Smart farms

: 19 June 2020; Hits: 11977

Self-help group learns pineapples in Nyeri break away from low-earning coffee

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By Lydia Gichuki

Falling coffee prices and delayed payments saw a Nyeri self-help group win a grant more than a decade ago to diversify into pineapple, starting a journey that has since changed the farmers’ lifestyles and brought income all year round, as others in the area struggle with maize and plummeting coffee prices.

Back in 2005, Nyeri County’s farmers were earning over Sh135 per kilogram of coffee. Today, they get from Sh35 to Sh85 a kg. But for Gathanji Self Help Group from Mukurweini, a grant in 2006 set them onto a path where the end-point has been far better earnings.

Joseph Mwangi, one of 25 members from the group, said an agricultural officer from the government had identified the area as a suitable ecological environment for pineapple growth, with well-drained soil and warmth, and then helped them, in 2006, through the process of winning an Ifund grant from an NGO. They were then offered technical support on tillage and planting of the stems.

“We wanted to stop over-reliance on coffee, as the prices and production had and continues to drop and it takes one year to get payment, and we saw it as wise to have another crop that would generate income, as we waited for the coffee money, and pineapple was recommended as this place is hilly and drier and other plants don’t do well here. We also plant maize, although it doesn’t do very well, which has a shorter maturation period and with this diversification there is always money in our pockets,” said Joseph.

The group started by planting 43,500 stems in one of its member’s one-acre plot and shared tillage and care schedules, with each member giving a day to look after the plants. After 18 months, when the pineapples matured, the group earned Sh400,000.

From the proceeds the members bought calves, household items such as cooking gas and TVs, and renovated their houses.

“The first project was a success, as the pineapples were big and we sold a medium size at Sh100. We even exhibited at Kabiruini Agricultural show and we were awarded with a certificate for their commendable sizes given that they were the first ever grown pineapples in our county,” said Joseph.

Due to the success of the project, 15 members from the group started their individual ventures and about 50 members of the community bought the stems at Sh10 from the group, which has turned the region into a pineapple growing area.

The demand of pineapple from Nyeri is high as they are very juicy compared to those grown in Thika, Kiambu County, due to the difference in soil composition from the two regions.

However, the group faced the challenge of low production after several harvests, because they didn’t continue consulting agricultural officers after planting, which saw the soil become exhausted, which resulted in small sized pineapples of a low quality and lesser quantity.However, the group faced the challenge of low production after several harvests, because they didn’t continue consulting agricultural officers after planting, which saw the soil become exhausted, which resulted in small sized pineapples of a low quality and lesser quantity.

“We didn’t know that we were supposed to prune the plant, which drastically reduced the production, and also when the soil became exhausted and we couldn’t figure it out on time, or how to make it fertile again. I advise that prospective farmers seek advice from agricultural officers, because we lost a lot due to ignorance,” said Joseph.

To boost their production, the group sought help from Nyeri County Agriculture Department, where they were given Sh49,000 to buy more stems and manure. The county government also offered extension services to the group and individual farmers, which has since seen the production improve.

“The advice from the extension officers helped a lot in improving the size and quality of the fruit as its prices had dropped to Sh50, but now we are selling for between Sh80 to Sh100 depending on size,” said Joseph.

Compared to coffee, pineapple farming is less labour intensive, which allows farmers to do it alongside other forms of agriculture.Compared to coffee, pineapple farming is less labour intensive, which allows farmers to do it alongside other forms of agriculture.

Pineapples are tropical fruits that have a wide range of health benefits, including being rich in vitamins, enzymes and antioxidants. The fruit also contains dietary fiber which helps in digestion.Pineapples are tropical fruits that have a wide range of health benefits, including being rich in vitamins, enzymes and antioxidants. The fruit also contains dietary fiber which helps in digestion.

Joseph is selling pineapple stems at Sh10. His contact is 0723403330.

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: 15 June 2020; Hits: 8225

Kenya’s bread stays foreign on local wheat challenges from bird attacks to subsidized imports

By Brian Moseti

Every year, Kenyans consume about 2 million tonnes of wheat, almost all of which is eaten as bread and pastries, according to the 2020 Economic Survey from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. Yet the country’s farmers only produce 348,000 tonnes, with the rest of the country’s bread and cake made from imported wheat that comes in from all over the world.

Thus, whilst local wheat production is predicted to increase to 500,000 tonnes this year, the country’s millers will still have to overcome restrictions triggered by the coronavirus pandemic to bring in over a million tonnes of wheat from countries like Egypt, Tanzania, Russia, Ukraine and Australia.

So, with more than enough land for agricultural production, why is the country still only producing 17 per cent of its second-most staple food after maize?

Related News: How to control aphids in wheat

Benjamin Oloo, who farms in Narok, said often, variables beyond farmers’ control lead to harvest losses that reduce the overall output.

