Smart farms

: 03 November 2016; Hits: 15905

Organic fertiliser saves Mwea farmer's rice from drought

Mwea Rice.JPG

Farmers work in rice fields. One farmer from the county has reported that his rice was never affected by the recent drought, a fact he links to the organic fertiliser, DI Grow Green from Dynapharm Kenya. PHOTO BY NATIONAL IRRIGATION BOARD.

A Kirinyaga County farmer, who top-dressed his field with an organic fertiliser, is expecting to harvest rice from the one and half acre piece despite the recent dry spell that ravaged the crop in the region.

The almost two months drought that hit most parts of the country, caused drying of rice in the Mwea basin, where flood irrigation sustains the crop from planting to maturity.

Joseph Kimani applied DI Grow green a few weeks after germination of the rice to boost growth, but he was surprised to see the crop still green after the rains failed and the swampy area dried up.

“My neighbours top-dressed with the usual calcium ammonium nitrate and other fertilisers; I used DI Grow Green organic fertiliser. Although the soil cracked due to lack of water, my rice sustained the stress until now that it has drizzled for the first time,” Kimani said.

Dynapharm Kenya Agronomist Michael Mwangi said the organic fertiliser has high concentration of humic acid and seas weed, which aid crops to withstand drought by reversing the opening and closing of the stomata.

Water loss and gaseous exchange in plants take place via stomata, mostly during the day. Stamata open during the day, among other factors, low levels of carbon dioxide in the cells. The opening allows for more intake of the gas for photosynthesis.

“Humic acid may be causing the reversed opening of the stomata. Instead of all stomata opening when it is hot, they remain closed until late evening and in the morning when the weather is cool to control loss of water through transpiration,” Mwangi said.

However, Mwangi said, as study is underway to determine how the components of the fertiliser working together to help crops withstand drought other than the intended growth stimulation.

According to U-Mate International Inc, a US organic fertiliser manufacture, humic acid slows evaporation by stabilizing soil temperature during rapid weather changes. The acid particles also bind water particles, therefore, preventing their loss to the atmosphere.

The rice is about two and half months old and it is flowering.

Kimani added 50ml of DI Grow Green into 20 litres of water. For one acre, he applied 250ml of the organic fertiliser, which is manufactured in Malaysia.

Contact Mwangi on +254714925956

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: 03 November 2016; Hits: 19937

Solar incubator saves farmers when power outages occur

Enkoho Kuku Farmers officer Silas Juma inspects a 48eggs capcity solar incubator at the Machakos Agricultural Society of Kenya Show on July 6, 2016. The incubator saves farmer from losses that my result from the common power outages. PHOTO BY LABAN ROBERT.

Chicken farmers facing unreliable electricity supply from the national grid can is install solar incubators to avoid loses to power outages.

Apart from supporting the hatching process, which must not be interrupted until the lapse of the 21 days incubation period, a solar powered machine cuts operational cost to farmers.

A farmer buys a solar panel, power storage batteries and the incubator. The solar panels harness the sun energy and convert it into power for storage in lead batteries before supplying it to the incubator.

Enkoho Kuku Farmers officer Gervase Waloki said if a farmer has high capacity solar panels and batteries, then they can revert to using the sun-tapped energy and only rely on the Kenya Power sourced electricity when the weather is unreliable.

Power outages in the country are common, and the effect is higher in rural areas where it takes hours running into days to b reconnected.

Solar energy is reliable, given that Kenya lies within the topics, where the sun is available for about 10 hours a day all year round.

Silas Juma, who also works in the poultry equipment company, said the challenge is the purchase of the required equipment.

“Although it may be expensive to buy all these equipment at once, returns are high since there will be no losses. At the same time, the solar power can reduce the monthly power bill to zero when there is sufficient sunlight,” Juma said.

The company supplies solar incubators of capacity from 48 eggs to 5280 eggs. The incubators can run on direct current from Kenya Power or stored solar energy.

A solar panel of 200 watts can convert enough power for a battery of 220volts to run a 48 eggs capacity incubator for 24 hours.

If a farmer uses the solar power for the 48 eggs capacity incubator, they can save between 40 watts and 80 watts per hour, translating to a bill save of between Sh500 and Sh1,000.

“The secret is having more than one big capacity batteries for back up. Losing eggs two days prior to hatching because of power shortage is disastrous. A supplier of chicks earns reputation when they deliver on orders on time,” Juma said.

The company sells the incubators from Sh19,000 to Sh350,000, depending on the egg capacity.

Juma can be reached on +254729659490 while Wakoli can be reached on +254727474045.

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: 27 October 2016; Hits: 16458

Exporter wants runner beans

Runner beans growing in a farm. A marketer is looking for 12 tonnes of runner beans per month for export from Kenya. PHOTO BY GARDEN ACTION.

A horticultural produce marketer is looking for farmers to supply him with at least 12 tonnes per month for export.

Dennis Mutwiri said the demand for the less cultivated bean is rising because the supply is low as farmers are growing other varieties sold while dry.

At least three tonnes of the beans are required per week.

The runner beans, which must be fresh, are harvested and sold while green and with the pods intact.

Farmers will earn Sh40 per kilo for grade one beans; grade two produce will fetch Sh30 per kilo.

The Nairobi's Embakasi-based marketer is willing to collect the beans from the farmer at no extra cost.

“After confirming, I can collect the beans and pay for them on the spot or as the farmers may want it done, that is, per week or per month,” he said.

The United States of America early this year allowed for Kenya to export fresh produce including fresh runner, green and shelled beans into that country starting November 2016.Baby carrots and baby corn were allowed too.

The step expanded the list of consumers of the horticultural produce from the traditional European Union as well as the Middle- East markets, after Kenya complied with the chemical residue regulations.

Mutwiri said the demand is even higher than their target and therefore, he has no limit of how much one can supply.

The beans, which can also be grown as ornamental plants, a can be sliced and added to dishes like rice. According to the BBC, they are best eaten when young and tender, and the skin is green.

Mutwiri can be reached on +254724306613

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