Covid farmer’ who turned experiment to full time job
At the farm, modern agricultural science blends seamlessly with traditional wisdom
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. Farming found me, not the other way around,” she says with a laugh, standing among rows of vibrant tomatoes at her Limitless Fresh Farm.
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.”
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.”
The transformation wasn’t just about fertilisers; 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 constant 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.
