Smart farms

: 23 July 2018; Hits: 11478

Government asks farmers to grow millet, sorghum, cassava and amaranth for blending with maize flour

The Kenyan ministry of agriculture has urged maize farmers all over the country to plant millet, cassava, sorghum and amaranth crops to be used for blending maize flour in a move aimed at reducing overdependence on maize for food and income and improve the country’s nutritional needs.

According to a report released last year by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 73,000 children in the country are malnourished and are at risk of death due to hunger and poor feeding habits.

Up to four million farmers are targeted in the program aimed at promoting cultivation of indigenous crops, with 14m bags targeted for production by 2022.

Maize consumption is estimated at 98 kilograms per person per year, which translates to roughly 30 to 34 million bags (2.7 to 3.1m metric tonnes) per year, according to Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy And Development 2016 research.

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A supermarket attendant stocks maize flour on the shelves. Courtesy

The ministry estimates that the blending of millet , cassava, amaranth and cassava with maize flour will reduce maize consumption from about 30m bags per year to about 20m bags over the same period while the surplus will be exported.

The program will be rolled out by the government in partnership with local flour millers and the farmers who will have access ready market for their produce.

The cost of the blended flour will be determined by market forces and the pilot project has already kicked off.

The government in future also targets to produce wheat and sweet potatoes blends.

This comes at a time when maize production decreased by 6.3 per cent from 37.8m bags in 2016 to 35.4m bags in 2017 according to the Economic Survey 2018.

1.6m bags of sorghum were produced in 2017 up from 1.3m bags in 2016, an increase of 23 per cent while 3.79m metric tonnes of cassava were produced during the same period.

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: 19 July 2018; Hits: 16950

Yellow capsicum has wider market, earns twice than red type

YellowcapsicumJoramKaindiMombasaLabanedited Sygenta crop attendant Joram Kaindi displays Admiral F1 yellow capsicum fruits harvested from the agrifirm demonstration plot at a Mombasa International Agricultural Society of Kenya Show. Sygenta Agronomist Maureen Namusionga said the yellow variety earns twice than red type. PHOTO BY LABAN ROBERT.

Farmers growing yellow capsicum are twice more likely to sell their produce at double prices than those with the red variety.

according to Syngenta agronomist Maureen Namusonge said yellow capsicum has two markets that make it more profitable for farmers.

“Yellow capsicum mature earlier than the red type. That quality makes it edible before it turns yellow. Farmers can start selling it while green for those who want to consume it before it turns yellow. At the same time, marketing period is extended from green until yellow,” Namusonge said.

At the yellow stage, its taste for salad is better than red because of the sweet fibre. High-end hotels and restaurants chop it for mixing with other vegetables that are consumed raw. The Asian-originated population gives ready market.

High-end market for yellow capsicum costs twice the red type. A fruit of about 250 grammes costs between Sh20 and Sh30, depending on the region of sale. The red varieties of the same weight range from Sh5 to Sh10 in price.

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The agronomist said the variety tolerates adverse weather, making it a better crop for the open field where strong wind, sun and other condition are uncontrolled.

“Yellow capsicum has a hardy skin that resists shrinkage upon exposure to slightly high temperatures while in the field. Red variety is scorched to brown patches, making it less attractive for the fresh market. This means losses for the red type start at the field if the weather is rough,” Namusonge said.

Joram Kaindi, who manages the two varieties said red variety needed extra care for the flowers to survive and mature into fruits unlike the yellow type.

However or both, insecticides must be applied regularly to avoid falling off of flowers resulting from attacks from thrips, white flies, among other pests.

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: 19 July 2018; Hits: 10525

New farming technologies increases yields for farmers

Kenyan farmers can increase their annual profits by between 7.1 per cent and 76.3 per cent with the use of digital farming technologies that can be helpful in keeping records, monitoring crop and livestock health, according to 2015 research conducted by UK innovation foundation, Nesta.

Such technologies which include mobile applications enhance farming activities and improve yields. Therefore, government institutions such as the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) and industry experts are driving adoption these tools in a bid to reduce post-harvest losses through provision of timely and accurate information directly to the farmers’ phones.

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Samuel Kamya explaining how eska app works. Photo/Courtesy

Eska, a mobile app developed by botanist and biochemist, Samuel Kamya, is used to detect crop diseases and deficiency of important nutrients such as phosphorus. It was launched in August 2017, at a time when Sh150bn worth of produce went to waste last year in the country due to pest infestation and inadequate market access.

“As a botanist, I understand the problems that farmers go through in order to benefit from farming; they have to overcome pest infestation, attack by diseases and a lack of nutrients. These problems can be solved by using software, so we developed an app that is powered by artificial intelligence,” said Kamya.

Once installed on an android smartphone, the user taps its icon, which accesses the smartphone’s camera. When pointed to a plant under investigation, it displays the results on the screen. By monitoring their crops, they are able to quarantine and deal with the infection decisively. They can choose to destroy infected plants before they spread the disease any further sparing the uninfected crops.

In order to monitor the health of poultry such as chicks, a digital brooder can come in handy. Arinifu, a technology company based in Nairobi develops the devices.

It is made up of a small analogue computer, some sensors and infrared lamps that can be used to monitor chicks brooding space and relay real-time information to the farmer through short message services (SMS).

This enables farmers to monitor the condition of the chicks and adjust them accordingly, predict the risk of disease infection, as well as suggest the right time for vaccination. In this, farmers are able to prevent any infections or unfavourable conditions for the chicks.

“Currently, we only deal with farmers in some Nairobi estates and Kiambu County targeting about 40,000 poultry famers as we look for more means to spread our services in the whole country,” said George Chege, an agronomist at Arinifu.

Besides monitoring health, these digital advancements can also help farmers source for markets for their produce. Soko+, an online digital commodity trading and information system has linked more than 16,594 Meru farmers to bulk buyers across the country enabling them to earn more income and improve their livelihoods.

“We encourage farmers to aggregate their produce in bulk through formation of groups so as to improve their bargaining power in the negotiation process and earn better prices by reaching into desirable markets,” said Martin Murangari, the Operations Manager, Soko+.

However, as much as digital farming is beneficial towards increasing quality, quantity, sustainability and cost effectiveness of agricultural production, farmers still face some challenges that limit their access to these technologies.

In rural areas, where a majority of farming in the country is practiced, there is a lack of smart phones and internet access.

“We have released many farm management mobile applications for use by our farmers to guide them in their agriculture activities but we have realised that these apps are frequently accessed by users in developed countries such as Russia, India, UK and the US instead of Kenya farmers due to a lack of internet access,” said Simon Mulwa, ICT officer at KALRO.

According to Mulwa, over 60,000 users were recorded to have downloaded the applications; Dryland Crops, Indigenous Chicken and Range Pastures Seed Production launched in April last year with more than 50 per cent of the users from countries other than Kenya.

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