Smart farms

: 05 September 2016; Hits: 16134

Coast farmers cut irrigation costs with water storing crystals

More than 1,000 Coast region farmers are turning to imported crystals that help in ‘arresting’ and retaining water for crop use long after rains and irrigation.

Alex Mwangemi, who is part of the about 1,500 Magarini Jatropha Farmers Association, has been using super absorbent polymer (SAP) for more than one year in his sunflower farming.

“I call this SAP dry water. The crystals, are just like particles of sugar, but after the rains, they absorb water. Each of them increases in size to that of a ballast particle. That is more than 50 times expansion,” Mwangemi said.

The SAP is the same that is used as a moisture absorbent in diapers. It collects urine, therefore, preventing leakage.

In the soils, the polymer collects any water particles after rains or irrigation and forms heavy wet lumps of soil, from which crop roots draw water by a physiological process, active transport.

Water concentration in the clods in higher than that in the roots. But the mineral concentration is higher in the roots than the surrounding. Water is, therefore absorbed into the roots.

The water is available for use for about two weeks.

The crystals are most appropriate in greenhouses, where they can reduce the cost of irrigation by more than 80 per cent per week because the holes are almost fixed all year round.

Instead of watering crops twice a day, the excess water from one time irrigation is stored for later use.

“SAP is added into the soil during planting. Between 0.03g and 0.05g (approximately one glass soda bottle-top) of the crystals are added to the hole of a seeds, grains or seedlings. Starting with the available water around the crop during planting, it will be collected and stored in the reservoir gel-like crystals for use when it gets dry,” he said.

One bottle top can hold two to four litres of water.

The collection model is the same for open fields. Instead of irrigating daily, one can adjust to once a week, therefore, saving on costs of production.

Just like the crystals in the diapers do not cause harm to the skin of children, SAP does not affect he soil, the roots or any other organisms for the four years it is available in the soil before breaking down.

The group is importing the SAP for sale to farmers.

A bag of 25kg is sold at Sh16,000. A farmer requires 80kg to 90kg per acre, although the application rate may be determined by the area climate.

Mwangemi, who was showing other farmers the ‘dry water’ irrigation technology at the Mombasa International Agricultural Society of Kenya Show, hails from Kilifi County’s Marikebuni Village.

Mwangemi can be reached on +254724706579.

PHOTO: Alex Mwangemi displays gel-like crystals after they have absorbed water, which he added in less than 20 minutes. The super absorbent polymer crystals keep water for about two weeks for use by crops. They can reduce cost of irrigation for farmers. PHOTO BY LABAN ROBERT.

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: 05 September 2016; Hits: 10425

Opinion: Finding the sweet spot of Africa’s agriculture

Dr Maria Andrade - Sweet Potato breeder.JPG Africa is a continent where, at least outwardly, we like to celebrate our diversity—the rich variety that can be found in our many cultures, languages, fashions, flora and fauna.

That’s why it’s perplexing to see such a large segment of the African population depending on a very small number of food crops, like maize, rice and wheat. And it’s more than just boring to the palate. It’s severely diminishing the quality of our diets and making our farming systems more vulnerable, especially during severe droughts like the one that hit Southern Africa this year.

Meanwhile, there has been a lot of talk lately about how Africa’s agriculture sector is primed to become a new economic engine for a continent that has become too dependent on commodities like oil. This week, Heads of State and top officials from across Africa and around the world are coming to Nairobi for the African Green Revolution Forum, where there could be millions of dollars in new commitments for Africa’s smallholder farmers.

But Africa is unlikely to achieve its agriculture potential, or be prepared to deal with challenges like drought that climate change will make more frequent, unless we change our thinking about crop diversity.For the last two decades, my work has revolved around developing and promoting nutritionally enhanced sweetpotato. It has convinced me that, with the right approach, farmers will cultivate a wider variety of crops and consumers will embrace the new additions to their dinner table.

Africa is actually blessed with a wealth of crop diversity. Much of it – including sorghum, yam and cowpea – is native to the continent. But many other crop types have arrived via trade, like banana, pigeon pea and wheat from Asia, and beans, cassava and maize from the Americas. But rather than capitalize on this full basket of food options, we’ve bet too heavily on just a few crops.

Take the case of maize in Eastern and Southern Africa. Yes, it can grow in different farming environments and supply large amounts of calories. But the crop has weaknesses. It’s susceptible to drought and pests and its nutritional quality is mediocre.

And while recent research has delivered more resilient and nutritious maize varieties, these are not sufficient. The fact remains that in many regions, rising temperatures and increasingly erratic rainfall will cause maize yields to fall—by up to 22 percent in many areas and up to 60 percent in South Africa and Zimbabwe, according to a 2015 report from the Montpellier Panel.

