Smart farms

: 20 October 2017; Hits: 20433

Plastic mulching technology for enhanced yields

Farmers in drought stricken areas or with little rainfall are advised to adopt plastic mulching technology which is the practice of covering soil with polythene to make more favorable conditions for plant growth, development and efficient crop production.

Small-holder farmers can cut costs of irrigation and mechanization by adopting plastic mulching technology.

Ministry of Agriculture Extension officer Samuel Mburu says just like traditional organic mulch, which controls weeds and retained moisture content in soils, this method boosts harvests while reducing labor required in production process.

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Leek onions planted on plastic mulch at the 2017 Nairobi International Trade Fair 2017. PIC/JAPHET RUTO, FARMBIZ AFRICA

With depletion of vegetation, agro-companies have developed synthetic mulching materials from plastics for small and large-scale farmers with open fields or greenhouses.

Although polythene mulch complements drip irrigation especially on large-scale, Mburu says, it is equally appropriate for small-scale farmers like those with kitchen gardens.

“We have no more grass, weeds and other organic materials to cover soil to prevent water loss. Farmers want to bring more land under irrigation, but losing the water to evaporation will lead to high production costs. An investor would like to use little to earn more. Synthetic mulch comes in handy,” he says.

This practice is common with short season crops such as tomatoes, cabbage, kale, sunflowers, maize, and cucumbers, among others.

With climate change, the extension officer says, farmers in high rainfall areas are likely to suffer losses when it fails to fall due to altered patterns.

Types of plastic mulching technology

Polythene mulch

Made of polypropylene polymers or polyethylene polymers
It is bio-gradable but breaks down slowly
The polythene mulch can be removed manually at the end of the growing season
It can be recycled

Bio-gradable mulch

It is made from plant starches and sugars or polyester fibers
It breaks down fast hence reducing soil pollution
It cannot be re-used

These types of mulching increases water use efficiency by reducing evaporation and improving moisture distribution. It also modifies soil temperature encouraging faster germination and growth of crops. Plastic mulching increases nitrogen efficiency and prevents weed growth by 100%. It can increase yields by 23-90%.

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: 19 October 2017; Hits: 13713

Drying mangoes saves farmers post-harvest loses

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Mango farmers can save up to 60 percent post-harvest loses caused by lack of ready markets by drying mangoes and crushing them into powder. This way they will be increasing their shelf-life and getting more value out of them.

The powdered mangoes are easy to market because consumers will not be worried as to when the product will go bad. In this case yoghurt companies, cake bakers and even juice makers are just some of the potential buyers not to talk of numerous households which eat fruits as part of healthy living.

In Kenya the harvesting season for mangoes in most parts of the country especially in Ukambani and central Kenya regions starts from October through February. To avoid reoccurring of wastage due to lack of ready market and the fact that mangoes are fast-perishable goods, farmers in these regions have come up with solar drier system which help them dry their mangoes reducing the cost of production.

Kambiti village in Murang’a County is a good example with farmers who dry their mangoes for value addition. Farmers in this area do experience inadequate rainfall and the best they have found doing well is mango farming.

They have formed farmers group, Kambiti East Mango Self Help where they use biomass solar driers and grinders whose job is to convert dried mango peels into fine powder which to them some are used in making porridge. Biomass solar driers can be made at home of purchased the ready-made while grinder costs Ksh90,000 or an electric one that costs Ksh400,000 for commercial production.

Instead of selling their mangoes at five or seven shillings each, the already packaged powdered mangoes can fetch more cash according to the weight. For more income one needs 120 mangoes to produce 1 Kilogram of Powder which goes for Ksh1,000 on the market. 120 mangoes will cost you Ksh300 in the farm thus triple returns after value addition.

In real sense Ksh10,000 worth of mangoes would give you roughly Ksh30,000 in returns. Ksh100,000 worth of mangoes would give you Ksh300,000 in returns and this goes on depending on the investment applied.

Mango farmers in most parts of the country can enjoy such returns especially those in semi-arid Eastern region like Kirinyaga, Murang’a, Embu (Ishiara) and even Kitui which produce over 60% of Kenya’s mango harvest per year.

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: 17 October 2017; Hits: 15683

More than 6,000 farmers benefit from free green grams seeds in Kitui

More than 6,000 farmers in Kitui County have benefitted from free green grams donated by the County government of Kitui in collaboration with Kenya Red Cross.

The sh.100 million programme dubbed ‘Ndengu Revolution’ is meant to end food insecurity in the County that has been grappling with pangs of hunger for a long period of time. It is also aimed at improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and reduce poverty by spurring rural development.

Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu says more than 88.5 metric tonnes green gram seeds are being distributed to farmers in various sub counties in the first phase of the project.

“We have a direct market where every kilogramme of ndengu will be purchased at Sh100. There will be no room for brokers who fleece farmers” said Ngilu. She noted that more idle land needs to be put into use as the short October – December rains continue.

Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu and Kenya Red Cross Secretary General Abbas Gullet distribute green gram seeds to smallholder farmers in Kitui County

Land preparation and planting of green grams

Prepare land early enough so that planting can start when the rains begin. Green grams can be planted alone or intercropped with other crops like maize. When planted alone, sow it 11/2 ft between rows and 1/2 ft between plants. One acre of land will require 2 to 4 gorogoros (4 to 8 kg) of seed for planting.

Weeding

The first weeding should be done 3 weeks after the seeds have emerged followed by the second weeding 6 weeks later.

Fertilizers

If the soils are poor, you can apply up to 12 gorogoros or 1/2 bag of DAP per acre.

Pests

Insect pests that attack green grams are bean aphids, bean fly and bruchid weevils

Pests’ control

Farmers are advised to plant certified seeds and practice crop rotation. Spray affected crops with Benomyl or copper oxychloride.

READ ALSO: Green grams sprout in arid Makueni

Diseases

The main disease that affects green gram is powdery mildew. You can detect it when you see whitish growth under the leaves. To control it use certified seed, practise crop rotation and spray crop with Benomyl or copper oxychloride

Harvesting

Harvest green gram when most of the pods have turned black. You can pick and dry individual pods or uproot the whole plant and dry it for about 2 days, then thresh and clean it.

Storage

You must dry green grams well before storing because bruchid weevils attack the stored grain. It is best to store the grain in covered tins, drums, pots or sealed containers. If you store it in bags, add the ash of neem leaves or buy super actellic and add 2 matchboxes full (50 g) to one 90 kg bag of green grams for protection against the bruchid. Mix the actellic or ash well with green grams before storage.

Yields

Average yields range from 1 to 2 bags (90 -180 kg) per acre. If you follow the above steps you can get up to 4 bags (360 kg) per acre.

Seeds can also be obtained from Kenya Seed Company or the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization.

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