“In 2019, we had a great crop, but just before harvest, the farms were invaded by quelea birds, which ate almost half of the produce,” he said. Each quelea bird consumes about 10g of seeds per day and, last year, an estimated 15million birds invaded farms in Narok counties, overwhelming farmers and government support services as they remained resilient against chemical sprays.

“With such damage, it becomes untenable to farm the crop as the harvests we received only yielded Sh3,000 worth of wheat against a total production expenditure of over Sh40,000 per acre,” said Shadrack Kotun, another wheat farmer.

In previous seasons, wheat farmers in Narok and other parts of Rift Valley, the country’s breadbasket, have had to contend with variable weather that has often caused a lack of sufficient rain during the production season. Most of the country’s wheat cultivation is rainfed meaning that any changes in seasons translate into low or no harvests.

“There was a time when the weather was completely predictable, and farmers knew how to time their production for optimum harvests. However, with time, and because of the effects of climate change, a season could start really well, but immediately after sprouting a dry spell hits the land, damaging the crop,” said agronomist Benson Lemayian.

However, the biggest drivers pushing farmers away from wheat cultivation are the final prices. This is because millers find it cheaper to source cereals and other food from neighbouring countries like Tanzania, where the cost of production is heavily subsidised by the government, which allows farmers to sell their harvests at much lower prices than their Kenyan counterparts.

“It is tough to compete with people who have access to cheap fertilisers, seeds and labour. Because millers can import from anywhere they wish, we are sometimes left without a market for our products or sell it at a loss,” said Conceptor Makori, a wheat farmer in Kitale.

For most of the farmers who have abandoned wheat farming, the answer has been a shift to barley and sorghum, which now have an assured market thanks to contract farming deals with East African Maltings Limited (EAML), which produces malt for the brewing units of East African Breweries Limited (EABL).

EAML contracts assure farmers of a market at the end of the season, in addition to input loans and extension services during the planting season. The malt company, for instance, pre-finances contracted farmers to the tune of Sh500m a year for high yielding seed, fertiliser and other farm inputs on credit, which is recovered at the end of the harvest season.

“To be honest, such deals make more sense as you do not have to gamble with market forces after going through the entire production cycle. This is besides the production support provided,” said Makori, who is now contemplating a sorghum cultivation deal with EAML and set to be just one more exit from Kenyan wheat production.

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: 12 June 2020; Hits: 10386

Hermetic bags transform grain storage, cutting costs, losses and aflatoxin

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By Jolene Njambi

Farmers are cutting costs on post-harvest pesticides, and slashing crop losses and aflatoxins, by using specialised hermetic bags to store grain so that it’s dry and air-tight.

As it is, Kenya has been plagued by postharvest losses, which claim more than a million tonnes of grain a year, worth over Sh33.5bn, according to a recent USAID report.

The huge scale of such losses has been caused by poor postharvest management and storage, which exposes grains to pests and diseases as well as aflatoxin, which can kill consumers.

As a result, farmers have reported planting up to 30 per cent more grain in order to compensate for their post-harvest losses.

However, the increasing use of hermetic bags is slashing their losses by up to 80 per cent, with the gains proving greatest for maize.

The hermetic bags retail at Sh250, come in three layers and can last for up to three years depending on how they are kept.

Farmers also do not need to apply chemicals in the storage of produce, as the air-tight bags, through their woven polypropylene (WPP) outer covering, deplete the contents stored inside of oxygen, producing carbon dioxide instead. This creates unfavourable conditions for the existence of pests and prevents aflatoxin contamination caused by grains exposure to moisture in storage.

In addition to their low cost, hermetic bags require only basic training to use. The grains must first be dried to a maximum moisture content of 13.5 per cent, which is normally done under the sun. The farmer then places the grain in the bag and squeezes out as much air as possible. To seal, the farmer must tie both interior bags, finishing with the outer layer.

Maximum dryness is of utmost importance or the grain will rot or germinate.

I’ve seen a lot of benefit with using this storage bag. Previously, I used to store my produce in a normal sack after harvesting and had to use chemicals or insects would invade it. It was difficult to get buyers for the chemically treated produce. With this new bag, I have seen a change in the quality of my produce and I’m able to store more grains for my business,” said Ruth Nguli, a farmer based in Makueni, Eastern Kenya.

Currently, the bags can only be sourced from Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS), ZeroFly Storage Bags, Elite Storage Bags, GrainPro Storage Bags and AgroZ Storage Bags, which are the only authorised manufacturers of hermetic technology bags. This is to prevent counterfeit bags coming into the market and causing renewed problems for farmers by failing to deliver as promised.

“The reusable bags are fast spreading among smallholder farmers, and, if unregulated through developing the necessary standards, unscrupulous business people could dump sub-standard materials and pass them on as hermetic storage solutions,” warns East Africa Grain Council executive director Gerald Masila.

Suppliers’ contacts:

Elite Innovations Limited - 0722607553

AgroZ Storage bags limited - 0791293939

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