There is a strong body of research showing that farmers are much less likely to suffer catastrophic losses from pests, disease or drought if they plant a broader array of crops. Today, the devastation caused by outbreaks of lethal necrosis in maize and stem rust in wheat is greatly intensified by the lack of alternative crops. In Malawi, while drought ruined maize and bean crops this year, farmers growing naturally hardy, nutritional crops like chickpea and sweetpotato fared much better.

If the benefits are so clear, then why don´t farmers just spontaneously diversify? The answer is that they may want to diversify, but often don’t due to policy and institutional barriers. When crops like maize started to dominate, governments and the private sector accelerated their take-over by providing subsidies, research and other support. Meanwhile, other potentially useful crops like cassava and sorghum were neglected, sometimes acquiring derogatory labels like the “poor man´s crop” or “crop for marginal lands.”

It doesn’t have to be this way. I’ve learned from my work with sweetpotatoes that we can turn Africa´s “Cinderella crops” into the belle of the ball.

First, we need research that is focused on adding value to these crops and further enhancing their already natural resilience. In the case of sweetpotato, we bred for higher levels of beta-carotene (the chemical precursor of vitamin A), better drought tolerance and virus resistance.

A second critical task: farmers need a reliable source of healthy seed. This is not easy for crops typically ignored by local and multinational seed companies, especially if they are propagated with bulky and perishable plant parts like sweetpotatoes. For sweetpotato, we worked through local farmer networks and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to achieve large-scale multiplication and dissemination of improved planting material.

Finally, marketing and branding, not something that comes naturally to researchers like myself, have to be part of the picture. We employed a variety of marketing and communications tools to make consumers aware of the many benefits of the sweetpotato – as a staple food, animal fodder, snack and ingredient in processed foods.

The theme for the upcoming African Green Revolution Forum is “Seize the Moment” and I can’t think of a better time for influential leaders attending this meeting to make crop diversity a central part of their plans for African agriculture. Just as many will admire the colorful dress of West African attendees, they should also be embracing a larger mosaic of food crops for our farmers. I’ve already seen the good things that happen when a big colorful splash of orange-fleshed sweetpotato is added to African farms and African diets.

Maria Andrade, a plant breeder at the International Potato Centre, is among the four winners of the 2016 World Food Prize. She is a member of AGRA’s Board.

PHOTO: Courtesy of NaijaAgroinet.

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: 31 August 2016; Hits: 21729

Juice machine helps farmers earn six times more from sugarcane

Farmers and vendors can earn more than Sh400 by minting the juice from a single sugarcane with the help of a rechargeable battery powered extractor machine.

Earning about Sh400 from a single sugar cane is more than six times higher than what is realised by directly selling it in pieces.

A nine-feet sugar cane can be sliced into three parts, which are sold at Sh20, bringing the total to Sh60.

But Jeff Selembo of Peace Officers for Christ International (POCI), a Kiambu based agribusiness religious organisation, has repeatedly found that the same cane can generate up to Sh450 with the help of an electric powered juice extractor.

“Three feet of a rich piece of sugarcane can give one litre of the juice. The juice is packaged into three cups of slightly more than 300ml. Each of them is sold at Sh50,” he said.

Three similar pieces give a litre each, making a total of three litres from the entire cane.

If from one litre, there are three cups, the entire cane yields nine of them. With each of them selling at Sh50, the whole cane would earn Sh450.

The orgnisation mints and packages cane juice for sale on orders.

READ ALSO: Enterprising youth earns from sugarcane juice

Vendors at Keumbu and Bobaracho regions in Kisii County sell six, one-and-half feet long sugar cane pieces at Sh50.

Although they are of the thin sweet type, the canes can give even two litres of the juice, worth Sh300.

Besides minting the juice, POCI also sells the extracting machines at Sh120,000; the price is, however, negotiable according to Selembo.

“Apart from the machine, which is powered directly by electricity, there is another one that runs on rechargeable battery. This makes it a flexible choice for vendors, who may be away from direct grid power,” he said.

The battery can be recharged by electricity or solar panels.

READ ALSO: Sugarcane farmers use beetles to tame pest

Although sugarcane chewing is better for strong teeth, urban consumers prefer peeled and chopped pieces or ready juice.

Cane lovers who cannot chew can enjoy the juice too.

The juice can be added to medicinal drugs that may not be consumed directly. It is less bulky to transport and can be refrigerated for later consumption.

PHOTO: Jeff Selembo squeezing juice out of split pieces of sugarcane at Nakuru show ground on July 7, 2016. Minting sugarcane juice can earn up to six times more than direct selling. PHOTO BY LABAN ROBERT.