Passion Fruit Case Study:
Have you ever heard of the term “Black Sheep?”
Well, this is a name given to a person who does not fit in the culture or practices of a family, community, or society.
Simply put, a black sheep follows his or her path.
—that’s very different from all other people in a community.
Alice Rono was the black sheep in her community.
She stood out like the light from the rising sun. When others were busy growing the traditional crops like maize and beans, she chose otherwise.
What made her unique is “Choosing to grow passion in her farm.”
Growing passion fruit was unheard of in Moiben. It was a strange plant that residents ONLY heard of from TV’s and newspapers.
So it’s was natural for people talk behind her back:
“Alice is mad woman?”
“How can she grow passion fruit instead of maize?”
Such cruel words spoken behind someone’s back can break the heart of the most skillful farmer.
However, Alice soldiered gallantly like an armed warrior.
Her Patience was Severely Tested
As her first crop grew luxuriously.
Hundreds of large showy flowers hang on the passion fruit vines thus promising a good harvest.
As luck would have it, drought struck Moiben sub-county and the surrounding areas.
To save her passion farm, Alice tried irrigation.
Unfortunately, the plants couldn’t take the simmering heat from the scorching sun.
Consequently, all her passion plants aborted flowering.
Flower abortion is the worst news for any fruit farmer. Whether he or she is growing mangoes, pears, avocado, or watermelon.
It’s was CERTAIN that she wasn’t going to harvest even a single fruit.
But all wasn’t lost. She managed to save her passion plants. None of them dried.
Her neighbors (who grew maize, beans and other ‘traditional crops’ weren’t as lucky. They lost everything.
At least she had somewhere to start.
That unpredictable turn of events wouldn’t discourage her.
In This Passion Fruit Case Study: Things Turn for the Better When You Apply Persistence
The next season, the rains were extremely good. The surrounding community—including Alice had a bumper harvest.
Consequently, the prices for maize and other traditional crops plummeted.
As luck would have it, no one in the area –and surrounding areas— had good passion fruit like those of Alice.
For that reason, she became sought after.
Passion fruit exporters came to her and bought all her Passion Fruits.
Within a span 4 months, she sold passion fruit worth Kenya shillings 542,000/=
If only they knew the secret behind passion fruit profits, they would join here instead of condemning her.
Alice’s standing in the community was to change one day.
Alice wouldn’t believe her good fortune.
Things had turned far much better than she had anticipated.
However, that was not to be said about her neighbors.
They were not selling their maize because everybody was having maize and nobody was there to buy.
When the neighbors got wind of Alice’s good Fortune, they turned her into a celebrity.
“People are now eager to learn about passion fruit farming.” Alice says.
Out of the 6 acres I grow passion fruit, I am able to earn a very good living.
Key takeaways from this passion Fruit Case Study:
Don’t move with the crowd.
After evaluating your chances of success, don’t stick with the crowd or you’ll never achieve your success.
Be persistent even if it doesn’t appear that you are doing the right thing in the eyes of others.
