Smart farms

: 14 August 2018; Hits: 12305

Over 6,500 sweet potato farmers in Migori County to find market for their produce

Sweet potato yield in Kenya. Photo courtesy.

Migori County government has partnered with European Union to construct a mini sweet potato processing plant, the first of its kind in the region that will enable more than 6,500 farmers find market for their produce.

The factory which will be built at Getonganya in Kuria West Sub County is expected to process over 100 tonnes of sweet potatoes daily further giving famers an opportunity to expand production in the area.

This is seen as a boost to potato farmers in Migori County were over 0.3 million tonnes of sweet potatoes are produced a year.

According to February 2015 report by Ilaria Tedesco and Tanya Stathers for the University of Greenwich on Sweet potato value chains in Kenya an estimated 6, 500 farmers in Kuria are involved in the production of the crop but often failed to get sustained market for the produce.

Sweet potato is a major cash crop in Migori County, where 90 per cent of the crop produced is sold to traders or consumers.

Sweet potato yields are high in the county due to the good quality of the soil and favourable climatic conditions. In recent years farmers have been increasing the area they plant to SP, this is because it has lower production costs than tobacco or maize due to it being grown without inputs such as fertiliser and wood for curing

Some of the sweet potato varieties grown in the region include Balozi, Nyabisguguki, Surambaya, Rongambo and Morozigori.

“This is an opener of trade that if handled well can open the industry to the world hence uplifting the economy of both the Kuria community and Migori at large,” said PS for Devolution Nelson Marwa who lead a delegation both from the County and National Government.

However, Marwa pointed out that cattle’s rustling in the area was a setback that would ruin growth and development.

He placed cattle rustlers on notice saying that their days were numbered.

Marwa asked the security agents to move with speed and cub the menace to make this project a success.

Speaking at the same function, Kuria East Member of Parliament Marwa Kitayama asked the residents to embrace the project and keep politics out of it.

He noted that leaders especially from the Kuria community should remain united and give the community a good sense of direction.

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Sunday, 15 August 2021 [quote=jabuya lawrence]am an interested party a researcher,, any lead to the fac...

Friday, 06 August 2021 am an interested party a researcher,, any lead to the factory????

Thursday, 22 July 2021 Am giving it a shot[b][s]Opudo[/s][/b]

: 13 August 2018; Hits: 7902

Kenya to host Eastern and Southern Africa Dairy Association conference this month

Esada dairy conference

Kenya is preparing to host one of the biggest dairy meetings in the continent organised by the Eastern and Southern Africa Dairy association –ESADA to take place in Nairobi with the aim of reviewing new technologies for the sub-sector while triggering production among small and large players in the industry.

The conference which will take place from 20^th to 24^th August will bring together more than 600 delegates from over 40 countries to discuss and highlight strategies, best practices and showcase new technologies.

Under the theme; African Dairy, the grand transformation, the event underpins that the technological advancement and improvement in practices in the dairy sector is imperative in unlocking the potential of the dairy industry in the continent.

It will be held at the Kenyatta International Conference and exhibition Centre and it fits into the government’s Big Four agenda that seeks to increase agriculture production.

Among other reasons why Kenya has been chosen to host the event this time round is that the dairy sector in Kenya is one of the most advanced in East and Central Africa only coming second to South Africa. However, unlike South Africa, the local industry is controlled mainly by smallholder farmers who are slow in adapting to new technologies to boost production.

While processed milk is slowly being adapted by general population, the consumption of raw and unprocessed milk has remained the norm in Kenya even as the regulator, the Kenya Dairy Board launches campaign to cramp down on such sales. Ugandan processed milk has also made inroads into Kenyan shelves.

ESADA has over the past twelve years put together successful dairy events that seek to promote dairy farming, production and consumption in Africa. So far, similar events have been held in Uganda, Zambia, South Africa, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zimbabwe and Kenya.

The association’s aim is to educate, connect, empower and enlighten stakeholders in the dairy industry across the value chain.

This conference and exhibition seeks to afford African dairy processors, service providers and industry suppliers a unique opportunity to showcase their products for benchmarking and to network and share knowledge and experiences.

It will also highlight opportunities for dairy sector investment in Africa with a focus on Kenya and the Eastern African sub region which has huge potential as well as provide a platform for African and the global dairy community to discuss and recommend solutions to policy, regulatory and industry bottlenecks that impede trade in dairy products.

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: 10 August 2018; Hits: 11622

New technology to help Nakuru farmers access farming information services launched

farmer using moile phone for inquiry

Douglas Adjei receiving weather tip calls from Farmerline. Photo credit: Farmerline.

A new technology has been launched to enable Nakuru farmers access fast hand information on best farming practices from agricultural experts via Short Message Service (SMS), WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook and calls, complementing the work of agricultural extension officers in the area.

The technology which will be provided by Nakuru Farmers Call Centre Technology will see farmers make inquiries by calling or texting agricultural experts at the centre and get feedback as fast as possible hence filling the gap left by a shortage of extension officers.

“Food security can only be attained if farmers are equipped with the necessary knowledge. That is why this centre was established to provide the growers with best possible advice on any aspect of farming to improve production," said the centre's coordinator Shelmith Mucoki.

Farmers will be provided with information on what crops to plant in different areas, the type of fertiliser and pesticides to be used among others.

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Livestock farmers will also be provided with information on how to control pests and diseases as well as feeding their animals to improve production of milk, beef and eggs, among other products.

Mucoki said they had given out numbers farmers can use to call for inquiries.

“The technology does not restrict the kind of phone to be used. A farmer in need of information can call or text call centre,” he said.

According to An overview of social media use in agricultural extension service delivery by Usmanu Danfodiyo of University of Sokoto and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur of Rahman Agricultural University and released in 2017, agricultural extension service delivery is primarily a communication process therefore proper integration of social media is necessary.

By April, 2017, Social media’s active users had reached around 3 billion globally with Facebook leading at 64.7 per cent worldwide.

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