Smart farms

: 03 May 2021; Hits: 7739

Genetically modified Bt cotton pilot farmers report increased yields & profits

cotton rivival in Kisumu

By George Munene

1,000 cotton farmers who receive the country’s first batch, 16.3 metric tons, of the genetically modified Bt cotton seed in March 2020 are reporting a doubling of yields, shorter growth times, and a significant reduction in spraying costs.

BT cotton has a yield potential of 1.4 tons per acre compared to conventional cultivars such as Hart89M which top out at 700 kilograms. While one stem of Bt cotton produces 40 bolls those of non-GMO varieties produce just 15 to 20 bolls. Bt cotton is also heavier to other cotton types when weighed.

“I have harvested far more cotton than I ever have in my six years growing the crop. Flower abortions are at a minimum and it is little affected by diseases and pests such as cotton stainers, African Bollworm and Cotton Semi-looper which previously used to decimate my crops,” explains an elated Dennis Nzioki, a Makueni farmer.

As a convert to Bt he now urges the government to avail the seed which is in high demand to farmers whenever they need it.

Through government and private investment, farmers have been buoyed by the revival of the moribund cotton sector: In the 2020-2021 financial year, the Kenyan government allocated Sh200 million to revitalize the country’s cotton sector. This was after the reopening and upgrading of defunct Rivatex East Africa. The Eldoret-based cotton mill now boasts modern cotton refining machinery and has won contracts to produce materials for police uniforms and other state agencies. The ginnery has also had its mills churning in mass production of up to 80,000 facemasks daily.

Private players such as Thika Cloths Mill are also contracting farmers in semi-arid regions of Makueni County, luring them with free seeds and inputs.

In Busia County, the government has committed Sh30M to revive Mulwanda ginnery after issuing more than 3,000 farmers with the BT hybrid cotton

While farmers usually sprayed their cotton crop between nine to 12 times a season, with Bt cotton, this has been reduced to just thrice. This is having multiplier effects for farmers, not only saving on production costs but also on time, energy and leaving them less exposed to harmful pesticides.

Bt cotton is ready for harvest in just seven months whereas traditional varieties take up to one year to mature especially in cold regions.

In an effort to ramp up production of Bt seed, Mahyco Seed Company, the distributors of BT cotton seeds in the country are working with KALRO to build the capacity of local farmers to enable them to produce the seeds locally.

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: 30 April 2021; Hits: 7989

Kenyan insurer buoys smallscale farmers with low-cost insurance

By George Munene

Pula, a Kenyan agricultural insurance and technology company, is offering smallholder farmers innovative and affordable crops and livestock insurance cover for as little as Sh500 to Sh1000.

This, coupled with the firm’s digital products such as the Pula mobile app is helping often uninsured and overlooked small-scale farmers endure the risk of yield losses, improve their farming practices and consequently bolster their incomes.

While over 60 percent of Africa's population constitutes smallholder farmers, the value of premiums for agricultural insurance in Africa represents less than 0.7 percent. This leaves most of the continent’s population in a perilous position given that over 2 billion people in Africa depend to varying degrees on small-scale farming.

This low uptake of insurance by farmers can largely be blamed on extortive premiums and the unreliability of insuring agents.

Founded in 2015 by co-CEOs Thomas Njeru and Rose Goslinga, the company’s operations extend over 13 countries and it has onboarded over 4.6 million African farmers thus far.

Pula registers farmers online through a mobile phone app. Breakthrough technology such as machine learning algorithms is then employed to bunch farmers with similar land profiles. These digital tools are then used in the field to assess claims. Such innovative tools have enabled the company to keep its premiums low and with Brazil and India earmarked as its next frontiers, also grow its business.

"If you use the traditional model of proposal forms and policy documents, the numbers won't add up," he said. "To be able to deliver such a low-cost product at that price you have to use technology and most companies don't have that capacity, " explained Thomas Njeru to Reuters.

