Smart farms

: 09 March 2018; Hits: 16851

Kisumu poultry farmers to benefit from Sh100m government support

Over 1,200 farmers from seven constituencies of Kisumu County are set to benefit from a Sh100m support from Kenya Industrial Estates (KIE) that will see the county stop relying on imported eggs and other poultry products from Uganda.

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Over the last years Kisumu has been depending on eggs imported from the neighbouring country because farmers have been unable to meet daily supply demand of 750,000 eggs and 23,000 broiler chicken by consumers in the county.

“With the support, the county government is ready to fund individuals and groups of farmers interested in poultry production, thanks to KIE,” said Ruth Odinga, the county's special programme's co-ordinator.

“The farmers will be trained by Nile Poultry Farms and Lake Basin Development Authority.”

To ensure that farmers commit themselves, the money will be given to them in form of a soft loan which they will be required to pay back with low interest rates.

The project is expected to raise demand of more poultry products in the county as the American fast food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) has promised to order poultry from farmers in Kisumu in order to provide them with a ready market.

The fast food chain producer has its restaurants in Kisumu’s United Mall and it has started working with the local farmers through placing orders for their chicken instead of sourcing them from elsewhere outside the county.

“We hope the interest that KFC has shown in buying our farmers’ chicken will boost their income besides encouraging them in poultry farming,” said Odinga.

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: 08 March 2018; Hits: 11061

Western Kenya to receive rains for the next four days, says Weatherman

Farmers in counties in the Lake Basin region and highlands west, central and south of the Rift Valley can plant their crops as the regions will continue receiving rain for the next five days according to the Kenya Meteorological department.

These includes the counties of Siaya, Kisumu, Homabay, Migori, Kisii, Nyamira, Trans Nzoia, Baringo, Uasin Gishu, Elgeyo-Marakwet, Nandi, Nakuru, Narok, Kericho, Bomet, Kakamega, Vihiga, Bungoma and Busia. Some parts of the mentioned places will receive showers and thunderstorms mostly in the afternoon hours.

Expect minimal rains this year, says Weatherman

Failed rains spark Kenya’s water wars

In the counties of Nairobi, Nyandarua, Laikipia, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Murang'a, Kiambu, Meru, Embu and Tharaka Nithi there is a possibility of rains over a few places especially in the morning.

In 2017, planting of maize, the staple food crop in the country was delayed due to late onset if the long rains which started in mid-April. With the erratic rainfall, maize production dropped from a projected 40m bags to 36m bags, a drop of about four per cent.But with current rains set to continue, farmers can breathe a sigh of relief.

oxen ploughing

Farmers ploughing land using oxen in preparation for this year's planting season

A majority of Kenyan farmers depend on rain-fed agriculture to grow their crops in a sector that accounts for about 26 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) and over 60 per cent of total foreign exchange earnings. The sector also provides approximately 80 per cent of all employment opportunities in the country.

A report published in the International Journal of Climatology reveals that Kenya is highly vulnerable to drought. Only 20 per cent of the country receives high and regular rainfall. The remaining 80 per cent is characterized as arid and semi-arid lands where rainfall is highly variable and drought is a regular feature of the climate.

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: 06 March 2018; Hits: 24138

Honey farm earns Sh700 more per kilogram by value addition

Nyaru Honey Eldoret

Branded Nyaru farm honey raedy for market. Processing and parckging honey earns the farm more money as compered to selling raw honey.

Nyaru honey farm in Uasin Ngishu County is earning Sh800 per kilogram of processed and packaged honey as compared to Sh100 a kilogram of raw honey, thanks to value addition that the farm adopted towards the end of 2016 to enable the farm reach more markets with a quality product.

The farm started with 15 beehives in 2015 from which about 75 kilograms of raw honey could be harvested per season and sold to direct consumers at Sh100 per kilo. However, this changed in 2016 when the farm purchased 30 more beehives and a centrifugal honey extractor machine to improve honey quality and quantity.

“Though we currently have our 32 beehives fully occupied with bees, we harvest 200Kg of raw honey a season from ten beehives giving us over 150Kg refined honey,” said Geoffrey Ng’etich, the farm manager.

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“The centrifugal honey extractor machine enables us extract honey from the honey combs without destroying them. The extractor is manually operated and it can be used by one person to extract honey from over 30 beehives.”

The farm operates under Graduate Internship Programme (GRIP), the programme which gives the youth and women opportunity and support to venture in various businesses to earn a living.

To keep the beehives packed with bees, the farm has planted flowering plants such as sunflower, acacia, avocadoes and orange fruit trees among other trees to help attract the bees and provide nectar for honey production.

The farm buys its packaging bottles from Eldoret Town and Nairobi where a bottle costs Sh20. The bottle are then labelled ‘Nyaru Honey’ as the brand identification.

Honey is then filled in the bottles and sold directly to customers who come to the farm to buy or place orders in GRIP offices in Eldoret Town.

A 500g bottle of honey goes at Sh400 while that of 250g fetches Sh200 per bottle.

The farm has further applied for Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) for their product certification to allow them access more markets and win tenders with supermarkets and retail shops.

RELATED ARTICLE: Former teacher finds money in honey

“Lack of certification papers from the buereau is limiting us from reaching bigger markets at the moment. However, in the near future, once we get out certificate we will move to market our products countrywide, applying for supply tenders from the supermarkets and retail shops,” said Ng’etich.

"We are also projecting to start harvesting from 33 beehives soon expecting 60Kg refined honey per season. This we expect to earn us approximately Sh48,000 per season."

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