Business Desk 
- WHY MILLINEALS AND GENERATION Z ARE INVESTING IN FARM LAND.
Farming was initially viewed as a thing of the past by the millennials and Gen Z, but due to unemployment and great concerns over food security caused by increase in population, they have greatly transitioned into farming. Therefore, this has led to a surge in purchasing of farm land for large scale farming.
In regards to this, it has been noted that people are really buying land in Malindi for large scale farming. Invention of new technology in farming such as smart agricultural sensors and agricultural drone technology has made gen z and millennials to change their attitude towards farming and embrace it. Malindi has specifically been identified as the most preferred place for largescale farming in Kenya.
This is because most of the land in Malindi is virgin land hence very fertile and also the availability of large tracks of land.For instance, look at Galana Kulalu food security project which is a Government project in Malindi aimed at providing food security in Kenya.
Look at a project such as Farhani gardens by Gateway Homes limited at Marafa-Malindi which has attracted many agricultural investors to the region who want to venture into large scale farming.
This is because of the prime location of their land situated in an area that has clean county water, a river passing through the project together with good infrastructure such as good road networks for accessibility, electricity on site, a great network connectivity and above all the affordability of their land.
Acquiring land in Malindi has been made easier by companies such as Gateway homes limited which offers a flexible payment plan known as “JAZA KIBABA” where you can acquire a ¼ acre from as low as Ksh.2500 weekly for 12 months. In an instance whereby a man in Murang’a who has inherited a 1-acre piece of land and its fertility is degraded then sells it at 8 million will be able to buy 20 acres’ land in Malindi from Gateway Homes Limited at 7 Million.
With the 20 acres, he can farm “Sukari F1” watermelons in 5 acres which will earn him a profit of approximately 1.5Million in the first harvest bearing in mind that watermelons can be planted 3 times a year.In the other 5 acres, he can farm the “Marafa sweet pineapples” which will earn him a profit of approximately 2Million in the first harvest.
The other 5 acres, he can farm spices such as chilies, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and ginger which will approximately earn him a profit of 1million in the first harvest. In 2 acres, he can farm avocados which can approximately earn him a profit of 600,000 then the remaining 3 acres he will do livestock keeping such as goats and cows.
This has proven the great potential that agricultural farm in Malindi has towards promoting food security in the country, providing an alternative solution to unemployment and great fortune to agricultural investors.