The company works with governments, NGOs, and private sector players to de-risk their agricultural investments as well as accelerate their impact within the agribusiness space. In Kitui, the firm has worked with the World Food Programme (WFP) for the past three years providing crop insurance to some 10,000 farmers and issued crop loss compensations amounting to. Sh82.5 million.

Pula app: Pula

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

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: 27 April 2021; Hits: 11885

Kitengela poultry farmer reduces cost by 40% with hydroponic feed

youtu.be vUE rs6X3wc

By George Munene

Through hydroponic farming, Peter Muiruri, a poultry farmer at Kitengela has been able to cut his feeding costs by over 40 per cent.

While it costs other farmers Sh700 to feed 100 chicken each consuming 140 grams in a day, Peter spends nearly half of this, Sh400 by substituting nearly 60 per cent of store-bought feeds with his own homegrown hydroponic fodder. This ensures he keeps his cost margins low and reaps handsome returns from his poultry venture.

Due to its high protein content, in the two and a half years he has employed hydroponics, Peter who supplies supermarkets with kienyeji eggs says he has seen tremendous improvement in the immunity of his flock. He points out that he rarely has any cause to use any antibiotics for his chicken. “The growth rate of my birds far surpasses what I archived while feeding them on commercial feeds. Hydroponic fodder coupled with the greens I grow to feed my birds has also ensured I produce authentically kienyeji eggs without resorting to using any additives,” he explains.

Hydroponic farming refers to the growing of plants without soil but rather the use of water-based nutrient-rich solutions fed to plants with water ensures the speed at which they germinate is increased greatly.

The main implements you will need to set up a hydroponic system of your own are trays, seeds (planting material), and water.

With the cost of feeds having gone up by nearly 38 percent over the last four months, from Sh1850 to Sh2550. This has seen many poultry farmers wave goodbye to their poultry fortunes with production cost being unmanageable for most small-scale farmers. More than ever, alternative sources of poultry feed such as hydroponics are vital to ensure chicken rearing remains profitable.

Eight to 10 kilograms of hydroponic fodder can be produced in six to seven days at a cost of just Sh12.5 a kilogram. For Muiruri, three trays; 30-24-kilogram worth of fodder, is a sufficient daily feed supplement for his 800 birds, making hydroponics a low-cost source of high-quality nutrients.

For a standard daily chicken ration intake of 140 grams, 70 per cent of this can be replaced with hydroponic fodder in kienyeji chicken and 30 per cent for broiler and layer chicken.

“Farmers should however be advised to progressively increase the amount of hydroponic fodder substituted for commercial feeds, gradually observing their bird's production levels and settle at the point where they achieve maximum production,” Peter counsels.

Hydroponic fodder should also be introduced to chicks while they are young, i.e., at two months for them to be used to these feeds and avoid shocks caused by a sudden change in diet.

The seeds can be those of barley, wheat, oat, maize, sorghum amongst other cereals. The selected seeds should not have overgrowths and be chemical-free. Wheat and barley have over 20 per cent protein content, the standard required by chicken, making them the more preferable options.

To prepare his seeds he soaks them in jik for 30 minutes to two hours. They are then washed and rinsed to remove any jik residue. Seeds are further soaked for between four to 12 hours before being drained and incubated in a bucket for two days after which their roots will have sprouted and they will be ready for planting.

Planting is done by spreading the germinated seeds on the plastic trays--this can be store-bought or homemade. A 40cm by 1M tray will normally hold about two kilograms of planting material which in a week's time will give you 8 to 10 kilograms of fodder.

Watering should then be done every four or three hours until seven/six in the evening, this will be dictated by the climate which affects the rate of evaporation. The seeds and plantlets are watered for six to seven days depending on the fodder’s eventual use. Trays must have holes to allow for the draining of excess water which if left stagnant on the trays will rot the seeds.

Fodder harvested from the third to fourth day can be used to feed month-old chicks while mature chicken should be fed on fodder that is at least six days old.

Hydroponic fodder can also be fed to pigs, cows, goats or sheep.

For more lessons from Muiruri on hydroponics and other tips and tricks on cost-effective poultry-keeping check out his Youtube channel;Farmers Point

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