April 2017

Plant extracts show positive results in containing fall armyworm

Nyamira County farmer James Mocheche stands beside tephrosia vogelii tree, whose roots he says, discourage moles from destroying maize and sweet potatoes . Farmers are turning to terephosia vogelii and neem extracts to control fall armyworm. Farmers in Africa are turning to tree extracts in search of affordable and effective alternative to synthetic pesticides to […]

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Experts meet in Nairobi to solve fall armyworm menace in Africa

A University of Nebraska diagram showing the features of the fall army worm. Photo by University of Nebraska. Global agriculture stakeholders meeting in Nairobi are working out the best integrated pest management practices to complement chemicals in controlling the fall armyworm (FAW), which has attacked more than 750,000 acres of maize in the continent.

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Pineapple export market is wide for Kenya

Pineapple ready for sale. The local and international market is a glowing opportunity for Kenyan pineapple farmers. Photo by Huffington Post. The suppressed production of pineapples for the local and international market is driving the high demand, promising good returns to farmers. A medium sized pineapple costs about Sh955 in a supermarket in Israel, a

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Towns beat Nairobi in agro-produce prices

Farmers at the background admire red cabbage at the Nyeri ASK Show Ground in 2016. Cabbage sellers in Busia town are making close to three times more than their Nairobi counterparts. Photo by Laban Robert. Unlike the popular believe that Nairobi market offers the highest prices for agro-products, farmers selling goods like cabbages in Busia

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Maize price may remain high with worm invasion

A man carries a 90kg maize bag. Maize prices may continue rising with the invasion of the FAW despite the rains. Photo by The Star. With the invasion of the fall army worm (FAW), the cost of dry maize in Kenya may continue to rise even with the onset of rains for planting as Busia

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Farmer beats drought with simsim

Sesame (simsim) on dough balls, an application in the baking industry. Mpeketoni farmer relies on this crop for during drought. Photo by Epicurious. While other farmers wait for sustained rains to produce, Andrew Nyatangi is making use of the light showers to grow sesame – a drought tolerant crop – for all year-round income. He

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Simple knocks tell mature watermelons

Watermelon slicing for consumption. Simple multiple knocks can tell a mature ripe watermelon read for harvesting. Photo by Encyclopaedia Britanica Kids With multiple knocks, farmers can improve maturity prediction accuracy by more than 70 percent in determining if watermelons are ready for harvesting. Mature and immature watermelons tend to produce different sounds. “A dull hollow

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Trenches save surface run-off water for semi-arid irrigation

Muia Kusenga with Festus Mutemi. The farm has more than 10 trenches ans a tank that store water for irrigation for more than three months. Photo by Laban Robert. As the long rain seasons starts, 83-year-old Muia Kusenga is removing the accumulated silt from the trenches to create space for collecting run-off water from the

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Milk prices to drop with rains

Kakamega Prisons officer Fredrick Misoi inspects fodder grass. The rains may cause a drop in milk yield in weeks. Photo by Laban Robert The onset of rains in most parts of the country may see a drop in the cost of fresh milk and other agricultural produce prices, which have sharply risen due to the

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Organisation breeds rice for highlands

Farmers in a rice field. AATF has come up with rice that can be grown in highlands. Photo courtesy. Farmers could soon grow rice away from river and lake basins, where flood irrigation sustains production, with the introduction of new variety that required minimum water.The new variety from African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) can be

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