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: 05 June 2018; Hits: 15171

Technology company launches digital smart brooder that monitors chicks brooding space

Arinifu digital brooder

Arinifu digital brooder. The device is used to monitor chicks brooding space and relay real-time information to the farmer. Photo: Zablon Oyugi

Arinifu, a technology company based in Nairobi that aims to enhance farming through technological innovation has launched a simple digital brooder made of a small analogue computer, some sensors and infrared lamps that can be used to monitor chicks brooding space and relay a real-time information to the farmer through Short Message Service (SMS) hence ensuring farmers of peace of mind all time.

The smart brooder is a system which constitutes of 3 - 5 sensors that take readings throughout the brooding space and relay the data to a small analogue computer which is programmed to determine the age of the chicks and regulates the conditions in the brooding space to meet the chicks' requirement at that specific age.

“Our device is such a simple one to use such that whenever it receives a request from the farmer or when there is a condition it cannot rectify it sends that information immediately to the farmer,” said George Chege, Arinifu ICT officer during East Africa Farmers Digital conference last week at KALRO headquarters.

According to Chege, Waking up at night thinking or worrying about the chicks will be something of the past. Farmer(s) can get updates on their phones with much convenience, anywhere and at any time.

“Just with affordable SMS bundles from network operators, it will virtually cost very little.”

The device which requires electric or solar power to run and control the infrared lamps of 250 wats each and the catalogue computer is currently also able to control infrared catalytic gas brooders for heating requirements in the brooding space which is made safer for the chicks.

“We enhance the brooding structure to ensure there are no sharp corners where chicks may potentially huddle and easily suffocate each other. Insulation is also incorporated to reduce heat loss and thus save on energy,” said Chege.

The system is also made of an insulation material placed on top of the brooding space to prevent upward heat loss and wood shavings placed on the floor to reduce the effect of large temperature variations.

Any brooder must be designed to minimize stress, since stress drastically reduces the chicks’ immunity, making them susceptible to diseases they might otherwise resist. Stress is minimized by making sure the chicks are neither too cool nor too warm besides having a clean and safe environment for their survival.

“We recognize that the main environmental determinant that affects young chicks is temperature and knowing that day old chicks require temperatures of around 32-35 degrees Celsius, we install a few temperature sensors the smart brooder that constantly monitor the temperature within the brooding space and relay the data to a “small on board computer" for processing in real time,” explained Chege.

There are also humidity sensors which tell the humidity condition within the brooder.which is sent to the system for analysis and will always alert the farmer in case the humidity goes beyond the recommended range.

“This helps the farmer avoid any danger on the chicks as humidity is the main cause of disease outbreaks in a brooder or chicken coop,” said Chege.

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In addition the system reminds the farmer to offer vaccinations to te chicks to avoid severe effects in case of any disease attack. This helps to prevent and control contagious poultry diseases.

“The use of vaccines in poultry production is aimed at avoiding or minimizing the emergence of clinical disease at farm level, thus increasing production.”

Arinifu Technologies can be reached on +254 792 864 112 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or www.arinifu.com

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Monday, 19 October 2020 what is the cost of this brooder

: 05 June 2018; Hits: 15769

Transport company launches refrigerated bus to ferry fresh produce between Nairobi and Mombasa

mash poa

Mash East Africa two weeks ago launched two refrigerated buses called ‘Laxa Refrigerated’ that will ferry perishable goods such as fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, flowers, fish, meat and dairy products to Mombasa, reducing the cost by approximately 88 per cent.

This comes at a time when reports indicate that Mombasa has a thriving agro-based industry which deals mainly in tea processing and packaging, wheat, porridge and maize flour milling as well as vegetable oil processing but all these rely mostly on imported raw materials.

The company launched the buses, which have one refrigerator facility with a capacity of 0.5 tonnes installed at the back end, after receiving requests from regular customers and complaints of produce going bad before reaching the destination due to a lack of preservative measures.

Furthermore, agro-dealers were forced to buy cooler boxers and ice, an added expense, in order to transport goods between the two cities and ensure that they remain fresh for the six to 10 hour journey via bus.

“Transporting fruits from Mombasa to Nairobi can be a challenge because we have to spend more money on either hiring cooler boxes or buying in order to ensure that it does not go stale,” said Alex Kituku, a pawpaw farmer based in Nairobi.

A generic cooler box of 25litres capacity goes for between Sh4,000 and Sh5,000. Such boxes require ice packs in order to keep perishable goods fresh for at least eight hours. An ice pack of 30 by 20 centimeters, could cost a customer Sh350 totaling to about Sh5,350 minus transport cost which is approximately Sh400 per kilo of fresh produce.

