By Lyzzie Owade

Farmers along the Kenyan coast are beginning to make seaweed tea as a powerful free fertiliser after years of watching seaweed wash up on the beaches unused. 

The first signs of a small fertiliser sector are now appearing, with some farmers making seaweed fertiliser for their own fields, while others, like Mohammed Mohdhar from Mombasa, have begun producing and selling it.

As seaweed lands on beaches after high tides or storms, many farmers now collect it instead of burning it or throwing it away. Different types wash up at different times. 

The brown seaweeds such as Sargassum and Turbinaria often come in after heavy waves, and are the most valued because they release potassium and natural growth hormones when soaked. 

The green seaweeds, such as Ulva and Enteromorpha, arrive through most of the year and break down fast, adding nitrogen. 

The red seaweeds, such as Gracilaria and Hypnea, come in with calmer tides and add good micronutrients.

Mohammed refuses to say which type he uses in his own fertiliser, but each kind has a different strength:

• Brown seaweeds help flowering and fruiting, and make the strongest tea.
  
• Green seaweeds feed the soil quickly because they break down fast.
  
• Red seaweeds release minerals slowly and help improve weak soils.
  
• Halimeda, a calcified green seaweed, is high in calcium and helps reduce soil acidity but is not strong as a main fertiliser.

Mohammed first learned about seaweed’s value seven years ago during routine beach-cleaning.

“We could always put it on the thrush bag or burn most of the time not knowing it could make a good fertilizer,” he said.

He began researching after recognising its name online.

“After knowing its name I started doing my own research online and found out that it’s being used in other countries like the UK, China and India on the grazing land.”

As an environmentalist, he looked into the nutrients.

“I have a team that is trained along the coastal region beaches which do harvest it. What we always harvest is left by the tide, that’s when we can get,” he said.

He added that his team selects carefully.

“They only select a specific seaweed that is good on the soil; not all the seaweed can be recommended to make the fertilizer so my team knows how to correct the good one.”

Anyone collecting seaweed must first get permission.

“When someone what’s to harvest the seaweed, he or she could make sure that they get the permit from KWS and NEMA which always gives the authority. They will have to go and inspect your area and what you want to do with the seaweed and make sure that what you want to do with it will not be getting back to the sea again.”

He sets out a careful process after collection.

“After harvesting you have to wash it thrice first you have to remove the sand, second you have to remove the salt and the third time is just checking when they are clean. After the wash you have to ferment.”

Fermentation can take two months, depending on the season.

“Sometimes the fermentation takes upto 60 days which you have to test every week the water Ph, solution Ph and temperature since anything above or below the room tempereture might take longer to ferment. You have to stir it daily until it’s ready to be packed.”

From 10 tonnes of seaweed he produces 400 litres.

“In 10 tonnes I can harvest 400 litres of the fertilizer.”

Demand rises during the long coastal planting season.

From April to August, when most coastal farmers plant, he can produce up to 400 litres a month, selling it at Sh800 a litre. He keeps a stock of 200 litres for off-season orders and supplies buyers across the country. Some months he sells all 400 litres; other months he sells as little as 10 litres.

His marketing remains simple.

“All the marketing I always do online plus attending the agricultural shows across the country where they do explain their product and what is made off.”

He uses his own fertiliser on all his crops.

“Since I started farming with the seaweed fertilizer I have never bought any other fertilizer from the shop,” he said.

He believes soil health is key.

“Seaweed has alginate it which increases carbon in the soil and it also adds microorganisms in the soil. In this world now what matters is the soil health.”

He also sees pest-control benefits.

“Seaweed fertilizer helps in all types of soil from drought, water, salinity and different types. The good thing with seaweed is that it is a natural repellant, thus it’s advantageous to a farmer. You will end up using less pesticides.”

His operation remains small, but with more farmers now soaking seaweed for their own tea fertiliser, his business shows how a coastal waste product is beginning to turn into a local input industry.

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