By Wanja Mwaniki
Soil testing provides critical insights into soil composition, fertility, and overall health, making it a key factor to consider before venturing into farming. This essential service has been a cornerstone of Millennial Agriculture Limited, helping farmers boost productivity since the company’s inception in 2017.
Millennial Agriculture was founded by Hannah Njoki Mucheru and Murila Olwen Isumba, who were previously part of a team dedicated to introducing a new farming fertilizer to the Kenyan market. The product, MycoApply Endoprime EA, was their flagship initiative, brought in by Lee Al Baugh, the agent for Mycorrhizae Applications (USA) in Africa. To ensure it met local needs, the product was subjected to trials before recommendations for various Kenyan crops were developed.
With a strong working relationship and complementary strengths, Njoki and Isumba formed Millennial Agriculture Limited to address gaps in the agriculture sector. MycoApply became the company’s flagship product, making them the official suppliers in Africa.
Njoki holds a BSc in Animal Health Production and Processing from JKUAT and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Advanced Agriculture from AICAT-Arava in Israel. She has six years of experience in animal production systems and agricultural project management. Isumba, with a BSc in Agriculture (Agronomy) from Egerton University, brings eight years of experience in farm production, agro-input trading, and agri-projects management.
The duo initially used personal savings as capital but eventually secured a loan to purchase their first consignment from the USA. Njoki emphasizes that Millennial Agriculture is solution-based, filling market gaps by introducing innovative technologies and services that enhance productivity. “We seek to exploit market gaps to introduce innovations, technologies, and services that enhance production levels for the farmer,” she explains.
Among their services is digital soil analysis, which eliminates guesswork in crop nutrition. They also provide agronomic consultation services and implement agricultural and forestry projects, including installing and managing tree nurseries across the country.
Since its inception, Millennial Agriculture has helped restore farmlands and improve productivity through the use of MycoApply and other services. Isumba notes, “Farmers who had given up their farms have returned, using MycoApply, and abandoning their farms is no longer in their thoughts.”
MycoApply Endoprime EA, the company’s most popular product, is sold at Sh2,500 per acre and has gained widespread acceptance. The biological product contains spores of four species of mycorrhizal fungi in a powder formulation. “Each gram of MycoApply EndoPrime contains 22,500 propagules of the following four mycorrhizal species: Glomus intraradices, Glomus mosseae, Glomus aggregatum, and Glomus etunicatum,” says Isumba.
The product’s unique technology enhances plant development and soil conditions. Once applied, the fungi germinate and attach to plant roots, extending the root system and helping to draw nutrients and water from the soil. Isumba explains that the fungi can protect crops during drought by storing water and releasing it when needed. He adds, “With the increasingly erratic weather, the fungi protect you from total yield loss due to drought.”
MycoApply is organic, patented, developed in the USA, and KEPHIS-approved. Njoki highlights the satisfaction they derive from farmer testimonials: “Smallholder farmers and large-scale farmers alike are seeing the desired results while reducing the cost of inorganic fertilizers. Farmers are happy, and that makes us happy.”
Looking to the future, Njoki shares the company’s vision to expand across Africa. “We have sold to farmers in Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda, and we still have more countries to go,” she says.
Millennial Agriculture also offers rapid digital soil testing services, which form the foundation of accurate farming practices. Njoki emphasizes that soil testing helps farmers understand nutrient levels after a crop cycle and plan fertilizer use accordingly. “It also saves farmers unnecessary costs incurred from guesswork and indicates the exact fertilizer and amendments needed to increase soil yields,” she says.
Soil tests, which cost Sh3,500 for a full analysis, include tests for macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) and micronutrients (magnesium, calcium, sulfur, boron, zinc, iron, manganese, molybdenum, and copper). Other tests cover soil pH, organic matter, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and soil moisture, with results delivered within 48 hours.
Njoki adds, “The advantage of what we do is we can give nutrient recommendations for up to five crops from a single sample.”