The refrigerated bus has therefore reduced transport cost for agro-dealers from a total of about Sh6000 to Sh700 transport cost between Nairobi and Mombasa.

mash poa rifrigeration system

With the new Mash East Africa innovation, perishable goods can arrive to their destination fresh even after 48 hours and it will now cost agro-dealers Sh700 transporting between one to 20 kilograms of goods per trip between Nairobi and Mombasa and any extra kilogram is charged Sh20. However, for those whose goods’ destinations will not be within the central business district of the cities, they will have to pay Sh200 for delivery to their designated areas.

The two buses also have a 28 passenger seating capacity each. Their travelling schedules are such that if one is in Mombasa the other is in Nairobi and both depart from their respective stations at around 8:30pm arriving at 5am. Most of the customers prefer planning their transport services in the evening as there is no heavy traffic, therefore their produce will be ferried overnight and received in the morning.

The company also seeks to enable cheaper transport of fresh produce across the country. According to a 2016 agro dealer baseline study conducted by Nairobi +based research firm, Bayesian Consulting Group, agro dealers spend Sh33,894 annually on transportation charges of produce nationally and a further Sh11,403 on loading and offloading annually.

“The key cost elements for agro dealers include storage, transport, loading and offloading labor, licensing, wages and salaries, and sales promotion. In some instance, thgey are forced to sell their produce at high prices, mainly due to long distances to agro dealership outlets and poor infrastructure that adds to transportation costs,” reported Bayesian Consulting Group.

In Kenya, sukuma wiki (kales) attracts the highest transport cost at 58 per cent, which can due to high demand as it is a staple food that is mainly accompanied by Ugali, thus it common in many households. It is followed by spinach at 48 per cent, onions at 38 per cent and tomatoes at 36 per cent, according to a study by the Kenya Market Trust on the cost of transporting fresh produce across the country.

Mash East Africa operates within the region; Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, but the refrigerated buses will only service the Nairobi to Mombasa route. Its buses including the refrigerated are assembled in Kenya by a motor assembly company in Nairobi which also installs the refrigeration facilities upon receiving specifications from the company.

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: 01 June 2018; Hits: 7554

Three Busia Dairy Co-operatives to benefit from milk coolers

nyala dairy milk cooler Dairy attendant pouring milk into a cooler. Busia County intends to intall milk coolers in three of its co-operatives to help in preserving the dairy product for the farmers.Photo courtesy.

Busia County dairy co-operatives namely Adungosi, Nambale and Busibwabo are each set to benefit from a milk cooler machine which will see milk supplied to the co-ops by farmers preserved to avoid wastages due to spoilage as they look for market for the produce.

The coolers which are made available courtesy of Send a Cow Kenya System initiative will enable the county government revamp the milk sector and further ensure each ward in the country gets milk coolers.

“Already there are programs to supply coolers in Butula and Funyula. We will be visiting farmers and co-operatives which have received the tools and machines for farming and health sanitation to ensure there is improvement,” said Busia Deputy Governor, Moses Mulomi.

The initiative will also target farmers who are rearing indigenous cows through the introduction of a technology which will see milk production improved to up their sales and income owing to the Sh700m budget allocation for the dairy sector in the county.

“Instead of selling off the animals due to low milk yields, we have introduced a new technology through the department of Veterinary Services where such animals will be serviced and milk production will increase,” said Chief Officer for Animal Resources, Richard Achiambo.

In December 2016, the county government donated 35 dairy cows and 3,000 milk and meat goats across the county to enable farmers increase their milk production and up their income.

The project which was started in 2015 with 35 dairy cows given to selected groups in the 35 wards aims to increase milk production in the county from the current 6.5 litres per cow per day to 10 litres per cow per day.

Busia County needs 50,000 litres of milk a day but only produces 30,000 and imports from Uganda and neighbouring counties. This has been attributed to poor breeding and feeding that farmers subject their animals to.

However, the county had partnered with the International Livestock Research Institute to improve breeding, better feeding, health and livestock management.

Chief Officer for Agriculture Ruth Mukhongo urged farmers to embrace the Send a Cow program to increase milk production and help improve their lives. She also thanked Send a Cow Kenya for bringing the services to Busia residents.

Send a Cow Kenya System coordinator, Sheila Halder and Head of Programs Anna said the project is aimed at improving the nutrition and health of 73,729 vulnerable men, women and children in western Kenya.

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