Smart farms

: 23 June 2022; Hits: 4055

Vetiver grass—most cost-efficient soil erosion control doubles crop yield

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By George Munene

Vetiver grass is classed as the most cost-efficient living barrier in controlling soil erosion with semi-arid farmers reporting 40-50 per cent yield increases when using vetiver hedges on their farms.

Vetiver, which translates to ‘root that is dug deep’, penetrates to depths in excess of three meters in some soil types. These roots literally ‘nail the soil to the ground’.

It is a non-invasive (doesn't wander from where it's planted) perennial grass used in soil conservation and slope stabilisation.

“In protected fields, the implementation of The Vetiver System assists farmers by holding nutrients and moisture in their fields which both improve yields and extend the growing season.

In areas where flooding is a challenge vetiver grass spreads excess water across crop areas, equalizing the hydrological pressure, thus preventing or protecting the crop areas from being washed away,” explained Patrick Mukora, a board member of Plus-Kenya.

Plus-Kenya (Platform for Land Use Sustainability) is a registered NGO, that promotes the use of The Vetiver System to rehabilitate and rehydrate Kenya’s landscapes.

Vetiver grass is better in preventing erosion than constructed earth or soil banks in that it is easier to construct and maintain; does not break even under heavy rain; hedges serve to redistribute water in the farm rather than divert it as is the case with artificial banks; while earth banks must follow contours with sharp bends obstructing ploughing, vetiver hedges follow a smooth course.

Vetiver also benefits crops with improved fertility, water infiltration, and good quality mulch.

Often planted as hedges, vetiver can also be used to help the soil retain moisture and fertility; protect crops against flood damage; function as wind and fire breakers; provide fodder when cut fresh every 4-6 weeks (dry vetiver hay is indigestible); remediation of contaminated water and land; make urine soaking beds for livestock, reduce pests (pull Chilo stem borers from maize as well as being a harbour for predator insects and form a sharp leaf barrier that snakes and rodents can't get through).

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6-month old vetiver in Mandera

“For farmers in areas affected by droughts or floods, vetiver grass is an ideal pioneer plant, providing a stable foundation for other plants to establish,” Patrick pointed out.

Soil erosion is controlled by the grasses' stiff stems which reduce water speed curbing soil loss and water runoff. Soil deposited behind the hedge builds a natural terrace

Its strong deeply penetrative root system grows downward meaning it does not compete with neighbouring crops for food. This root system which grows to 3-4 meters makes it drought resistant.

Established hedges are resistant to overgrazing and fires.

It is adaptable to a range of local conditions, problematic soils, hard soil layers, and erratic rains. The grass can grow in highly acidic (pH4) and alkaline (pH8) soils. It is also largely resistant to pests, heavy metals, and toxins.

The grass has been promoted by Kenya Agriculture Research Institute (KARI) as a hedgerow to curb erosion. Its propagation has also been promoted by the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) within Nyanza.

Originally from India, Vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides), has been used in soil conservation especially in tea plantations and in essential oil production in Kenya since the early 1930s/40s.

Its roots do not invade adjacent areas as with grasses such as Kikuyu, Couch, and Bermuda. It often doesn’t flower and its seeds are sterile making it easy to domesticate.

Vetiver hedges should be established leaving no gaps (max distance 12-15cm) to be most effective. They are planted across slopes, along gullies or rills, and protect against soil erosion for life.

It is crucial that farmers plant the recommended Sunshine Vetiver strain as it is totally non-invasive. It is propagated vegetatively by the division of tillers or roots.

A list of authenticated vetiver growers across the country can be accessed here, www.vetiver.org

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: 23 June 2022; Hits: 3231

New miraa act demands registration for nursery operators & dealers

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By George Munene

The Crops (miraa) Regulations Act, 2021 will demand that farmers looking to operate a commercial miraa (khat) nursery obtain an annual license from their county government.

The license will be issued within five working days if the farmer has complied with Regulations and Miraa (Khat) industry- Code of Practice.

These include supplying quality planting material and keeping accurate records of distributed planting materials.

The nursery operator will also be required to submit annual commercial nursery returns to their county government.

Smallholder farmers are encouraged to register with a growers’ association to access economies of scale. The association should be registered under the Agriculture and Food Authority.

A miraa dealer entering into a contract with a miraa grower or grower association will need to register the contract with the County Government and submit a copy to the Authority. They’ll need to indicate the price payable to the grower and pay them for the Miraa delivered within seven days.

Miraa exporters will be registered in 30 days upon payment of Sh20,000 for an exporter's license and Sh2,000 for an exporter's permit. Importers will pay Sh30,000 and Sh5,000. An annual renewal fee of Sh10,000 will be charged for export and Sh15,000 for import.

Commercial miraa transporters and aggregators (a person who buys, collects, or sells miraa and miraa products to retailers and or exporters) will also be required to register with the Authority.

Anyone contravening this will be liable to three years imprisonment, a five million shillings fine, or both.

The packaged weight of miraa will not be allowed to exceed fifty kilograms.

Miraa vendors will also be required to register with their county government and sell miraa at designated points.

The Agriculture and Food Authority in consultation with the County Executive Committee Member will initiate and coordinate training programmes for service providers, growers and dealers to enable them implement these regulations.

