January 2014

E0200-Stratford-passion-fruit-on-the-vine

Passion opens international markets for farmer association

A group of fourty farmers have found solace and market guarantee with passion farming in the wake of dwindling coffee and tea prices which has now seen them attract foreign investors who have been wowed by their commitment over the years. Ngethu village Farmers’ Association has become a highly respected enterprise that – with hard …

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Health conscious middle class drives fanatical uptake of camel products

Traditionally reduced to just carrying luggage and thus christened the beast of the desert, camel is emerging as an important animal among Kenyans and East Africans, with its meat and milk enjoying impressive uptake among especially health conscious customers. 60 percent of world camel population is found in Africa with the camel products moving from …

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The rise and rise of banana farming in Kenya

Kenya’s banana is now primed among leading commodities in returns to farmers both in the local and international markets overtaking traditional commodities, but the journey to this success has been a trial and error with efforts by farmer organizations, researchers and government bearing impressive returns. Kenya has over 400,000 small holder banana farmers with 1.7 …

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Communal feeding pen increases cattle body weight, fetching higher market prices

Martin Wanjala has reared cattle all his life. But it was only recently that he started to make any money. The retired teacher has benefited from the recent introduction of a communal feedlot. Housing his cattle in a feedlot for a few weeks before slaughter has doubled the cattle’s selling price. Before the feedlot opened, …

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Scientists use satellite images to understand land use among farmers over time

A group of researchers have been burning the midnight oil are using data collected over more than fifty years to determine the factors that result in positive and negative land use change through understanding how soil, water and biodiversity are maintained in some areas thus managing ecosystems. East African landscape has been changing with agricultural …

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Tanzanian farmers cut overreliance on forests with multipurpose palm tree

A unique palm tree located in one of Tanzania’s endangered forests is providing people living in the forests with alternative source of income and assisting them spare felling of trees which have been important in maintaining rainfall in the area. Weaving lengths of fibrous palm leaves, the women of Tanzania’s Nou forest are busier than …

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Tracing technology helps farmers beat stringent export requirements

As small scale farmers struggle to meet the stringent export markets which are locking them from the lucrative business, new innovations are now being developed to position the farmers to give farmers direct access to these markets. Kenya is currently trialling a traceability system based on computer chips, which are swallowed by the animal and …

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