Smart farms

: 01 November 2022; Hits: 1164

Factsheet: Growing in demand sorghum

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Sorghum is one of the least commercialized crops in the country despite the great production potential and the market demand in the alcohol processing industry.

This crop, which performs well in relatively poor soils, is also tolerant to drought. But those who are supplying processing companies like Kenya Breweries Limited have been contracted-still they cannot meet the demand.

Dual crop

But it is easy to grow for both commercial and domestic consumption.

Sorghum is a warm climate-loving crop, with the best results being recorded at temperatures of 25°C and 32°C.

The grain does well in dry regions receiving about 400mm of rainfall per year.

It does well in well-drained loam sandy soils, with a PH of between 6 and 7.5. This means it requires slightly acidic to neutral soils in PH. Two tillage rounds are sufficient for planting; well-drained soil would mean there is no water logging.

At a seed rate of about 15 kilograms per acre, a 25 cm row-to-row distance is most appropriate, with holes being between 2 cm and 3 cm deep.

Advisable

Locally, most farmers broadcast the sorghum together with finger millet. It is not advisable. It would lead to less yields given that the two are short-term crops competing for similar nutrients and millet would suffer more because it is shorter than sorghum.

Ten to 15 metric tonnes of farm yard manure are sufficient in supplying the soil with macronutrients. Sowing with nitrogen phosphorus and potassium-containing fertiliser would give rise to an energetic crop.

Top dressing after one month of about 14 kilograms per acre would accelerate flowering. Sorghum is ripe for harvesting after 65-75 days, with an acre estimated to yield about 400 kilograms under good management practices.

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: 31 October 2022; Hits: 1027

Researchers find genetically modified maize safe for environment

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By George Munene

According to a review of hundreds of international studies conducted between 1997 to 2020, genetically modified (GM) Bt maize was found to be safe for the environment and enhances the number of beneficial insects.

The study; “Does the growing of Bt maize change abundance or ecological function of non-target animals compared to the growing of non-GM maize?” found Bt maize-- the most widely grown GM crop in the world-- to be little affected by parasites limiting insecticide use and therefore much less harmful to the ecology than planting conventional maize.

Bt maize limits insect pests like maize borers, rootworms, and other major maize pests by producing proteins from a common soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis, which is also used for pest management in organic farming. It also has no negative effects on lady beetles, flower bugs, lacewings, and other non-target insects, researchers found.

The impacts of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) cultivation has come into focus following a cabinet decision on October 3, 2022, that approved their cultivation in Kenya.

“Our systematic review supports the conclusions that Bt maize represents a highly selective pest control technology with relatively few negative consequences on the ecology associated with maize production, especially when compared with the alternative use of broad-spectrum insecticides for managing Bt-targeted pests.

The Bt maize varieties cultivated commercially worldwide have all gone through regulatory environmental risk assessments that concluded that no unacceptable risks for non-target organisms and biodiversity exist,” read the conclusions of the report conducted by researchers from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA-ARS) and Switzerland.

The research also investigated whether published research favourable to Bt maize often originated from scientists funded by GM seed-producing companies and found no such conflicts of interest.
Bt maize has been in cultivation since 1996 when Genetically modified (GM) crops were first commercialised. It is made from naturally occurring soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis.

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: 29 October 2022; Hits: 1207

Sh607M fund set up to finance African agriculture SMEs

RESPONSABILITY EDIT

By George Munene

The African Guarantee Fund and responsAbility Investments have partnered to create a Sh607 million ($5M) fund to finance Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the agricultural value chain with a focus on businesses engaged in activities related to crops and farming products or commodities.

Most lenders have stayed away from Africa’s farming sector as it is perceived as high risk.

This has led to numerous challenges that hinder Africa’s agri-SMEs from achieving their full potential.

These include access to finance that is appropriate and accessible for different stages of growth; access to talent and the ability to attract and retain qualified employees; an ecosystem of support and collaboration between public, private, and financial players; access to knowledge that strategically supports development; and access to markets, including information, connections with suppliers and clients, and physical infrastructure.

This partnership will play a critical role in bridging the estimated Sh8.984 trillion ($74 billion) annual financing gap facing agri-SMEs in sub-Saharan Africa.

“African agriculture lending is perceived as risky but across the world, other farmers can still access financing.”

This is despite the sector contributing to 43.8 per cent of total employment in the continent-- the highest in the world

We should look to increase the volume of lending going into agriculture from the finance sector,” noted Jules Ngankam CEO African Guarantee Fund.

“At the core, we are looking at businesses that are very volatile and whose cash flow is not easy to predict. We are looking to the African Guarantee Fund to both educate and help international investors and creditors understand the risk better and narrow the gap between effective risk or risk on the ground and perceived risk while also mitigating the remaining marginal risk that the sector does bear,” said Michael Fabbroni, Country Director, Kenya, and Head of Financial Institutions Debt Africa, responsAbility.

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