From Casual Labour to Agribusiness: How Monica Jerono is Redefining Farming in Marakwet West

In the heart of Kipsimatia Village, Marakwet West Sub-County, 27-year-old Monica Jerono is changing perceptions of rural livelihoods through commercial horticulture.

Amid neatly cultivated rows of French beans, she represents a growing wave of young farmers who view agriculture not as subsistence, but as enterprise.

Jerono’s journey began in hardship. For years, she survived on irregular casual jobs in town — an unstable income that barely met her family’s needs. Farming, she believed, was only for survival. That outlook shifted after she attended training sessions by agricultural extension officers, inspired by Farm Africa’s agribusiness model.

“I realised that farming could be structured like a business,” she recalls. The sessions emphasized crop diversification, export standards, and market-driven production.

Pooling savings from her women’s group, Jerono acquired certified seed, fertilizer, and pesticides. She prepared a quarter-acre plot using modern agronomic practices. Weeks later, her French beans were flourishing. Through a cooperative linked to export markets, her first harvest earned enough to pay her brother’s school fees and invest in livestock.

“For the first time, I felt independent. I had something of my own that I could grow and control,” she says.

Today, Jerono belongs to a producer group where farmers pool resources, lower production costs, and access irrigation. She also mentors fellow youth and women, demonstrating crop husbandry and post-harvest handling on her farm.

“French beans demand precision and consistency,” she explains. “But when managed well, they can sustain livelihoods.”
Challenges remain; from price fluctuations and limited credit to erratic weather. Yet Jerono is undeterred. She plans to expand to two acres, adopt drip irrigation, and eventually venture into direct exports.

Agricultural officer Raymond Cheboi says her story mirrors a wider shift. “She demonstrates that farming, when integrated into structured value chains, can generate meaningful income. This is the future of agriculture.”

As dusk falls on Kipsimatia, Jerono inspects her crop, ensuring pods meet buyer standards. Each harvest, for her, is not just an income stream but proof that farming can deliver dignity, opportunity, and a future worth cultivating.