Beetroot may look like a simple vegetable, but for farmers in Busia County it can represent something much bigger: the opportunity to diversify agriculture, improve household nutrition and create income from relatively small pieces of land.
Busia already has a policy foundation for expanding horticulture. The county's 2023–2027 Integrated Development Plan (CIDP) includes a specific Horticulture Promotion and Development programme, with targets covering vegetable-seed distribution, expansion of land under horticulture and support to farmers. The plan targets 3,000 acres under horticulture annually and 12,000 farmers benefiting from assorted vegetable seeds.
This provides an important starting point for a broader conversation about how farmers can make horticulture a stronger part of Busia's agricultural economy.
Why horticulture matters to busia
For many smallholder farmers, depending on one or two traditional crops exposes households to considerable risks.
Horticulture provides an opportunity to diversify into vegetables and other high-value crops that can generate income from smaller plots when production, market access and post-harvest handling are properly organised.
The county's development documents recognise agriculture as central to livelihoods and identify improved productivity, market access, extension services, agribusiness and value addition among the sector's priorities
The question, therefore, is not simply whether Busia should grow more vegetables.
It is how farmers can move from growing vegetables for subsistence to producing them as organised commercial enterprises.
Beetroot: A crop worth considering
Beetroot can be part of that diversification.
It performs best under moderate temperatures, generally around 15°C–24°C, and requires fertile, well-drained soil and reliable moisture.
Farmers should choose varieties suited to their particular location and market.
Before planting, they should establish:
The variety to grow;
The expected production period;
Availability of water;
Soil condition;
The target market;
Expected production costs;
Potential buyers.
The biggest mistake in commercial horticulture is often to produce first and search for a market later.
A market-oriented farmer does the reverse.
HOW FARMERS CAN PROMOTE HORTICULTURE IN BUSIA
The promotion of horticulture should not be left entirely to individual farmers.
It can become a collective programme involving farmers, cooperatives, county extension officers, researchers, private-sector buyers, financial institutions and national agricultural agencies.
1. FORM FARMER HORTICULTURE GROUPS
Farmers can organise themselves into producer groups or cooperatives specialising in vegetables.
Collective organisation can help farmers:
Purchase inputs in bulk;
Access extension services;
Share production information;
Aggregate produce;
Negotiate with buyers;
Reduce transportation costs;
Explore value addition.
This approach is consistent with Busia's wider emphasis on farmer organisations, market participation and agribusiness development.
2. ESTABLISH DEMONSTRATION FARMS
A farmer is often more persuaded by seeing a crop perform successfully under local conditions than by reading about it.
Demonstration plots can be established in different parts of Busia to showcase:
Beetroot;
Tomatoes;
Onions;
Cabbages;
Kales;
Indigenous vegetables;
Watermelons;
Other commercially suitable horticultural crops.
Farmers can then compare varieties, production methods, yields, costs and market returns.
Busia's CIDP already provides for farmer demonstrations, field days and agricultural extension activities.
Busia County
3. STRENGTHEN EXTENSION SERVICES
Horticulture is knowledge-intensive.
Farmers need practical advice on:
Soil testing;
Seed selection;
Nursery management;
Spacing;
Fertiliser application;
Irrigation;
Pest and disease management;
Harvesting;
Post-harvest handling;
Market requirements.
The county development plan includes expanded agricultural extension and farmer access to agricultural technologies.
The next step is ensuring that such services reach farmers at ward and village level, rather than remaining largely at county headquarters.
4. MAKE WATER CENTRAL TO HORTICULTURE
Horticulture cannot depend entirely on unpredictable rainfall.
Farmers should be encouraged to invest in:
Water harvesting;
Water pans;
Boreholes where appropriate;
Storage tanks;
Drip irrigation;
Small-scale irrigation schemes.
Earlier Busia development planning also identified reliable water provision for vegetable production as an important agricultural intervention.
Maarifa Centre
Water availability can determine whether a farmer gets one crop cycle or several.
5. LINK FARMERS DIRECTLY TO MARKETS
Increasing production without improving markets can create a new problem: oversupply and collapsing farm-gate prices.
Farmers therefore need market intelligence before planting.
