March 2020

hare

Fact Sheet: Common rabbit diseases and their treatment

By George Munene Whilst rabbits are adaptable and hardy animals, their diseases often prove fatal due to the lack of drugs dedicated to their treatment, a dearth of veterinarians with any rabbit-specific background, and a paucity of information on their treatment. As a result, easily communicable ailments such as colds and diarrhea can easily wipe …

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cassava

Kilifi farmer triples cassava yield through minisett multiplication technique

By Brian Moseti A farmer in Kilifi County has dramatically improved the output of her two-acre cassava farm by adopting modern multiplication techniques. By using the minisett techniques, Caroline Mwafungo has increased the number of new plants growing from each cutting to 60 instead of 10 using traditional methods. The minisett technology was popularized by …

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ERIC KIMUNGUYI CEO AGROCHEMICALS ASSOCIATION OF KENYA

Food must be a critical priority in defining what’s ‘essential’

By Eric Kimungunyi The coronavirus has moved crop protection to a new status as super-critical to ensure we have enough food this year. For national and global measures to head off mass infections have brought our trading system to a halt, removing the safety net that existed for all nations of importing on shortages and …

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white cow in cattle house 69170

Dairy farmer shares lessons learnt after recovering from near shut-down

Brian Moseti Six years ago, Solomon Mulema was preparing to shut down his dairy farm in Vihiga County, after unsuccessfully trying to turn a profit following consistently low yields. Mulema, who had taken up dairy farming after retiring as a school teacher, spent most of his pension purchasing six expensive cows, some costing up to …

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goshen 2

Nairobi farmer’s foray into ornamental birds business pays off

By Brian Moseti After a disappointing stint trying to commercially raise chicken, Glady’s Wangui made a turnaround to focus on exotic birds, a decision that proved important for the success of her farming venture. Five years down the line, Wangui’s Goshen Birds Farm in Nairobi’s Utawala estate is a popular source for different kinds of …

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banana ree

Banana farmers find value in neem as botanical pesticide against black weevil

Banana farmers in Nyamira, a county in Western Kenya, are making great savings using neem seeds extracts as opposed to commercial pesticides to fight the black banana weevil. Also known as the root borer, the weevil is the most destructive banana insect. The pest interferes with crop establishment by drilling through the corm, weakening the …

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Mushrooms sales suffer sudden drop on hospitality close-down

By Grace Munyi In the last one week, demand for mushrooms from the hotel industry and direct consumers has ceased, in a demand shock triggered by the Coronavirus outbreak in the country. “Normally, we supply 100kgs to hotels and restaurants, 200kgs to supermarkets and 16kgs to direct consumers through home deliveries every week. However, we …

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flight

Fresh Produce exporters scramble for cargo space as flights cancelled

By Fredrique Achieng Kenya’s horticultural sector has been thrown into disarray as producers compete for air cargo space, following the suspension of flights to major export areas in Europe (EU).  The overall number of flights coming into the country from key horticultural export markets, such as Amsterdam and London, has suddenly fallen from 14 flights …

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