Smart farms

: 14 February 2020; Hits: 11532

Upfield seeks up to 3,000 farmers to grow canola seeds

canola image Following launch of Blue Band Cold Pressed Canola Oil and other products into the Kenyan market, Upfield, a plant-based margarine and spreads manufacturer, is now looking for over 3,000 farmers in Kenya to grow and supply the company with canola seeds, in order to meet the increasing demand for its canola-based products.Following launch of Blue Band Cold Pressed Canola Oil and other products into the Kenyan market, Upfield, a plant-based margarine and spreads manufacturer, is now looking for over 3,000 farmers in Kenya to grow and supply the company with canola seeds, in order to meet the increasing demand for its canola-based products.

According to nutritionists, canola, also known as rapeseed, is grown for its highly nutritious oil containing omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids that have triggered rising demand for the oil in both global and local markets.

Currently, Upfield, the Netherlands plant-based firm that bought Kenyan household margarine brand Blue Band from Unilever in 2017 is sourcing from 3,400 accredited small-scale farmers in the Mt Kenya Region, but it is now working to increase the number of the growers.

“This number is expected to increase to over 7,000 farmers in the coming years as demand for canola oil drives increased production,” said Peter Muchiri, Upfield East and Southern Africa Managing Directoror.

Upfield has a manufacturing plant in Nairobi and currently purchases over 2,000 tonnes of rapeseed for its Blue Band Cold Press Canola oil from its already contracted farmers.

Competition

The move by Upfield to increase its contracting comes as the canola subsector continues to grow.

The Kieni Canola Oil firm in Kieni, Nyeri County, was started by agro-entrepreneur David Kimondo Waiganjo in 2007, but manufactured its first canola oil in 2011, following delays caused by certification issues and insufficient farmers growing the crop as most farmers confined themselves to potato, beans, vegetables and maize production.

“I have come a long way in promoting the production of rapeseed farming among Kenyan farmers by attending various Agricultural Society of Kenya (ASK) shows across the country where I always secure a space to grow canola plants and exhibit the oil as well as using the opportunity to teach farmers on the crop production,” said Kimondo.

The agro-entrepreneur who is also a member of Agricultural Training Centres (ATC) or Agricultural Technology Developments Centres (ATDC) or Agricultural Mechanization Centres (AMC) in Nairobi, Kisumu, Kisii, Mombasa, Eldoret and Machakos has also been planting canola in those centres and using them as demonstration farms.

“It is now interesting that many players are coming to join in promoting the venture and provide our farmers with more markets and income. This, I hope, will not only encourage healthy competition for the benefit of the growers, but will also point farmers to high value crops such as canola,” said Kimondo.

Canola seeds

Today, Kieni Canola Oil industry produces over 2,000 kg of canola oil a day in addition to other oils, such as pumpkin seeds oil, at 20 litres a day, black seed oil, at 40 litres a month, neem seed oil, at 20 litres a month, and peanut oil, at 500 kgs a month.

Another local canola oil processor is Agventure Limited, which was started in 2008 and has been working with groups of local farmers in Kenya to grow canola among other herbs and spices for their product, Pure Mountain Farm Oil.

“We contract willing farmers who grow the crop and we assure them of a ready market, something that has always been a worry among them making them shy away from farming certain crops,” said John Mwiki, Agventure Limited agronomist.

After harvesting, the seeds are taken to the factory and tested against an in-house standard. The seed is then crushed using a Cold-Press crushing machine to ensure the oil does not exceed 40 Celcius at any point of production.mThe benefit to this is that there is no breakdown of the vitamins and minerals naturally found within the oil. After crushing, the oil then passes through a number of filters before being bottled and packed by hand.

“Some of our end products made from the seeds include herb infused cold-pressed canola oil, pure cold-pressed canola oil, chilli infused cold-pressed canola oil, honey-balsamic dressing and raspberry dressing,” said Mwiki.

RELATED CONTENT:Canola extracts curb potato nematodes

Possible returns for farmers

Rapeseed plants maturs within three months and are harvested when the seeds have a moisture content of about 35 per cent. The yield ranges from 750 - 1500kgs per acre translating to three to six tonnes per year per acre.

A kilo of rapeseed goes at Sh40, making for an average revenue per acre of around Sh180,000 and up to Sh240,000.

Meanwhile, rapeseed oil retails at Sh400 a litre, 200ml for Sh200, and 500ml for Sh250.

You can reach Kimondo on in+254 722 550053Agventure Limited can be reached on +254 704 599 594Upfield on 0800 221 5454 or +254 722 204 157/8

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: 14 February 2020; Hits: 20603

Fact sheet: how to make a vertical sack garden

verticle farm 1 For many urban and slums dwellers, space is limited, while for those living in areas with insufficient rains, the same is true of water. For all these growers, vertical sack gardening technology is emerging as a way to grow a large supply of vegetables despite the constraints.

