Smart farms

: 05 July 2021; Hits: 7325

US African Development Foundation opens 2021 agricultural grant application

United States African Development Foundation

By George Munene

The United States African Development Foundation (USADF) has partnered with the Stanbic Kenya Foundation (SKF) to offer Sh1.07 billion worth of grants in 2021 to Kenyan Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), cooperatives, and producer groups. These businesses will need to be in the sectors of agriculture, agribusiness, manufacturing, health, trade, and services.

Applicants are eligible for a maximum award of Sh 5.4 million and need to be registered private businesses operating in Kenya.

For the SMEs to be considered they will also need to show that they are wholly African-owned and managed. Further, they should be a legally registered entity in Kenya, with basic functional management and financial controls for at least two years, with a banking history of no less than 12 months.

The grant is meant to help these businesses address gaps in their internal systems, ensuring they have sufficient capabilities to meet commercial investor requirements. It is thus required that applicants have previously applied for commercial investment and had their applications denied due to internal systems and capability gaps.

Eligible applicants need to contribute at least half of the cost of addressing the identified problem. and have a clearly defined market opportunity they are seeking to fill that will grow their revenue.

Applications need to have filled this application and emailed it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. no later than midnight July 22, 2021.

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: 05 July 2021; Hits: 7124

Ministry of agriculture sets up Sh48M credit fund for miraa farmers

Embu Miraa Farmers Cooperative Union

By George Munene

Miraa farmers from Embu and Mbeere have received Sh48 million from the ministry of agriculture. This will form part of a revolving fund allowing farmers under the Embu-Miraa Farmers Cooperative Union access to cheap credit at three per cent per annum. This is meant to cushion miraa traders who have been adversely affected by the disruption of the Kenya-Somalia miraa export corridor.

At a cheque handing over ceremony held at Siakago Grounds, Embu County, Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Cooperatives CS Peter Munya assured the farmers that the monies are already in their union’s coffers and are readily available to them.

The grant forms part of the Miraa Infrastructure Support Project, a government-helmed initiative aimed at revitalizing the Miraa value Chain. This has been evident through construction of five earth dams, two boreholes, and seven market sheds, all meant to aid miraa farmers.

“We realise that the miraa market is currently in a downturn and its farmers are suffering. Farmers now have a facility from which they can borrow money as they await for their miraa to be sold,”

CS Munya who was accompanied by Agriculture Chief Administrative Secretary Anne Nyaga, CS Munya promised to increase the fund if it is appropriately used.

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: 02 July 2021; Hits: 7446

Organisation to train more farmers to meet growing organic food demand

Biovision Africa

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 agricultural sub-sector have remained low.

Founded in Kenya in 2009, Biovision Africa Trust (BvAT), helps smallholder farmers bridge these gaps in funding and technical know-how and aims to promote healthier foods and agricultural systems for Africa.

At the launch of the trust’s four-year strategic plan in Nairobi on Thursday, Dr David Amudavi, BvAT’s Executive Director emphasised the need to ensure that African farmers produce food that is safe and employ environmentally sustainable agroeconomic practices. ”With the commencement of the farmer communication program and ecological organic agricultural initiative, 2021 was a defining year for our organisation. With this strategic plan, we want to bolster dynamic markets and trade in organic produce as well as championing for and enabling policy and institutional environment for our organic growers,”.Amudavi said.

The organisation works with farmers in Eastern Africa countries, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Rwanda as well as with some Western African countries.

“There is a need to promote organic agriculture to reduce the reliance on chemical inputs which do not only destroy the resources of our production but also the environment,” shared Amudavi

Andreas Schriber, BvAT’s Board Chair, argued that with sustainable ecological agricultural practices farmers not only get a return on investment from the returns from their yields but also an added value in the improvement in the overall health of their soils, animals, and their families.

“From a paltry 50,000 hectares of organically farmed land 10 years ago when BvAT was founded the sector has grown to over 2.1 million hectares today,” he said.

For Rose Mwongo, a farmer in Machakos County, Biovision has been transformative to her through lessons on sustainable farming over radio programmes such as Kilimo Hai, and The Organic Farmer magazines.

As a maize and beans farmer, her shift to ecological agriculture has meant a reduction in pesticide and fertiliser costs.

“Before, I never knew I could mix plants and come up with strong chemicals that kill and keep away pests and diseases,” she stated.

She also lauded BvAT extension service officials who have helped her acquire a dam liner from the county. This ensures she has sufficient harvested water supplies that tide her over even in the drier seasons.

Biovision Africa Trust: +254 719052113

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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