Mange is a highly contagious skin disease caused by one or a combination of several species of mites affecting both domestic animals and humans. Mange in cattle is mainly caused by mites, microscopic relatives of spiders which in habit and damages the skin of the animals. Since the disease is carried by parasites inhabiting both […]
How to deal with mange disease in cattle Read More »
Long buffeted by escalating prices of commercial feeds and unpredictable weather patterns, a group of farmers in Rift Valley are finding solace in alternative feeds and are reporting a halving of feed expenses from their ventures. Hellen Yego, a dairy farmer in Moiben, Uasin Gishu County, began producing her own feed after she realised the
Farmers invest in homemade livestock feeds as prices skyrocket Read More »
A study by the International Livestock Research Institute ILRI is advocating for zero grazing system to contain tick borne diseases as it emerged that free range systems exposes livestock to ticks-increasing the chances of contracting diseases. “Animals subjected to zero-grazing systems had 80 per cent lower chance of contracting ECF than in farms where there
Zero grazing reduces tick diseases by upto 8 times study Read More »
Kenya is experiencing a boom in poultry rearing, buoyed predominantly by growing demand for poultry and its product with an upbeat local and international market. Most of the poultry farmers are small scale, but one man in Nyeri has dedicated more than acre to chicken farming in a multi million shilling investment, the largest in
How a dream hatched largest chicken empire in East and Central Africa Read More »
Kenya’s smallholder farmers still count on radio to learn new techniques of improved farming despite a boom in technology but still argue they cannot get as much information as they need. Findings of a 2012 study of over 600 small-scale farm households spread across high- to low-yield agricultural regions of Kenya in Nakuru, Nyanza, Nyeri,
Radio still king among Kenya’s smallholder farmers Read More »
A new partnership has assisted smallholder farmers in Kiambu county access year round hay for their livestock at a time when changes in climate are taking a toll on available green fodder. For many years, farmers in Ndumberi, Kiambu County have been struggling to feed their dairy cows especially during the dry season. With the
Kiambu farmers access year round low cost hay Read More »
On a cold, early morning in this small community, women and girls are already working on farms. Bent over and holding short hoes, they tease the hard, unyielding earth, submitting it into production. The women, dressed in thick sweaters to shield them from the cold air coming down the hills and mountains of Western Kenya,
Milk processing plant takes urban dwellers back to farms Read More »
A decision to quit teaching and concentrate on farming on health grounds for Mary Namaganda has turned into a promising pig business now housing over 80 pigs and giving her a tidy income of Sh 450, 000 a year. A single mother of two, Namaganda was struggling to make ends meet with poor pay and
The diabetic teacher who found fortunes in pig farming Read More »
A dairy farmer is reaping from his own milk formula that combines creamy milk from Ayrshire cows with that of Friesian, a move that has not only given him a wider market but also opened doors for value addition ventures. Willy Kirwa from Uasin Gishu was traditionally a maize farmer who was struggling to make
Farmer finds niche making milk formula Read More »
The Kenya Agricultural Research Institute has given the local chicken a makeover prompting pent up demand with more than 5,000 chickens being ordered monthly as farmers go for disease resistant high yielding varieties. “In fact, to buy the chickens you must book beforehand. You have to place an order in good time to secure a
Farmers chase cheaper, superior chicken breed Read More »