SME 101: Kwale entrepreneur turning seaweed into valuable fertiliser and pesticide

Her farm is purely organic, an inspiration she got during the Covid-19 pandemic, as together with her family they were looking for organic products. 

“We really struggled to get organic products, and those we found were very expensive,” Hannan told Citizen Digital. 

Challenged, Hannan embarked on research, with the aim of making her own compost manure and pesticide to use on her farm. She stumbled upon seaweed and found out its value.

In the Kenyan coast, seaweed is normally washed off the shores and beaches of the Indian Ocean, littering them and making them inaccessible to locals and tourists.

Upon finding its value, Hannan started engaging the services of the local youth, who collect the seaweed from Mombasa and Kwale county beaches, and takes it to her farm in Msambweni.

“When they get here, we farment them for a period of time, then add plant and animal bases and turn them into fertiliser and pesticide. The products we make here are very effective and have already been embraced by local farmers,” Hannan said. 

She also uses the rest of the seaweed to make compost manure, which she uses on her farm.

Patrick Mutungi, a local farmer in Msambweni, is one of those who have fully embraced Hannan’s seaweed products.

“This fertiliser/pesticide has no chemicals, it helps crops do so well and further it kills any pests that may invade the farm,” Mutungi said.

Through her products, Hannan has now expanded her farm and she is growing passion fruits for commercial purposes, alongside chillies and pawpaws. 

She looks forward to expanding and producing more for export. For now, her venture has helped clean the coastal beaches by taking away the seaweed washed off the Indian Ocean coast.