The body will also hire inspectors and the county governments shall nominate county inspectors to carry out inspections of miraa produce and products to ensure they conform to these regulations, national, regional, and international standards.

The Crops (miraa) Regulations Act, 2021 also provides for the formation of a miraa pricing formula committee that will be appointed by the Agriculture Cabinet Secretary.

For the full report: THE CROPS (MIRAA) REGULATIONS, 2021

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: 21 June 2022; Hits: 3087

Soya growing breaths life into dying Mumias soils

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Soya bean is positioning itself as a lucrative commercial crop in Mumias with over 1000 farmers cultivating it thanks to empowerment by research groups and ready market from Promassidor. The leguminous crop is also being hailed as a remedy to the soils that have become ‘tired due to over use.

Organized under Mumias District Federation of Soya beans Farmers group (MUDESOF), the budding farmers were first introduced to the lucrative crop in 2006 by research and development projects under International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). The researchers were carrying out soil analysis and trial of various seeds of which Soya was outstanding. Little did the farmers know that coming on board as good Samaritans to the stranger researchers will eventually change their fortunes and water their pockets as Stephen Kasamani the leader of the group noted, “We volunteered to help the researchers in their quest for inquiries of the traits and variations in seeds and soils. We provided the land for trials, managed them and kept records like planting date and maturity periods.”

Due to the farmers’ goodwill and passion to see the success of the research projects, the development partners in return started providing them with knowledge, farm inputs, seeds, resource centers and even funds to empower more farmers in reach out programmes. Most farmers settled for the Soya and the trial farms gradually turned into seed multiplication centers. According to Kasamani, Soya was already being grown by various farmers in the region although on a small scale.

Therefore the introduction of better seed varieties, farm inputs and knowledge on better farming methods just endeared the crop to more farmers and even increased the acreage under it. Initially we never bothered about certified seeds and seed properties. But through the help of CIAT we realized the importance of all these factors and settled to the more nutritious and most sought after variety of SB 19.

Due to the steady increase in number of farmers adopting the crop, the production eventually subdued the farmers’ consumption and small scale local markets. Having helped them in their initial research and studies, Kasamani noted that CIAT sourced for them a lucrative market thorugh bringing on board of Promassidor in 2011. “Their coming on board almost made the crop go viral because of their lucrative prices and capability of having two harvests per year as opposed to Sugar cane which for a while has been fronted as the only viable cash crop.” Imagine being able to harvest and cash in Soya twice a year while Sugarcane can only be harvested once in two years, posed Kasamani. To him, this was just a jackpot deal that many farmers could not let go. Apart from providing farmers competitive prices, the company also provided transport facilities to the group and initially supported with all the farm inputs. Although it sounded like a jackpot, Kasamani advised that the crop needed dedication from the part of the farmers.

Unlike sugarcane, where millers like Mumias Sugar Company will provide almost everything for the farmer right from land preparation, providing of fertilizer, seeds, harvesting and transport; with Soya, all these inputs directly comes from the farmer. “I always advise many of the new farmers that the crop is not meant for lazy farmers but the proceeds from it are sweeter because there will be no exorbitant deductions that cane farmers experience. In fact sometimes cane farmers with little land almost get zero returns after harvests and instead they remain with company debts because the investments were much higher than the outputs. “With Soya what you harvest is all yours”, added Kasamani.

Currently the group attracts farmers from Mumias, Matungu and the border districts of Kakamega, Siaya and Butere. Although the crop still experience competition from other established stable crops like maize, on average, over 600 acres are under Soya cultivation per season. The crop is also helping in the fixation of nitrogen in their farms and some farmers are now adopting crop rotation to maximize returns from its ability to fix nitrogen in the soil.

In the long rain periods, some farmers intercrop the crop with maize but in the subsequent shorter rain period, most farmers opt for Soya hence the crop has positioned itself as a preferred and profitable choice for rotational farming. Rotating the crop fixes the poor soils and many maize farmers who plant maize after harvesting Soya are registering about 50 percent increase in yields… Iddi Makokha is one of the group member who has mastered the art rotating Soya bean with maize, a practice that the father of five have never regretted since its’ adoption.

“Initially, in an acre I used to acquire about 13-15 bags even after upholding all the best husbandry methods, however, the script changed for good after introduction of Soya in my farm. I first planted it with caution just on a little portion but when I planted maize the following season on the same portion, the one acre gave me five more bags. Out of excitement, there was no way I could not put all my four acres under Soya and currently I rotate Soya and Maize, a move that has not only enabled me feed my family but also get income from the sale of the surplus harvest,” explained Iddi.

The main group has smaller commercial village groups with farmers in order to ensure easy organization. The smaller commercial village groups are further organized into their own constitution and help farmers to acquire farm inputs and financing from financial institutions. According to Kasamani, “The organization into smaller village groups also enables us train the farmers easily and above all, their membership into the group also enables them to get personal loans from banks.”

As a result of their clear chain of command, Promassidor has partnered with Equity bank and recommend the farmers for personal loans. David Inyani Supply Chain Manager from the Promassidor explained that they are focused towards uplifting farmers livelihoods and will always work towards that. “We are concerned with farmers’ welfare and believe that an empowered farmer will even provide us with both the raw material, market and be a good brand ambassador hence having a healthy nation. Therefore, we are using our contacts in the business sector to uplift them.”

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