Kiambu Farmers Turn Dried Veggies into Global Business

By Robai Ludenyi

A group of farmers in Matathia Village, Lari, Kiambu County has turned what began as a small church project into a thriving agribusiness that now exports dried vegetables to markets abroad. The Cheer Up Programme started in 2003 with nine members who wanted to reduce post-harvest losses and add value to their crops. Today, the group has grown into a well-organized enterprise dealing in dried vegetables and fruit products.

Using solar dryers, the farmers preserve indigenous vegetables like managu, terere, and saga, as well as sukuma wiki, spinach, and cabbage. They also dry herbs such as rosemary and stinging nettle, and process bananas into flour, which they blend with cassava and vegetables to make nutritious porridge flour. These products have found markets both locally and overseas, with about a third of their output now heading to Europe, North America, and the Middle East.

Each vegetable variety yields roughly a tonne every three days, while cabbages produce up to 1.5 tonnes within the same period. Locally, a kilo of dried sukuma or spinach sells for about Sh700, and rare vegetables like saga go for about Sh800. To meet demand, the group now works with more than 40 contracted farmers across Kiambu, who earn around Sh50 for every kilo of fresh produce they supply.

The group follows strict processing standards, from careful selection of vegetables to blanching, cooling, and drying. Despite challenges such as poor roads and limited access to credit, the project has changed lives in the community by providing steady income and reducing waste. Members say unity, training, and determination have been key to their success.

As Kenya’s vegetable export sector faces stricter international rules and reduced demand for fresh produce, value addition through drying is offering small farmers a new path to stability and global markets. From a small church initiative to an export-ready agribusiness, the Cheer up Programme is proof that innovation and teamwork can turn local farming into an international opportunity.

Read Also: 6,000 Trees To Be Planted In Kiambu County Schools

The author is Robai Ludenyi. Journalist and Media Innovator