In Utawala, Muthwani Ward of Machakos County, Kenya, rows of vibrant capsicum stretch inside carefully managed greenhouse tunnels. At the heart of this thriving enterprise is Emily Dacha, a young horticultural Woman farmer whose journey began during the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, as food systems were disrupted and household food security became fragile, Emily started a small kitchen garden to sustain her family. What began as a survival strategy soon revealed a powerful opportunity.
“During COVID, money felt almost meaningless without food,” she recalls. “That’s when I realized that self-sustainability is not a luxury, it is a necessity for us as a family." Emily narrates.
She first cultivated indigenous vegetables such as amaranth, spider plant, nightshade, and jute mallow. Encouraged by strong local demand, Emily began selling surplus produce to neighbors, marking the first step toward agribusiness.
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After recognizing the potential for growth and reinvesting the savings generated from selling surplus produce to her neighbors, Emily established her first 16-by-40-meter greenhouse. The controlled environment significantly improved productivity, crop quality, and consistency, enabling her to produce up to ten times more than her initial open-field output. Today, Emily Dacha’s Farm operates ten greenhouses and produces between six and seven tonnes weekly, supplying both local and international markets through organized broker networks. The farm employs eight permanent staff members, in addition to casual laborers, contributing to local employment and economic resilience.
“Agriculture restored my hope,” Emily reflects. “What began as survival became a vision and that vision now feeds families and has created several jobs for young people.”
Emily integrates climate-smart technologies into her operations to strengthen long-term sustainability. Drip irrigation systems, shade nets, and solar dryers help improve water efficiency, reduce post-harvest losses, and enhance resilience to climate variability. She also extends her expertise beyond her own enterprise by offering greenhouse construction, irrigation installation, and shade net services to fellow farmers, supporting wider adoption of modern agricultural practices within her community. For Emily, agriculture goes beyond production and profit. “Farming isn’t just work,” she explains. “It’s about building sustainable systems for future generations.””
Emily’s influence extends beyond her farm gates. She serves as the Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD) County Representative for Machakos, where she actively promotes youth participation in agribusiness and agroecology.
She has organized and hosted agricultural events at her farm, including World Food Day celebrations, and has appeared on platforms such as Ramogi TV to educate audiences on high-value crop production. Through partnerships with organizations like Abundant Earth’s, Agroforestry Regeneration Communities, she has trained primary school students on syntropic farming and soil restoration techniques. Her work reflects a commitment not only to productivity, but to knowledge sharing and generational transformation.
Emily’s story strongly aligns with the vision of the International Year of the Woman Farmer (2026), which highlights the essential role women play in shaping resilient, inclusive, and nutritious agrifood systems. Her journey demonstrates how women farmers strengthen food security, drive climate adaptation, close gender gaps in agricultural leadership, and create dignified employment opportunities for youth. “Women farmers are not just producers,” she says. “We are educators, innovators, and environmental stewards.
From a modest kitchen garden during a global crisis to a structured, agroecology enterprise supplying multiple markets, Emily Dacha’s path reflects resilience, strategic growth, and visionary leadership. Her work is not only transforming livelihoods in Machakos County, it is redefining women-led agriculture across Kenya. Emily's experience demonstrates resilience, vision, and determination can turn even a small kitchen garden into a thriving enterprise. In her view, Women farmers are not waiting for change, they are leading it already. Through innovation, mentorship, and sustainable practice, Emily continues to cultivate more than crops. She cultivates opportunity, empowerment, and a more secure future for Kenya’s agrifood systems.
