I’m a Covid farmer: Small pandemic experiment turns Kitengela woman into major tomato supplier

When the Covid-19 lockdown hit Kenya in March 2020, Alexine Khasoa found herself trapped in Kitengela with nothing but time and uncertainty.

A farming novice who had just moved to Hawa in Kajiado county, Khasoa couldn't have imagined that four years later, she would be running one of the region's most productive farms and training dozens of women to feed their families from backyard gardens.

"I'm actually a Covid farmer," she laughs, standing among rows of vibrant tomatoes at her Limitless Fresh Farm.

"Farming found me, not the other way around."

What started as lockdown boredom became an agricultural revelation. Encouraged by a friend and armed with nothing but curiosity, Khasoa leased a quarter-acre and planted her first tomatoes. She didn't even know different varieties existed.

"I just went to the agro-vet and bought seeds," she recalls. "I had no idea what I was doing."

Her first harvest was one pickup truck of tomatoes. But when a fellow farmer told her she should have harvested four times that amount, something ignited inside her.

"That was the challenge I needed," she says. "I knew I could do better."

Determined to prove herself, Khasoa scaled up to five acres and began growing tomatoes. 

The breakthrough came when a visiting agronomist introduced her to the Yara Balanced Crop Nutrition Programme. The results were immediate and dramatic.

“Before Yara, I was getting 35 to 40 tonnes per acre but only harvest for period of 2 months. With their fertilisers and guidance, I could hit between 80 to 100 tonnes per acre and harvest upto a period of 7 months. That’s when I knew this was serious business," she explains.

"That's when I knew this was serious business."

The transformation wasn't just about fertiliser; it was about understanding crop nutrition as a science. Working with Yara's technical team, Khasoa learned to tailor feeding schedules to each growth stage.

At Limitless Fresh Farm today, modern agricultural science blends seamlessly with traditional wisdom.

Drip irrigation systems ensure consistent water delivery while cow and chicken manure enrich the soil organically.

"Feeding your crop right is the secret," Khasoa explains, kneeling beside a tomato plant heavy with fruit.

"If you do it well, tomatoes can give you seven months of continuous harvest."

Her methods combine the Yara Balanced Crop Nutrition Programme with careful soil testing and sustainable practices.

She avoids overly acidic fertilisers and maintains soil health through regular organic matter incorporation. The result? Yields that consistently exceed industry standards.

But Khasoa’s impact extends far beyond her own fields. In a Maasai community where crop farming wasn't traditionally practised, she's become an agricultural evangelist.

"When I came here, most women didn't grow vegetables. Now, after our trainings with Yara, they have kitchen gardens with sukuma wiki and spinach. It's about food on the table and dignity in self-reliance."

Through community workshops supported by Yara's extension programme, Khasoa has trained dozens of local women to grow vegetables in their backyards. Her Facebook page showcases agriculture as a profitable, respectable profession, challenging outdated perceptions about farming.

One of her proudest achievements was inspiring a young Kenyan working in the United States to return home and start farming after seeing her success online.

"He reached out after watching my videos and now he has his own farm not far from here," she beams. "That's the kind of change I want to see."

For Khasoa, farming is not just a business; it is a professional calling that deserves respect. She structures her days from 8 am to 5 pm, packing breakfast, lunch and snacks like any office worker.

"The only difference is that my office is a field. Farming is my 8-5pm job and I treat it professionally."

On harvest days, her farm employs up to 50 casual workers, each carrying home not just wages but stories of a woman who turned uncertainty into opportunity.

Her success demonstrates that with the right knowledge, tools and partnerships, agriculture can provide sustainable livelihoods and food security.

"My social life? Zero," Khasoa admits with a laugh.

"Call me, I'm at the farm. But I don't mind. Farming tugs at your soul. You sleep thinking about it, you wake up thinking about it. And once you see the results, especially when you're working with proven nutrition programmes, you can't stop."

Her transformation from Covid-confused urbanite to agricultural entrepreneur illustrates a powerful truth: when traditional knowledge meets modern agricultural science, extraordinary results follow.

Through her partnership with Yara and her commitment to community development, Khasoa has done more than grow crops, she's grown hope, opportunity and a new generation of proud farmers.

"Soil health is the foundation of any successful farming enterprise, and that is why we are keen on what we put into our soils."

Limitless Fresh Farm serves as a demonstration site for sustainable agricultural practices, welcoming visitors and new farmers eager to learn from Khasoa’s success.

And in Kenya's dynamic agricultural landscape, the future looks remarkably bright.