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A caterer in Naari, Meru County, Kenya, has transformed leftover food from her catering business into a successful pig-farming enterprise. She initially bought three pigs about six years ago to consume vegetable and fruit peels, cooked food and other catering waste. The pigs multiplied rapidly, growing to more than 30 within two years, prompting her to establish a separate farm after space became limited at her catering premises.
The farm now has 282 pigs, including about 30 breeding sows, with a good sow producing 12–15 piglets per litter. With a gestation period of about 114 days, pigs can potentially farrow twice a year. At one point, the farm produced 100 piglets in two days. The farmer sells piglets, pregnant sows and pigs for slaughter, earning about Sh600,000 in monthly profit from pig farming in a good month. A single bulk sale of 200 pigs can generate nearly Sh4 million, while the largest recorded one-day sale was 150 pigs for Sh2.8 million.
To reduce production costs, the farm grows and mills its own maize and sunflower, supplementing these with ingredients such as wheat bran. This has helped halve feed costs. Pig waste is also converted into biogas, which is used for cooking in the catering business, creating a system where waste from one enterprise supports another.
Her future plans include developing the farm into a one-stop agricultural enterprise where customers can buy piglets and feed, as well as establishing an eatery where animals can be slaughtered and prepared for consumption.
August 25, 2026/Kenya/
https://nation.africa/
