A group of farmers in Western Kenya have embraced cultivation of indigenous crops in a bid to help preserve cultural identity, a move that has seen them improve their health due to the high nutritional value in crops and improve on their livelihoods. The programme launched in 2010 is an initiative of Bio Gardening Innovations […]
Western farmers guard cultural identity with indigenous crop cultivation Read More »
The African Orphan Crops Consortium has initiated plans to research and develop over 100 more nutritious African crop species which were formerly neglected in a move aimed at improving the nutrition of African farm families, especially children. The list of the 100 species, developed by African scientists and their colleagues elsewhere, is being released so
Consortium to roll out 100 Africa only crops Read More »
Over 300 students from Father Makewa High School located in the arid Machakos district have never known hunger even as the school stands in an area that has experienced incessant hunger since time immemorial. It has distinguished itself as an oasis in a baked and dusty region where crops never grow beyond knee length. This,
School fights drought with low cost water harvesting model Read More »
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
Passion opens international markets for farmer association Read More »
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
Health conscious middle class drives fanatical uptake of camel products Read More »
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
The rise and rise of banana farming in Kenya Read More »
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,
Communal feeding pen increases cattle body weight, fetching higher market prices Read More »
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
Scientists use satellite images to understand land use among farmers over time Read More »
In a bid to preserve the environment, farmers in the country are adopting a new form of farming that advocate for combined crop cultivation and animal rearing in a symbiotic relationship that is preserving natural resources. Dubbed Permaculture, the new method was introduced in Kenya in 2011 by a group of scientists through the formation
Permaculture allows farmers to preserve forests and earn from them Read More »
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
Tanzanian farmers cut overreliance on forests with multipurpose palm tree Read More »