenever they are spraying, you should be there. When they are applying fertiliser, you need to be there and use the correct measurements,” he said.

Nyandoro said farmers needed to monitor their crops throughout the production cycle and keep records of the work carried out on their farms.

“Follow up until the end of the season. If you don’t follow up, things will just fall apart,” he said.

He also encouraged farmers to conduct soil tests before applying fertiliser saying understanding the condition of the soil could help prevent unnecessary expenditure and improve crop performance.

His own farming journey began with celery, parsley and coriander which he said generated about US$2 000 a week.

The income encouraged him to expand into other crops including cabbages and potatoes.

“At that time, I was growing kitchen herbs like celery, parsley and coriander and I was getting an income of about US$2 000 per week.

“That inspired me to expand my farming programme. I then started growing cabbages and had a good income. I managed to get 20 000 per hectare and that further inspired me to start growing potatoes,” he said.

His first potato crop covered 3.5 hectares and the returns enabled him to invest in machinery, including a 95-horsepower tractor, potato ridger and potato lifter.

He said the investment allowed him to increase production and reduce his reliance on hired equipment.

“This was continuously inspiring me to work hard so that I could buy more and more implements and expand my farming business,” he said.

Nyandoro now has potatoes planted on 10.5 hectares and expects to harvest in three to four months.

He has invested about US$100,000 in the current potato production programme and is targeting revenue of about US$250 000 if yields and market prices meet his expectations.

“In three to four months’ time, I will be harvesting my potatoes and selling them during Christmas time. If the prices are good, I definitely expect to get that US$250 000,” he said.

Beyond potatoes, he is growing carrots, peas and onions and expects to generate between US$10 000 and US$15 000 from the vegetables.

He said some customers buy directly from the farm and pay in cash while his cabbages have also found a market across the border in Mozambique.

Nyandoro previously worked as a production manager before establishing his own farming business.

His experience, he said, had taught him the importance of being directly involved in farm operations.

The post From Kitchen Herbs to Potatoes: How Sahwira Built a Farming Business appeared first on 263Chat.