Joyce Wanjiku is married with three children who are all dependants. She has recently expanded her farming to include Indigenous Vegetables commercial farming to supplement her family income and this has proven worthwhile. She is a member of Mwireri Women Group, a recently formed Commercial Producer Group, a member of Karura Commercial Village following a farmers’ field day and awareness campaign by FCI in the area in early 2009.

Joyce started growing AIVs (Spider Plant, Amaranthus and Nightshade) in April 2009 on approximately ¼ acre of her 2 acre land. She grows spinach and kales, which ride on the same marketing structure for IVs. She also grows maize and beans as medium-term crops. Together with 11 members of the new Mwireri CPG in Karura CV, Joyce has been linked to Uchumi supermarkets where they collectively sell AIVs at least twice a week. The group also supplies AIVs twice a week to Gikomba market.  FCI’s intervention on market access and linkages has enabled Joyce increase her AIVs weekly income from Ksh. 500 in 2008 to Kshs. 6,000 currently. She is selling an additional 400 AIVs bunches on average per week.  

From the proceeds, Joyce together with her group have a savings scheme where they contributing Kshs. 300 per week. The group has opened a bank account with Equity bank. The members have also benefited on seed credit from FCI.
Joyce’s expanded farm enterprise through AIVs commercial farming has enabled her employ a laborer at a monthly wage of Kshs. 1200.

Joyce and a group member harvesting AIVs	Joyce irrigtes using water from her borehole

With the increased incomes generated from sale of AIVs, Joyce has been able to deepen her 2 boreholes at a cost of Kshs 12,000 in September 2009 from which she harvests water for vegetable irrigation and domestic use. She has also painted her house and bought a mobile phone. She further attests that her family’s consumption of AIVs has increased to daily consumption in at least one meal per day.