Pig Business in Kenya Brings Home the Bacon

Many communities living in extreme poverty are often overlooked in their skills, resources, and general desire to provide for their own basic needs and that of their families. Through your support of Mission ONE, we’re partnering with organizations that live in the very areas they’re serving. This means they have a deeper understanding of the unique needs and resources of the people. We’re able to walk with them in co-creating opportunities and planting seeds of hope by empowering an entire community.

This means our partners can better anticipate the kinds of business ventures that will be successful and recognize when it’s time to shift. The community of Kijabe Town is no exception.

Our partners in Kenya first worked with Kijabe Town to create a chicken venture and after a series of obstacles, they knew it was time to find a new plan. When they decided to rethink the agriculture needs of the community, they found that pig farming was the perfect solution.

Why Pigs? 

Mission ONE partners in Kenya recognized that there was a demand for pigs and soon connected with Farmer’s Choice, the biggest pork meat provider in Kenya, to see if Kijabe Town could supply them with pigs. Our partners worked with Farmer’s Choice to secure a contract and they agreed to purchase pigs from Kijabe Town if they could meet the demand.

By understanding the unique needs, resources, and opportunities that already existed around Kijabe Town, our partners were able to identify a natural fit and determine where the community could fill an existing need. This is far more sustainable than developing an entirely new supply chain. Since there was a built-in buyer that could come to them, it was a great opportunity to leverage what was available to them.

Leveraging resources that the community already had was an important part of creating sustainable success in this new project. The transition was smooth because the community already had some of the necessary resources. The grinder and mixer which were used to feed the chickens could also feed the pigs. Having the space to house the animals was also a big step in the right direction. By implementing systems and tasks to do each month, the pig farming business has been able to consistently meet the Farmer’s Choice requirement of 25 pigs per month.

Just like any business, starting and getting it off the ground is always the hardest part. Learning from previous challenges and looking around to see what God had already provided the community, made it easier to be successful.

A Ripple Effect 

The pig farming business in Kijabe Town employs three people full time and is creating a sustainable solution for more families to rise out of poverty. But more than that, the business is a tangible example of God’s love. The staff of the pig project feel honored to provide for their families, show their children a positive example of hard work they didn’t have as children, and serve their community in a meaningful way.

Your support of Mission ONE means our partners have resources to transform entire communities making the world, and Kijabe Town, more like the Kingdom.