Smart farms

: 15 April 2016; Hits: 10851

Curing extends potato shelf-life to 40 days

Farmers can increase the shelf-life of sweet and Irish potatoes, and other root crops to more than a month by curing their produce before and after harvest.

Curing, which is cost-free, involves the removal of foliage some days before harvest, and storing root tubers in appropriate conditions after harvesting.

This boosts the shelf-life from between three and 10 days to 40 days, allowing for access to distant markets.

A two-year research by Nairobi-based International Potato Centre, which involved three tests in various seasons, established that the removal of sweet potato foliage between two and four days before harvesting extends their durability.

“The results have proved that in-ground curing gives a pleasing appearance and taste when cooked after 40 days since harvest whilst uncured ones were completely shriveled,” the study reads.

The process heals minor wounds in the outer layer of tubers, protecting them against diseases and reducing shrinkage. This, extends storage time because helps strengthening of the skin.

Better results are realised when the sweet or Irish potatoes are kept at temperatures between 25 degrees Celsius and 30 degree Celsius.

“Fresh roots have a high respiratory rate and can be damaged by cuts and bruises during harvesting and post-harvest handling. The cuts and abrasions become entry points for micro-organisms and moisture loss and subsequent weight loss,” the study says.

Similarly, storing the tubers in dry sand for 60 days without prior removal of leaves before harvest maintained good quality and less weevil infestation.

The potatoes lost weight of between 7 per cent and 24 per cent while those left in the open lost up to 75 per cent.

Three days in-ground curing led to least weight loss of 17 per cent.

Kenya is a tropical country where Irish and sweet potato farming is done in relatively low temperatures and humidity.

Room temperature range from 20 degrees Celsius to 25 degrees Celsius potato.

With Irish potato is considered the second most staple food and a cash crop for more others. Sweet and Irish potatoes are mostly sourced from western, central, Rift Valley, among others.

Accessing main roads for transport to town markets, such as Nairobi and Mombasa, remains a challenge because of poor roads. More produce goes to waste more-so when it rains and roads are impassible.

Embracing these cost-free techniques can cushion themselves against post-harvest losses and give them more time to access markets.

The study was done in Uganda's Mukono, Rakai and Masaka Districts. Improved variety, Kabode, Vita and local varieties selected by farmers were used.

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: 15 April 2016; Hits: 8344

Ugandan farmers petition UNDP to cut ties with Bidco

A Ugandan Farmers Association has appealed to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to break ties with Bidco Africa, a Kenya-founded edible oil producer.
The Bugala Farmers association says that more than 100 farmers lost their land to Bidco when, in partnership with the local government, the company deforested more than 7,500 hectares (18,500 acres) of rain forest and smallholder farms on Bugala Island on Lake Victoria to set up one of the largest palm oil plantations in Africa.
In a petition delivered to the UNDP Kampala office, the Association called on the UNDP to investigate the organisation’s recent announcement that Business Call to Action (BCtA), a UNDP offshoot, concluded an agreement with Bidco Africa.
“For those who know the real business practices of Bidco Africa and its CEO Vimal Shah, the embrace by BCtA of Bidco Africa is a tragedy for smallholder farmers and a major stain on the reputation of UNDP,” the petition said.
In the petition
The petition cites Bidco Africa’s failure to comply with court orders to compensate the farmers for their land; the company’s labour practices in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya; alleged tax evasion in Kenya; and the deforestation of land for its palm oil production in Uganda.
“The Bugala Farmers Association calls on UNDP and its senior leadership to examine the morally questionable association of such a distinguished U.N. organisation with such a blatant violator of human rights that is Bidco Africa,” the petition said. “The evidence of Bidco Africa’s poor business practices is well documented, and UNDP must immediately disassociate itself with such a company.”
The petition further read: “Bidco Africa, which claims to adhere to the U.N. Global Compact, is in fact in violation of all U.N. Global Compact principals, from human rights to protection of the environment. Against the backdrop of such repeated violations, the UNDP/BCtA’s partnership with Bidco Africa is a violation of UNDP’s core mission and principals.”
The petition, delivered end of January, was officially received by a UNDP receptionist in Kampala.
History
The project was supported by International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Bank, with Bidco Uganda Ltd and Wilmar Plantations playing a major role as the private investors.

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: 15 April 2016; Hits: 8616

EU to support banana factory for Taita-Taveta

Taita-Taveta County banana small-scale farmers will soon have a formal market for their produce as negotiations for Sh100 million grant from the European Union get underway.

Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries County Executive Member Ben Mghana said the EU, with the help of the county, is conducting a feasibility study in the region before the deal can be sealed.

He said the factory, which is to be constructed at Taveta Sub-county, would double benefits from the crop, which is lost to middle-men who buy the fruit at low prices.

“Before the money is committed to the project, the granting party must be sure that the investment will for sure impact the people. It has to be tested for viability and ability to increase economic returns for the county in general,” he said on telephone.

Upon completion, the factory is expected to be churning out cakes, juice, jam, crisps, canned banana, among other products.

With this new development, the farmers will have one channel market, shielding them from middle-men. They transport the produce to towns like Mombasa where prices are high.

June Ndela, a Wundanyi small-scale farmer, said the factory will turn the food crop into a cash generator. She said big banana bunches are sold between Sh600 and Sh800 when actually they should be fetching more than Sh1,000 or even double.

In giving the farmers a strong bargaining power, the county will support them to come up with a banana co-operative.

Mghana asked farmers to plant high yielding disease resistant varieties like Grandnine and Williahms.

With at least 62 per cent of the total land in the county being under the Tsavo National Park, tissues cultured bananas would support the farmers in meeting the demand of the factory for it to make an economic sense.

It is estimated that the county produces about 50 tonnes of bananas annually. Taita-Taveta is amixed farming county, although more residents raise more livestock that crops.

The county has allocated finds to open up access roads to ease transport from farmers to the factory.

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