January 2019

New app to help western Kenyan farmers diagnose plant diseases using satellite data

A screenshot of plant diagnosis results with PlantVillage app. Photo courtesy. Researchers from Penn State University have developed a smartphone application program, PlantVillage that through satellite data will enable cassava and maize farmers from Western Kenya scan and analyse diseases affecting their crops and take immediate, proper remedy actions. According to a 2016 research by […]

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Siaya group excel in collective marketing of traditional vegetables

Traditional vegetable farmers in Siaya have tripled income from Sh15 to Sh48 per kilogram after joining a cooperative society to market their produce. Initially farmers in the region sold their produce individually with reduced bargaining power according to a report by the Kenya Agricultural Productivity Project. After forming the Siaya Local Vegetable Producers Value Chain

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New quality based payment regulations to strengthen dairy sector in Kenya and improve farmers’ income

Fresh regulations by the Ministry of Agriculture to pay dairy farmers based on quality of the milk delivered as opposed to weight by March this year will strengthen the sector and improve the producers’ income. According to a January this year report on Quality Based Milk Payment Study in Kenya by Irwin Foreman MSc, a

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European Union market opens up for Kenyan sweet potato farmers

Kenyan sweet potato farmers can now export their produce to the European Union market following a drop in the produce production by 18 per cent in the region according to the North-Western European Potato Growers statistics for the 2018 season. The production in EU is the lowest since 2012 and eight per cent lower than

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Organisation launches online seed informational tool to enable farmers access critical data in one click

A capture of the ICRISAT digital seed roadmap. International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), an international agricultural research organization has launched modern digital seed ‘catalog’ and seed ‘roadmap’ tool to enable famers access information about the quality and availability of seeds in one click. This innovative tool will ultimately enable farmers in several

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How to control deadly goat disease

Farmers can control the deadly mange disease in goats by using a new treatment method which involves mixing of crude caster seed oil and tamarind fruit solution. The disease is a major killer of goats in the dry areas of Tharaka Nithi and Mbeere regions as it spreads faster and can wipe put the entire

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Former fine art expert finds steady income in raising seedlings

James Ndung’u holding grafted avocado and tree tomato seedlings at his farm in Nyeri County. He also have about 2,000 yam tubers for sale. Photo courtesy. A former fine artist who decided to leave a well-paying job three years ago due its one-off nature to start raising various plant seedlings such as tree tomato, hass

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Researchers develop new drought tolerant finger millet varieties resistant to blast disease and striga weed

Farmers will soon benefit from drought and disease tolerant millet varieties after they were developed by researchers at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization in collaboration with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics. “During the first phase of our project, we have identified millet samples showing resistance to drought striga weed

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A social enterprise develops solar cooling facility to save fresh produce from undue spoilage

FreshBox enterprise cool storage fcility. The enterprise is on a mission to about 53 per cent of food which is wasted in East Africa. Photo courtesy. A Nairobi based social enterprise, FreshBox , has developed a solar-powered, walk-in refrigeration facility that can hold over 2,100kg of fruits and vegetables to improve the produce shelf life

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Blossoming Kenyan flower sector produces one of the best cut flower grower globally

Oserian Development Company Limited staff during the International Grower of the Year Awards ceremony in Germany. Photo courtesy. The all-time growing flower sector in Kenya according to Africa’s Competitiveness in the Global Economy Report 2018 has produced one of the best cut flower grower in the world. Oserian Development Company Limited, one of Kenya’s largest

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