May 2021

Raja F1

Advanta Seeds introduce disease resistant, high yield Raja F1 tomato

By George Munene Raja F1 is a hybrid tomato variety introduced to the Kenyan market by Advanta Seed International. It distinguishes itself for its disease resistance and high production. The variety is resistant to Bacterial Wilt and Tobacco Mosaic Virus as well as having a high tolerance for fungal foliar diseases such as early blight …

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ujuzikilimo

Kenyan AgriTech startup helps farmers raise yields & lower risk using data-driven farming

By George Munene UjuziKilimo is a Kenyan agritech startup that collects and analyses agricultural data geared towards enabling the world’s smallholder farmers to improve their productivity and reduce risks through data-driven precision insights. This data provides farmers granular information on personalised weather patterns, market information, proper agronomic practices, insurance options, etc. This enables them to practice knowledge-driven agriculture; making …

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Cattle rail

Kenya Railways resumes livestock transport on Nairobi-Nanyuki line 

By George Munene The Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) resumed livestock transport on Sunday with the first batch of cattle delivered to the Kenya Meat Commission from Laikipia County through the renovated Nanyuki to Nairobi line. Cattle wagon transport was a major feature along the bustling Nairobi-Nanyuki railway until the 1990s when the line ground to a halt. One …

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Macadamia seedlings

KALRO train farmers on growing improved macadamia yielding 7X traditional varieties 

By George Munene The Kenya Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) and Market Access Upgrade Programme (MARKUP) will work on a collaborative program focused on sensitizing farmers on the benefits of growing improved disease-resistant macadamia varieties that yield up to seven times what farmers currently earn with traditional macadamia. This will make new macadamia varieties more readily known and …

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Tractor imports

IT specialist helps farmers acquire 2nd hand EU tractors at half the cost of new ones 

A computer operations supervisor by profession, Peter Musakali has cut a niche for himself within the agriculture space in helping farmers source for and acquire European second-hand tractors and agricultural equipment which are less than half the cost of newly bought tractors.  “A new tractor bought from a dealer in Kenya costs about Sh3.5M; this puts mechanised farming out of …

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Avocado

Kakuzi commits Sh400M on upscaling smallholder avocado farmers

By George Munene   Speaking during the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) 93rd Annual General Meeting, Kakuzi PLC Chairman Nicholas Ng’ang’a said the firm will this year invest more than Sh400 million in capital expenditures (CAPEX) focusing on upscaling the value of its smallholder avocados farmers’ operations.  “The global market is responding positively to Kenyan avocados …

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Powerfat

New feeding technology helps farmers add 2.3L milk daily

  By George Munene PowerFat is a rumen-protected bypass fat feed supplement used by dairy farmers and animal feed manufacturers as a relatively cheap and effective way to introduce fats to dairy cows’ diets. It’s been shown to increase daily milk output by 2.3 liters as well as providing energy for improved fertility (helping cows recover faster after calving) …

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mechanised farming

Europe taking on the world to lock out agriculture

By Eric Kimunguyi, CEO, CropLife Kenya/ Agrochemicals Association of Kenya In the months surrounding the birth of our own republic, from 1961 to 1963, a crucial, international organisation was also being born, to assure food safety across the globe. As a partnership between the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations and the World Health Organisation, the Codex Alimentarius Commission …

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