Smart farms

: 06 February 2018; Hits: 23521

Fact Sheet on Pepino melon farming

From an initial investment of Sh75, 000 a farmer investing in one acre of pepino melon farming is capable of making Sh295, 000 within three months.

The amount is three times higher than a farmer who plants maize and harvests an average of 30 bags per acre with each bag retailing at Sh3, 000. A farmer investing in the melons would also earn income in three months as compared to maize which take about six months to mature.

The initial amount would be used to purchase 4900 seedlings at the cost of Sh100 per seedling. The rest would be used for land cultivation and paying casual laborers.

Nyeri farmer earns Sh50, 000 in a week from selling pepino melon seedlings

Siaya banker earns Sh83, 000 a month from fruit seedlings side-hustle

The pepino melon plant is a perennial with a lifespan of four and half years, propagated from cuttings, and typically planted at a space of three by three feet. It can grow to a height of 1.2 meters when fully matured. The melon does well in drained and fertile soils but it does also well in other types, and only needs support to keep fruits above the ground. The plants yield fruits after three months.

An acre can support some 4900 sticks and, with rains or irrigation during dry periods, every plant can yield six to eight mature fruits per month.

Wilson Ndung'u, a pepino melon farmer picking the fruits ready for sale

To grow pepino melon, seeds are planted in the seedbed at a spacing of 30x30cm and in holes of about 30cm deep, and they sprout after about two weeks. They are then left to grow for about three weeks to a month and they are ready for sale.

One can also propagate the melon using cuttings, which are put in nylon bags filled with soil and manure. After a month of watering, the cuttings develop roots and new leaves start sprouting. They will then flower after a week signaling their readiness for sale.

The flowering starts almost immediately or within a week of transplanting right from the nursery/seedling bed. After planting, the fruits develop and they take about five to six months to start ripening. The fruit is harvested by plucking it from the plant, and it continues all through for up to three to years.

Pepino melons require moderate rainfall, organic manure mixed with soil at a ratio of 1:3 and inorganic fertilizer such as DAP or 17:17which is optional depending on the fertility of the soil. During dry seasons, mulching should be done to prevent much water from evaporating.

Pepino is entirely edible providing fiber that aids digestion. But the fruit also has large deposits of vitamin A, C, K and B, and is rich in minerals such as copper and iron, which are essential in blood formation and in boosting immunity. Potassium in the fruit also helps in lowering blood pressure and improving blood flow, as well as in central nervous system coordination.

The melon is also a diuretic, accelerating the passage of urine, which is a key benefit for patients with diabetes, which is prevalent in Kenya.

With 4900 plants a farmer who picks approximately 5 fruits per week would earn Sh24, 500 amounting to Sh294, 000 in three months’ time. The pepino melon market includes supermarkets across Kenyan towns, urban markets and groceries and consumers alike who visit farms to purchase the produce.

Pepino melon seedlings can be found by contacting Wilson Ndung’u on +254 723 117 816.

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: 01 February 2018; Hits: 14597

Zimbabwean business lady excels in dried food

Blessing Machiya

Blessing Machiya, the Director of Kaboko Naturally, suppliers of naturally dried food products to consumers in Zimbabwe, was voted as one of the 12 finalists in Gogettaz, a competition that involves entrepreneurs seeking financial injection and exposure for their business ventures from the entertainment company, Kwese Inc.

Kaboko Naturally, which is a subsidiary of Shumbakadzi Investments, was founded in March 2017 in a bid to provide a cheap alternative to canned food.

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The range of products includes locally grown organic varieties of fruit, vegetables, nuts and meat that are carefully dried in the sun so that they can used stored and consumed as meal or snack. Storage does not compromise their nutritional taste and value.

It is this entrepreneurial venture that secured Blessing a place for those contesting for the grand prize of $100,000 and two week mentorship program with Strive Masiyiwa, the founder and Executive Chairman of Econet Global, a telecoms group with presence in over 15 countries.

“I realized that farmers produce a lot of food from their farms but a substantial amount is lost in the post-harvest stage either due to lack of ready markets or poor storage practices,” said Blessing.

“I source most of the raw materials from small scale organic farmers, process it and sell the products to the local and export market, where I am in charge of all the procurement processes,”

The entrepreneur has employed one person to help her in sourcing and drying the produce manually. The drying period of the produce depends on the weather but it can approximately take three to four days. After it is completely dry, it is packaged and sold to various schools, retailers and supermarkets within Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second largest city. On a good week Blessing earns $300.

Blessing now 42 is a qualified secretary, proficient in public relations and office administration. At 19, she worked as a receptionist at a company that supplied mining equipment. She then became a personal assistant to the Managing Director and later promoted to a sales person.

In the year 2000 at the age of 25, Blessing started a company that supplied mining equipment and spares to local mining companies but unfortunately due to the economic situation in Zimbabwe at that time, the company ceased operations.

Thereafter she tried out different ventures from cross border trading, candle making, chicken rearing, growing and selling potatoes. She funded these projects using her own savings but with growing family demands, the mother of three knew more needed to be done to bring in more income.

In 2017, she registered her company, Shumbakadzi investment limited, with Zimbabwe Registrar of Companies.

Through Kaboko, under Shumbakadzi, Blessing aims to be the leading supplier of quality, dried, natural tasting, nutrient rich products made from organic plants and further support small scale farmers by buying locally grown produce from them, process and sell the products to consumers both in and out of Zimbabwe.

Blessing can be reached on +263 774 932 757 or by email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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: 30 January 2018; Hits: 8487

Government launches programme in colleges to increase tilapia production

The government of Kenya through the Ministry of Agriculture and in collaboration with other foreign ministries has launched the national aquaculture curriculum to promote and sustain tilapia farming in ponds within Lake Victoria catchment areas and across the country.

In partnership with the German Development Cooperation Agency (GDCA) and Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry’s Agency for International Development Cooperation, the modular curriculum will be offered in vocational training institutions, polytechnics and colleges in the country.

The course will teach on how to sustain the fish species population which is in decline at the Lake Victoria in turn helping promote clean environment while eradicating poverty through inspiring deviation into alternate fish-farming methods.

The curriculum which is backed by the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme, Africa’s policy framework for Agricultural transformation, wealth creation and food security, seeks to promote competency based hands-on training to enable fish farmers fully benefit from it.

“This curriculum is easy to use by farmers. It is currently running in institutions such as Ramogi Institute of Advanced Technology and Lake Basin Development Authority in Kisumu among others. It comprises 70 per cent practical hands-on aspects of learning and 30 per cent theory and through it, we expect to boost aquaculture to ensure the region’s tilapia output increases,” said Ladislao Di Domenica, the programme’s deputy manager.

The initial two-phased Trilateral Tilapia Cooperation, which was running in the country since June 2012 to December 2016 culminated in the development of the curriculum to continue offering insights to fish farmers to sustain their aquaculture activities, said Dr. Mathias Braun, GDCA’s Agriculture Programmes director.

The first phase focused on 10 counties in the Western Kenya region, with the latTer phase centering on up-scaling lessons learnt in phase one, and was implemented in Siaya, Bungoma and Kakamega.

“After providing the key knowledge to farmers, it was fair that we give them a means to learn more and develop their fish farming,” said Dr. Braun.

“So far results have been promising with 50 per cent increased profitability, a drop in ponds’ fish mortality rates, high reinvesting by fish farmers and private farms, increased yields and reduction in ponds’ maintenance and operation costs.”

The curriculum will ensure that knowledge on aquaculture spreads across the country and boosts the fish-farming sub-sector which is showing great potential to develop in future.

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