An integrated fishpond with chicken, rabbits ad vegetables at Nakuru ASK Show ground. Keeping cow-dung in fishponds repels snake predators. Photo by Laban Robert. Besides adding nutrients for the growth of food for fish, placing cow dung in a pond repulses snake predators, which could otherwise be tamed by chemicals that put the lives of …
Kisumu Agricultural Society of Kenya Chairperson Caleb Oluga tries the TT4 Tractor as CMC Motors CEO Mark Johnson joins in. The tractor has turbo feature that increases power by over 30 per cent. Photo by courtesy. Transport and machinery solutions company, CMC Motors Group, has introduced a new tractor with improved performance of more than …
When my team and I visited Felix Jumbe, of Peacock Seeds, a hybrid seed grower in Salima, Malawi, in March this year, we were shocked by the destruction caused by the fall armyworm. Virtually every plant in every row of the 50 acres hybrid section of the Peacock Seeds farm had …
OPINION: African governments move into race to halt armyworm catastrophe Read More »
Peas in pods. Growing maize with peas protects the latter crop from aphids. This canhelp farmers access the EU market as conditions become more. Photo by Food52. As the European Union reviews the maximum residue level (MRL) in fresh peas for export by half from July 2017, the growing maize as victims of aphids – …
A brooding chicken. Kiambu farmer uses one chicken to brood others’ chicks to increase the laying frequency. Photo by Pinterest. Instead of having three or more chickens brooding chicks for more than one month after hatching, Ignatius Osoro is using a surrogate mother to free the others to return to the cycle of laying eggs. …
Surrogate mother brooding increases egg laying frequency Read More »
Fertiliser being offloaded at the Port of Mombasa. Information gap is hindering access to subsidised fertiliser. Photo by Business Daily. Despite the government spending more than Sh20 billion in importation of over half a million tonnes of fertiliser for subsidy for about four years to spur productivity, farmers are unfamiliar with the intricate process of …
Information can increase access to fertiliser subsidy Read More »
Kiambu County farmer Ignatius Osoro looks at his free range chickens feeding. He uses aloe vera extracts to control diseases. The water in the blue crate in the photo contains the juice. Photo by Laban Robert. After realising that free-range rearing of local chickens predisposed them to diseases and pests, Ignatius Osoro started including aloe …
Joshua Mwendo tries the Yuavra 125 tractor. This Yuvra is cost effective for small-holders who cannot use the walking tractor. Photo by Laban Robert. In meeting the growing local mechanisation demand, Indian manufacture, Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd, has introduced an affordable four-wheel mini tractor for smallholder farmers in the country. Various machinery suppliers have introduced …
Farmers read a text message on a mobile phone. Godan says access to information can help farmers rise above poverty and hunger. Photo by Ars Technica. Global agriculture stakeholders have agreed to collect, process and make information available to farmers through tailored channels to bolster food security and make the sector an income source for …
Sharing information with farmers bolsters production Read More »
Mustafa Adamjee with some of his pigeons at the Mombasa’s Mukomani ASK Show ground in 2016. Pigeons earn him more than Sh30,000 a pair. Photo by Laban Robert. While more farmers are delving into the crowded chicken farming, Kwale County farmer – Mustafa Adamjee – is earning more than Sh30,000 by selling a pair of …