Producer groups should establish relationships with:
Supermarkets;
Hotels;
Restaurants;
Schools;
Hospitals;
Local traders;
Processors;
Institutional buyers;
Regional markets.
The county's development programmes already recognise the importance of market linkages and market-oriented horticulture.
Busia County
6. PROMOTE CONTRACT AND MARKET-LED FARMING
Where appropriate, buyers and farmer organisations can develop arrangements specifying:
Crop;
Variety;
Quality;
Quantity;
Delivery period;
Packaging;
Price-setting mechanism;
Payment arrangements.
Such agreements must be transparent so that farmers understand their obligations and commercial risks before production begins.
7. INVEST IN COLD CHAINS AND POST-HARVEST HANDLING
Producing a good crop is only half the job.
Horticultural produce is highly perishable.
Busia can explore investments in:
Collection centres;
Sorting sheds;
Grading facilities;
Appropriate packaging;
Cold storage;
Refrigerated transportation where economically justified;
Small processing facilities.
The county's planning documents have repeatedly identified post-harvest management, value addition and agricultural marketing infrastructure as important components of agricultural development.
8. BRING YOUNG PEOPLE INTO HORTICULTURE
Horticulture can also become part of the answer to rural youth unemployment.
Instead of presenting farming merely as subsistence activity, young people can be trained as:
horticulture entrepreneurs, nursery operators, irrigation technicians, agro-dealers, aggregators, transporters, processors and digital market agents.
Busia's current development planning includes initiatives aimed at making agriculture a more attractive and resilient livelihood for young people.
9. USE RESEARCH AND CLEAN PLANTING MATERIAL
Farmers should work closely with agricultural research and regulatory institutions.
The county's 2026/27 development plan identifies KALRO Alupe as a partner involved in agricultural research, clean planting materials, technologies and innovation dissemination. It also identifies the Agriculture and Food Authority's horticulture directorate as having a mandate to regulate, develop and promote horticultural value chains.
This connection between research, extension and farmers should be strengthened.
10. PROMOTE SOIL TESTING
A farmer should not guess what the soil requires.
Soil testing can help determine:
Soil pH;
Nutrient deficiencies;
Appropriate fertiliser requirements;
Whether soil amendments are necessary.
This is particularly important for beetroot because root development is directly influenced by soil structure and fertility.
Farmers should avoid the temptation of simply applying more fertiliser whenever yields decline.
The right input, in the right quantity, at the right time, is more important than simply using more inputs.
HORTICULTURE SHOULD NOT MEAN BEETROOT ALONE
Beetroot can be promoted as one crop within a diversified horticultural programme.
Farmers can assess a portfolio of crops according to their local climate, soil, water availability and market demand.
These may include:
Beetroot;
Tomatoes;
Onions;
Cabbages;
Kales;
Indigenous vegetables;
Watermelons;
French beans;
Carrots;
Other suitable vegetables and fruits.
The objective should be commercial diversification rather than replacing one monoculture with another.
THE BUSIA OPPORTUNITY
Busia's existing plans demonstrate that horticulture is not a completely new idea. The county has already set targets for vegetable-seed distribution, horticultural acreage and farmer beneficiaries.
What is needed is stronger connection between the different parts of the agricultural chain:
RESEARCH → SEEDS → FARMERS → EXTENSION → IRRIGATION → PRODUCTION → AGGREGATION → PROCESSING → MARKETS → INCOME
If one link is missing, farmers may struggle.
If the chain works together, horticulture can become more than backyard vegetable production.
It can become an organised agribusiness opportunity.
A MESSAGE TO BUSIA FARMERS
The future of agriculture cannot depend only on producing more.
Farmers must also ask:
What should I produce?
Who will buy it?
What quality do they require?
How much will it cost me?
How will I transport it?
How can I reduce post-harvest losses?
How can I add value?
That is the transition from farming as a way of life to farming as a business.
For Busia, beetroot is just one example. The larger opportunity lies in building a horticultural culture in which farmers have access to knowledge, quality inputs, water, organised markets, technology and value addition.
The farmer should not be the last person to know the price of the crop he or she has produced.
Busia's own development plans already provide a policy foundation for horticulture promotion. The challenge is turning those plans into practical, measurable opportunities reaching farmers at the grassroots.
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