KENYA · GUIDE 0002 · EDITION 4.2
Spinach Farming Records: Bed, Trimming and Delivery Worksheets
Make each delivery traceable to a bed and a buyer specification
The central record should connect the named crop, planting source, bed, harvest lot, buyer order and amount paid. This makes it possible to investigate whether a weak delivery came from product identity, trimming, transit, acceptance or a payment delay. A total sales figure alone cannot show where the loss occurred.
Bed and input sheet
Record the bed reference, crop and cultivar where known, planting source and date, invoices, field labour and water interruptions. Retain the advice and activity records relevant to the actual crop. Leave an unknown quantity marked unknown until it can be measured; do not fill it using a generic yield from another farm.
Harvest-to-payment worksheet
| Field | Enter for each delivery |
|---|---|
| Harvest reference | Bed and date linked to planting source |
| Buyer specification | Accepted leaf, stem treatment and unit |
| Gross harvest | Weight before trimming and sorting |
| Trimming and rejection | Separate weights and reasons |
| Packed and delivered | Net weight, destination, container and handover time |
| Accepted and returned | Buyer-confirmed quantities and reasons for discrepancies |
| Cash and balance | Price, amount collected, outstanding balance and due date |
Reconcile gross output with recorded trimming and packed output using a consistent scale. Investigate a missing difference instead of treating it as a sale. If the buyer pays per bunch, record the agreed bunch standard and a sample weight for your internal comparison; do not claim the bunches have a uniform weight unless measured.
Compare cost and collection dates
Record seed, water, labour, packaging and route expenses against the appropriate period. Track equipment purchases and refundable deposits separately from recurring inputs. Compare actual collections with payments due, then calculate contribution using accepted output. The pricing chapter contains a fully labelled fictional arithmetic example; enter your own evidence before making a decision.
Use references within their scope
KEPHIS supplies a seed-certification enquiry route; FAO provides general post-harvest context; WRA describes water permitting; KRA provides invoicing information. None establishes your local buyer, actual price, farm safety or profitability. Keep records and any customer contact details private and use required statutory documents where applicable.
A useful weekly review ends with an action: correct a specification, investigate a loss, collect an overdue balance, revise a route or defer expansion. Retain the reason for the decision with the relevant order rather than overwriting the previous result.