Eric Munene grew up with several jackfruit plants in his homestead in Kibugua region of Chuka, a town on the eastern slopes of Mount Kenya. However, it was only recently that he began to recognize it as a valuable plant. The jackfruitis a multiple fruit consisting of several small one-seeded fruitlets. The entire fruit weighs 4.5-50 kg and is oval, oblong or ellipsoid in shape. The fruit, …
With irrigation bringing more arable land under cultivation, saving the amount of water in the process is a target for every farmer who wants to spend less and earn more.r Dip irrigation, which allows for consistent releases of water o target plants, is one of the methods gaining popularity for saving up to 50 per …
Drip irrigation allows farmers save 50% in water costs Read More »
In cutting down pesticide application and the accruing costs in production, one farmer succeeded in vending off the pests by growing onions around his greenhouse tomatoes in the last season. Lari Sub-county farmer Nathan Kimeu was implementing an idea he learnt from the Internet that onions’ smell can repel some crop pests like aphids. “I found …
Lari farmer uses onions as biopesticide to control aphids Read More »
Application of mulching and organic manure has helped a kales farmer cut the irrigation frequency besides enabling him deliver kales to the market consistently even on dry seasons. On dry seasons, Kevin Maingi may be required to irrigate the kales in his one-eighth of an acre daily or after one day. But the discovery of …
Mulching a key skill to keep your vegetables growing in drier seasons Read More »
Newcastle disease is the major cause of death among local chicken killing about 90 per cent of the affected birds. According to the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) Newcastle Disease is a major constraint to indigenous chicken productivity in Kenya and often causes 80 per cent to 100 per cent mortality in unvaccinated …
How to deal with deadly Newcastle disease in poultry Read More »
Farmers can keep off grain destroying pests for two years without chemicals after the USAID Kenya and the Ministry of Agriculture launched hermetic bags, which suffocate any crop storage enemies. The official launch follows years of testing for efficacy in taming maize, wheat, beans, cowpeas, among other grains destroying organisms such as weevils and moths. …
Hermetic bags keep off grain pests for over 2 years Read More »
Siaya County farmers have tripled milk yields by feeding livestock on brachiaria grass, which contains more proteins than Napier . Leonard Oremo noted significant increase in milk soon after he introduced the grass as part of the fodder for his cattle. In the past, Oremo got three litres of milk per day, but the yield …
Siaya farmers triple milk output with switch to Brachiaria grass Read More »
The construction of a mini dam to collect water is saving a Nyeri County farmer more than Sh6,000 in monthly bills besides supporting a constant flow of onions despite the weather. Jonathan Jomo constructed a 70,000 litre mini dam at his farm in Kieni, in 2015. Before then, he used to pay a water bill …
Nyeri farmer saves over Sh6000 in irrigation cost with mini dam construction Read More »
By George Munene The Fall Armyworm (FAW) is amongst the most devastating pests to Africa’s food systems. In response to this, agriculture nonprofit Land O’Lakes 37 and Villa Crop Protection have prepared freely accessible training modules outlining the appropriate responses smallholder farmers should take to combat this pest. Research amongst Zimbabwean farm-holders showed that those …
By George Munene As Kenyans grow more conscious of the food they consume, there is an ever-increasing demand for organically farmed produce amongst the country’s middle and upper class. Even though pesticide and fertiliser free produce fetches a premium price, a lack of expertise and market linkages has meant that investments in this still green …
Biovision Trust Training Farmers To Meet Growing Organic Food Demand Read More »