The garden is most suitable for growing vegetables such as kales and spinach, corianders, onions, tomatoes, okra and eggplant. Normally when the green leafy vegetables are ready for harvest they can be harvested 2-3 times a week and deliver strong nutritional value, containing vitamins A, C and K that are particularly good for growing children.

RELATED CONTENT:Sack farming cuts irrigation water

Here is a guide to making a vertical sack garden:

Tools and Equipment.

verticle farming 2 1. Jembe -to dig the soil that will be mixed with other components for constructing the garden.2. Forkjembe -to dig the soil in hard ground areas.3. Spade -used in collection and mixing the soil components.4. Tinsnip/Knive - to cut the top part of the tin completely.5. Tin punch- to punch holes on the tins surfaces and the bottom.6. Wheelbarrow - to measure and transport the various soil parts to the recommended ratio.
Equipment for VSG1. Perforated tins, 50kgs sacks, gravel, clay soil, sand soil, manure, seeds and water
Purpose of various equipment 1.Perforated tins - to pass water through to the soil component, hold the gravel in the sack, filters dirty water, bottom tins have few holes and no holes on the bottom, second bottom tin have more holes and third tin has more holes than the rest.
2. Sacks- to hold the soil and acts as a planting base.
3. Gravel- to water garden through it and filter dirty water and to divert the flow of waterside ways
4. Clay soil -to collect the topsoil for better crop developmentIt is the main soil part of the garden.
5. Sand soil -to create air spaces
6. Manure- to provide nutrient to the soil for good plants growth.It should be well rotten manure.
VSG construction

Mix the soils with the manure well. Put two spades in a sack and level them. Place the bottom tin perforated at the sides filled with
Place the bottom tin perforated at the sides filled with gravel, but not perforated at the bottom on the soil.
Fill the soil at the sides to the level of the tin and place the other tin on it.
Fill the soil again at the sides to the level of the second tin.
Repeat the same process till the last tin.
Finally perforate the sack in readiness to planting: these perforations should be at different heights and spaced all the way around the sack: they are where you will plant your seedlings to grow in the garden.

After the garden is constructed, water is poured into the tin at the centre of the bag and drains through the stones down through to the end of the bag of soil irrigating all the plants throughout the depth of the bag.

The garden should be placed where there is no direct sunlight, wind and interference for maximum yields.

Sowing can be done on top part of the garden, which can be used as a seedbed. When the seedlings emerge, transplant them to the perforations in the sides of the garden.

After transplanting, watering is done in the morning and evening, with 5 litres of water at each watering. You can also use waste water from the kitchen, water stands, taps, and kiosks spillage water to water the garden.

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: 12 February 2020; Hits: 9264

Banana farmer doubles yields from information-sharing WhatsApp group

banana images Hitherto, Richard Kebaso used to harvest small banana heads of between 40kg to 45 kg from his one acre farm in Nyamache, Kisii County, due to poor weeding practices. Hitherto, Richard Kebaso used to harvest small banana heads of between 40kg to 45 kg from his one acre farm in Nyamache, Kisii County, due to poor weeding practices.

However, after receiving farming tips from Kilimo Bora, a farmers group which guides small scale farmers on improving their farming skills, he now harvests about two hundred 80kg to 100 kg banana heads annually from the same farm as better weed management practices have boosted his banana crops.

Richard who is a small scale farmer joined Kilimo Bora farmers group when it was initiated in February 2017. Kilimo Bora has created a WhatsApp group that shares information on agribusiness and best farming practices among members.

The group has incorporated farmers from different regions of the country who send questions on various agricultural issues. As they engage, members receive proper recommendations from experts within the group.

“Since joining Kilimo Bora, I have received proper and timely information on how to manage weeds in my banana farm in addition to getting proper advice on measurements and depth during planting” said Richard. Social media is playing a crucial role in shaping farming practices underlying the effectiveness of instant messaging in communication.

In March this year, he planted 50 suckers on his farm on a spacing of 3 by 3 meters apart. The dug holes were three by three feet in diameter and five feet deep. The plantlets developed more than 4 small banana plants each.

ripe bananas

Richards farm produce

As soon as the weeds appeared, Richard started removing them by digging using a fork and then uprooting them using his hands to avoid disturbing the prominent established suckers.

He also removed extra unwanted suckers as bananas grow well when only three suckers are left; a flowering, teenager and a young small emerging sucker.

Regular weeding as the weeds appeared helped Richard save on money which could otherwise have been spent on purchasing weed control herbicides.

In addition to manual weeding, Richard also planted beans between the different rows of bananas so as to reduce the ground cover for weeds.

Bananas are perennial plants and thus harvesting is all year round. Richard plans to sell each banana at between Sh150 to Sh300 in local Kisii markets and nearby towns. Bananas are generally rich in starch, and eating them can reduce chances of getting cancer or asthma, according to research

Richard Kebaso can be reached on+254 718 761014

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