Smart farms

: 21 June 2022; Hits: 5028

Machakos farmer's pivot from maize to brachiaria grass multiplies profits

rhodes

Peter Mutisya, a fodder crop farmer in Kivaa village, Machakos County earns over Sh85, 000 per season from sales of Rhodes and Brachiaria grass compared to maize and beans that used to give him Sh10, 000 per season five years ago.

The irregular and insufficient rainfall affected his yields, harvesting only five bags of maize and 10kg of beans at most per season. “I was always relying on relief food from the government and well-wishers because after selling maize and beans and settled school fees I was left with nothing,” he said.

In the Southeastern region of Kenya where Mutisya comes from the drought has affected harvests and livestock. According to Kenya Meteorological Department August 2017 report the area received depressed rainfall of less than 40 per cent of the March-April-May seasonal rainfall.

This has prompted Mutisya and other farmers in the region to look for alternative sources of income in growing fodder crops.

In 2015 Mutisya visited Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation’s (Kalro) Arid and Range Lands Research Institute at Katumanu branch in Machakos County and bought seeds of Boma Rhodes hay and Brachiaria grass at Sh800 and Sh1, 000 per kilo respectively to plant on his six acres farm.

He followed the agronomic instructions given by the Kalro officers and within a short time he was harvesting his first crops for market. “I was surprised that after three to four months both Rhodes and Brachiaria were mature for harvest,” said the father of three.

Mutisya’s customers are animal keepers who visit his farm to buy feeds for their animals. He sells Boma Rhodes at Sh300 per bale and Sh20 per kilo of Brachiaria grass. He harvests both in three phases a season getting 150 bales and about 20,000Kg of Boma Rhodes and Brachiaria grass respectively. This gives him a sum of Sh85, 000 in a given season.

Mutisya no longer relys on their village chief’s charity food to feed his family. “With the money I get from selling the grass, I am able to settle my bills and buy enough food to sustain my family.”

A growing number of Kenyans living in arid areas are swapping staple crops for livestock fodder like Rhodes or Brachiaria grass, which require less water to grow, according to the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization.

“Rain-fed staple farming is becoming increasingly difficult in Kenya due to poor rainfall, whereas growing fodder can help farmers withstand prolonged drought." Said Joseph Mureithi, Kalro director.

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: 20 June 2022; Hits: 3126

Sweet potato curing improves shelf life by 7 months

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With research showing that sweet potatoes are going bad within a week, a new cost-free method is increasing the shelf-life of the produce for up to seven months.

This innovative way of increasing the freshness of the produce allows for more time for commercial farmers to access far-flung markets while improving food security for subsistence consumers.

Sweetpotato is gaining popularity in the in the commercial sector with opportunities for value addition increasing profits for farmers and processors.

Dr Sammy Agili says curing reduces post harvest losses, recovery of investment returns.

Dr Agili is the project agronomist for Scaling Up Sweetpotato Through Agriculture and Nutrition (SUSTAIN), which is one of International Potato Centre (CIP)’s Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP) projects in Western and Nyanza regions in Kenya.

He says the secret of prolonged freshness lies in the maintaining a firm and intact sweetpotato skin. Injuries and bruises to the fragile skin accelerate rotting.

”Removal of foliage 14 days ahead of harvesting is the first step toward successful curing. Without the leaves, synthesis of food for the storage roots stops. This encourages hardening of the skin to minimize injuries during and after harvesting,” he says.

Use of oxen to plough out the roots from the ridges is preferred. Hoes and other sharp implements inflict cuttings and bruises on the skin, which will be entry points for destructive micro-organisms.

“In one to two hours after harvesting, the roots must be placed in a room with temperatures of 29 degrees Celcius and humidity of 90 per cent to 95 per cent for four to seven days. This encourages healing of minor wounds and ‘torn’ skin,” he said.

Locally, farmers can stack the sweetpotato in crates or wooden boxes before covering them with a polythene bag or cloth to increase humidity of the room. Humidity level will rise as a result of physiological processes like respiration in the tubes.

After the seven days, the harvest can be moved to a room of temperatures of about 15 degrees Celcius and low humidity.

The sweetpotatoes can be stored for up to seven months.

High temperatures will encourage sprouting, which will lead to more losses.

Timely harvest impacts successful curing. Harvesting must be done after the leaves have started turning yellow, which is an indication of maturity.

Early harvesting will lead to premature produce that will shrink and be of poor quality. Late harvesting encourages development of fibrous roots and attack from weevils, the agronomist says.

CIP’s five OFSP varieties-Kabonde, Vita, SPK 004 and Ejumla- mature between three and six months. They are rich in vitamin A- up to 14mg per 100g.

The organisation supplies vines for propagation of the varieties.

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: 20 June 2022; Hits: 2854

Surrogate brooding increases chicken hatch rate

2019 05 21 Broody Bantam Chicken Trimingham 1

Instead of having three or more chickens brooding chicks for more than one month after hatching, Ignatius Osoro is using a surrogate mother to free the others to return to the cycle of laying eggs.

Chicks require warmth for the first one month to support the growth of feathers to help in body temperature regulation.

Commercially, other farmers use bulbs, stoves, lanterns and other sources to supply heat for 24 hours a day to the chicks at this critical stage of growth.

Given that Osoro’s target is local breeds, he prefers using one of the mothers of the chicks in the brooding process.

Currently one of the mothers is taking care of 46 chicks that are less than one month old. They were hatched by three chickens and their age difference is two days.

“Although my chickens are local and free-range, I feed them on commercial feeds to supplement the little food they pick while moving around.

“If a mother is freed a day after incubation, she can start laying eggs in about two weeks. If she were to remain in taking care of the chicks, laying of eggs may start after two or three months,” the Kamanga farmer said.

But the selection of the best mother that can take care of the chicks is based on its history. The current mother hatched 17 out of 23 eggs. It was the best among the three. Previously, it also raised 24 out of 26 chicks it had hatched.

“This chicken is more than two kilos. It also has the body mass and feathers to generate enough warmth besides the feathers. As the chicks grow, they remain in the brooding cage, which is sealed, but well ventilated to allow for free circulation of air especially at night,” he said.

The tightly fenced compound is about 50 feet by 100 feet. But he has more than 40 mature chickens. Apart from the sukuma wiki he has planted for the chickens, he also offers them commercial feeds.

They lay between 250 and 300 eggs per year, with some being better at laying, hatching and brooding.

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