Duncan Mollo is a 26-year-old agripreneur based in Suna East Sub-County in Migori. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health from Maseno University in 2022. After serving as an intern and a volunteer in various organizations, he turned to poultry and soyabean farming.
“I ventured into agribusiness because I had a passion for self-employment and to create job opportunities for other young people and marginalized people within our community,” he says.
Using his capital, he started growing soya beans on a family land, producing six to seven bags per acre. He aimed to tap into the high demand and ready market for the product in the region. In addition, he reared poultry. But limited capital to grow his business was a major hurdle.
In August 2023, he joined the Resilient Agriculture that Works for Young People (RAY) programme. He got the opportunity to benefit from trainings in business development, financial literacy, market linkages, mentorship, gender and regenerative agriculture.
Thanks to linkages facilitated by RAY, Duncan applied and secured credit from the African Finance Corporation to the tune of Ksh. 1,273,650. This enabled him to expand his poultry enterprise. He now rears 1,200 chickens on average. He has also employed two young people on the farm.
“My strong business plan persuaded AFC to have confidence in my enterprise and provide the capital. I thank the RAY project for the support. I also look forward to applying for affordable credit from other sources to grow my business further,” he says.
In line with his expansion plan, Duncan has leased 3.5 acres of land for soya bean and poultry production. He ensured the lease was secure using a signed lease agreement, thanks to training facilitated by RAY.
To reduce production costs, Duncan processes some of the soya crop as poultry feeds. He also aims to rear Black Soldier Flies (BSF) for feed, after seeing peers under RAY doing so. In addition, he adopted composting to reduce costly fertilizer application on his farm.
Drawing from his experience and skills in agripreneurship, Duncan mentors fellow young people under RAY, helping them to avoid common pitfalls. “I urge fellow young people in agribusiness to give it their best. From my experience, farming pays well if done right. It’s an opportunity young can’t ignore,” he advises.