In the rolling dry plains of eastern Kenya, where water is scarce and the sun is unforgiving, one woman found a way to turn dusty soil into a dependable source of hope. Not through luck. Not through charity. But through onion farming.
This is the story of a mother who, like many others in rural Kenya, had tried everything to keep her children in school, from small jobs to occasional aid, but nothing ever seemed to last. That was, until she discovered that a simple onion seed could hold the answer to her family’s future.
The Beginning: A Struggle Too Many Know
Before onions, paying school fees was a seasonal crisis. Term after term, she found herself negotiating with school heads, explaining why fees were delayed. Her children missed lessons. They fell behind. She felt helpless.
“Sometimes, I would sell a chicken or borrow from a neighbor, but it was never enough. I was always chasing deadlines with nothing stable in hand,” she says.
Like many mothers across Kenya, she carried the weight of her children’s dreams with quiet determination. And like many rural women, the land beneath her feet was her only real asset. So she made a decision: to make that land work smarter.
Discovering the Power of the Onion
Through a training organized by her county’s agricultural extension office, she learned that onions, especially red creole and hybrid varieties, were high-value crops with strong demand in both rural and urban markets. Unlike tomatoes or kale, onions don’t spoil quickly. They can be stored and sold when prices peak.
She started small.
Using savings and a SACCO loan, she purchased seeds, hired casual labor to dig beds, and installed a basic drip irrigation system.
“The first time I saw the tiny green shoots rise, I felt something in me shift. I knew this was my chance.”
A Crop That Changed Everything
That first harvest yielded five sacks of onions. She sold them at a nearby market for over KSh 85,000.
She didn’t just make money. She made progress:
- All her children’s school fees were paid, front.
- She bought books, uniforms, and even a second-hand bicycle for her eldest child.
- She reinvested part of her profit to expand her plot.
With each harvest, her confidence grew. In peak seasons, she now earns up to KSh 120,000 per cycle, allowing her to support her household without the stress that once haunted her every school term.
“Now, when schools open, I don’t panic. I just open my onion store.”
Onion farming didn’t just change her bank balance. It changed how she saw herself.
- She began keeping records.
- She joined a cooperative to access better markets.
- She taught other women in her village how to do the same.
“I’m not just a mother. I’m a farmer, a provider, a businesswoman. I hold my head higher now.”
She even dreams of building a greenhouse one day and sending her children to university. With each season, that dream feels closer.
Why Onion Farming Is a Smart Choice
Agricultural experts back her experience. Onions are:
- Relatively low-maintenance after the initial setup.
- In constant demand across Kenya and neighboring countries.
- Less prone to quick spoilage, giving farmers flexibility in timing their sales.
In an economy where formal jobs are hard to come by, crops like onions are proving to be real economic engines, especially for women in rural areas.
Today, her children no longer worry about being sent home for fees. They attend school consistently, perform better, and dream bigger. And they see their mother not just as a caregiver, but as the reason they’ll one day graduate.
“When they go to school, I go to the farm. When they pass exams, I feel like I’ve harvested again.”
