Smart farms

: 30 October 2018; Hits: 12997

Lawyer banks on nutritious value of camel milk, builds processing factory at Nanyuki

camel milk Man milking camel (AFKTravel)

A lawyer cum agro-entrepreneur is banking on the nutritious value and uniqueness of camel milk from other ruminant’s milk, builds WhiteGold, a camel milk processing factory in Nanyuki which has since offered market for over 20 farmers in the area.

Jama Warsame who is a holder of bachelor’s degree in Law from University of Georgia and MBA graduate in Strategic Management from Kennesaw State University started the company in April this year after the collapse of Vital, a giant camel milk processor in Laikipia County.

“When the company died, so many farmers were affected including my mother-in-law who was one of the main suppliers of camel milk to the firm. Given the health and nutrition benefits of the milk and the lack of market for the farmers, I decided to set up the factory to revive the market and improve nutrition,” said Warsame.

According to Medicinal value of camel milk and meat study published by Journal of Applied Animal Research on 28 Jul 2017, camel milk and meat are good source of nutrients for the peoples living especially in the arid and urban areas.

GoldWhite camel milk

GoldWhite camel milk. Photo courtesy.

Camel milk has low cholesterol, high minerals (sodium, potassium, iron, copper, zinc and magnesium) and high vitamin C when compared with other ruminant milk. It contains various fatty acids, enzymes and protective proteins. Camel milk has potential therapeutic effects, such as antibacterial, antiviral, antidiabetic, anti-ageing and anticarcinogenic.

Warsame says the medicinal properties of camel milk can be attributed to the wide range of vegetation the animal feeds on hence has protective proteins, which may possibly play a pivotal role for the enhancement of immune defence mechanism.

Since its inception about six months ago, whiteGold is processing 500 litres of milk a day offering a milk market for camel farmers in the region.

“So far our firm has used a total of Sh3m to train farmers whom we have contracted to supply milk to the plant. This is to ensure that the milk supplied is of the best quality,” said the 41 years old entrepreneur.

RELATED ARTICLE: Markets open up to Samburu camel milk

The company only accepts non-smoked milk which does not have any smell and is of high hygiene, said Warsame.

According to a 2016 pastoralism research, policy and practice on Antimicrobial Effect of Smoking Milk Handling Containers’ Inner Surfaces as a preservation method in pastoral systems in Kenya, pastoral communities in Kenya have used smoke from specific herbs as a technique of disinfecting milk-handling containers, preserving milk and to impart a characteristic desired flavour to raw camel milk.

The smoking is expected to extend the shelf life of the camel milk, despite the high environmental temperatures (>28 °C).

Warsame now sets sights on making WhiteGold as Nanyuki hub of camel milk and extends its reach up to the East Africa region and beyond.

“I know this may not be easy but with investors and support from the county and national governments we can achieve this faster than expected and offer market for camel farmers and improve nutrition of our people.”

Camel milk production in Kenya is estimated at 937,000 tonnes in 2013, valued at about Sh11bn (108 million US Dollars), according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. This quantity of milk represents about 19 per cent of the national Kenyan milk production.

Therefore, camel milk contributes to food security and economic livelihoods of communities in the arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL) in Kenya.

Warsame sells his milk to the supermarkets, carrefours and supplies to Karen and Kayole in Nairobi. A half a litre goes for Sh130 and he is yet to introduce a litre and two litres which will sell at ShSh250 nad Sh500 respectively.

Analysis of current camel milk value chain indicates that only 12 per cent of the milk is marketed, the bulk of which is sold in raw form to rural consumers (10 per cent), and only two per cent reaches urban consumers.

Of the remaining milk (88 per cent) that does not reach the market, 38 % is directly used by camel-keeping households and their herders as part of their food requirements and the remaining 50 per cent goes to waste.

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: 30 October 2018; Hits: 12206

Murang’a poultry, dairy, banana and fish farmers get Sh200m fund to boost production

cage fish farming in Kenya Poultry, dairy, banana and fish farmers from Murang’a County are set to improve their production courtesy of Sh200m fund by World Bank. This will save the farmers from poor farming methods which has led to low food production causing some parts of the county to rely on relief foods in the recent past.

According to Peter Njangi, the county chief officer for agriculture the money will be given to established farmer groups which have attempted various agricultural projects in phases whereby the first phase of Sh50 million will be given to farmers from five sub counties, while the remaining three will be factored in the second phase.

“The first five sub counties earmarked to benefit from the funds include Mathioya, Kiharu, Kigumo, Maragua and Kandara while funding to farmers from Kangema, Kahuro and Gatanga will be done during second phase expected to start after two years’ time,” said Njagi.

“The groups will get grants ranging from Sh50, 000 to Sh500, 000 with best performing groups standing a chance to get additional funding from the kitty,” added Njagi who was speaking when he met interior administrators drawn from the areas earmarked to benefit from the initiative.

RELATED ARTICLE: Growing Cayenne pepper worth KSh1m in Murang\'a

This money will be channeled through National Agricultural and Rural Inclusive Growth Project (NARIGP) and will help farmers to venture into best agricultural practices thus increasing profit from their produce.

It will help the groups explore on ways of adding value to their produce, leading to more income.

Among agricultural sectors being targeted to get funding include poultry, dairy, tissue culture banana and fish farming among others.

“The programme aims at helping farmers improve on their production and venture in value addition and this will consequently increase their income,” stated Njangi.

He further said the 5 year programme will also help farmers get market for their produce, noting that currently farmers are exposed to middle men who exploit them.

“The grant will go in a long way to save rural farmers from losing their money through transactions with middlemen,” noted the chief officer.

Njangi said agricultural extension officers will help farmers in employing best practices and in prudent utilization of the funds.

“The money has been given to the Kenyan government as a loan but to farmers the money is given as grants. There is a need to ensure the funds are utilized for the intended purpose,” he added.

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: 26 October 2018; Hits: 12831

Water harvesting improves Njoro framer’s produce, earns him international award

water harvesting damliner Damliner (Photo/flickr.com)

A farmer from Njoro, Nakuru County is improving his production capacity from an acre piece of plot to 12 acres courtesy of water harvesting, an art that has earned him national and international award.

This happens at a time when the Kenya Meteorological Department has warned of heavy rains during this November-December short rains which may result into floods, thunder and lightning. This even as the cycle of water wastage continues in the country.

According to numerous studies, Nairobi alone could support six to ten million people with 60 litres a day if rain water harvesting techniques were implemented, reported the organization, with the supply potential of the city running at 460,000 cubic metres - but only 50 per cent of that currently reaching consumers.

But even as the rain pours, we are beset with warnings that as soon as the rain stops we shall return to drought and water shortages. The problem, says UNEP, is not the rainfall, but the water waste. If we harvested the rainfall, we would have plenty of water, and water harvesting isn’t even expensive.

For Bernard Maina from Njoro rainfall runoff water is a resource that has helped him improve the living standards of his family. “I harvest the rain water running along the roads for irrigation and use it to irrigate my farm. When I started water harvesting, I had only one and a half acres of land. Today, I have 12 acres I bought from the sale of food I grow from the irrigated land,” Maina said.

For his efforts, Maina has been recognized and awarded by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture among other organizations. He is now used as a success story in showcasing how rainwater harvesting can help transform the lives of small scale farmers.

Njoro area has clay soils that do not easily absorb or retain water. Therefore, even the small amount of rain leads to water running along the roads on onto the farms or any available natural route as it finds its way to the nearest river or swamp. “I block the water and direct it to my shamba (land),” he said. He has made several ground water holding ponds on his farm and trenches that measure five meters deep and four meters wide.

“By the time the water reaches these holding holes and trenches, it already carries fertile soils that are deposited here. Every three years, I harvest this soil and put it on my land. I also grow bananas on some of the ponds to take advantage of the nutrients from the fertile soils,” he said.

Maina’s water harvesting technique has a double role of conserving this fertile soils and preventing them from being washed away into the big rivers and finally to the Indian Ocean where most of the Kenya’s rivers drain into. Maina learnt about water harvesting from the Egerton University, which specializes in agriculture and related training. The university also runs a research institute on agriculture policy issues known as Tegemeo Institute.

“Rain is becoming erratic and therefore cannot entirely depend on rainfall for planting food. The good thing about this water harvesting is that I am able to supply food to the market even when the rest of food crop in the area has been affected by poor rainfall, enabling me to fetch better prices,” he said.

The ponds that hold water on his farm ensure that the underground of his farm is well watered as its seeps slowly into the clay soils easing the need for regular sprinkling of water. It is Maina’s little way of mitigating against climate change whose effects in Kenya are already being felt through disruption of the rainfall seasons that have existed for generations and drying of former wetter areas as cold seasons also become colder.

Because of the availability of water throughout the year on his farm, Maina has diversified from growing just food for household consumption and local market to a contract supplier of horticulture to factories like Njoro Canning Factory, which cans vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices.

“I grow a variety of food crops like sweet corn, tomatoes and maize. I also grow fodder for the livestock,” he said. He has also been able to reclaim formerly dry land to grow banana for sale to the local market.

RELATED CONTENT: Maasai women farmers lead in water harvesting

So far, Maina has used the money from expanded farming to educate his children up to university level and generally improve the welfare of the family. Maina is a growing pool for small scale farmers in Kenya who are engaged in water harvesting for commercial use unlike before when most water harvesting at the household fame level was for short term domestic consumption.

The Kenya government is also trying to promote water harvesting to conserve the resource and maximize its use in the view of erratic rainfall.

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