Smart farms

: 08 November 2017; Hits: 37692

Facts on spring onion farming

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Spring onions also called Scallions or Green and Bunching Onions are very easy to grow both for subsistent and commercial purposes and consumers like them because they can be used in variety of recipes as seasoning in soups and salads hence their other name- Salad Onions.

These variety of onions are non-bulbing grown from seeds. It is an early and highly productive onion grown for stems rather bulbs with attractive tasty dark green leaves. The journey of spring onions begins from the nursery and later transplanted in the field for good establishment.

Nursery

“Interested farmers should prepare raised beds a metre wide and work in a well decomposed manure at a rate of 15kg or 1 full medium bucket per metre square followed by phosphate fertilizer at a rate of 20g per metre square and mix thoroughly,” said Eliud Njoroge, crop researcher at Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (Kalro).

Seeds are then supposed to be planted in already made furrows about 15cm apart 2-3cm deep. To make the seeds much safer in a good position for germination, a mulch of grass or banana leaves should be made over the bed to protect the seeds from splashing out when the bed is irrigated.

Spring onions germinate after 10 days. The mulch is then removed and used to make a shade above the tender plants. Transplanting of seedlings is done about 4-6 weeks after sowing in the nursery or when the seedlings have pencil thick base and a height of about 15cm.

“Two weeks before transplanting any shade should be reduced to improve seedling survival rate in the field,” said Njoroge. “Spring onions do well in well-drained soil with a pH value ranging between 6.3 and 6.8,” he added.

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Transplanting

Transplanting is done in cool weather thus early in the morning or late in the evening because they are very tolerant to sun scotch. They are planted in rows already made in the field 30cm apart and 8 cm within the row. In case transplanting is done during dry season, the field should be irrigated before and after planting to enable them establish.

A farmer can do a top-dressing by CAN fertilizer of 9kgs per acre roughly four weeks after transplanting. Spring onions mature so fast that they tend not to suffer from pests and diseases thus in 70 days or less. But in case of any pests and diseases a farmer should spray with fungicides. This will eliminate fungal diseases like mildews. Insecticides are also good for pests especially onion thrips.

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Harvesting

Harvesting time can come by as early as two months after sowing seeds, but some need another 2-4 weeks. “Spring onions are ready to eat when the leaves are standing tall, green and succulent,” said Njoroge.

In case a farmer want to harvest the entire bulb and the leaves then using a fork to dig around the plant is advised to keep from damaging it inadvertently. This can also boost their marketing potential.

Farmers with small pieces of land can enter into the farming of spring onions, as they are easy with a wide range of climatic conditions. In Kenya a 142-kilogram bag of spring onions is currently retailing with an average market price of 2,183 shillings across the country.

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Saturday, 22 January 2022 Pls I want to buy spring onions seeds

: 06 November 2017; Hits: 32481

Silage making method for smallholder farmers

As the dry season looms between January and April, farmers need to plan early to ensure their animals have adequate feed during the period. According to Samuel Tangus, a Dairy Researcher Officer at Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization farmers should prepare silage from excess forage when it is still green and of good quality.

"It is important for farmers to ascertain extra diets that can improve on their livestock health and enhance milk production" says Tangus.

Smallholder farmers in Kenya face many challenges during the dry season due to dwindling feed for their animals. Farmers usually lack good quality feed that can enhance milk production as their animals depend on various grasses which are only available in abundance during the wet season. As such, poor feeding leads to poor health and low milk production hence farmers get low income from their livestock.

According to a report by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, milk production dropped by 17.5 per cent in the first five months of 2017 forcing the government to allow tax-exempt milk powder imports to stabilise prices. The report further indicates that 215.9 million litres were sold to processors between January and May compared to 261.9 million litres in a similar period in 2016. In order to curb this and ensure there is enough milk supply in 2018, farmers can make silage using the surplus forage.

Related article: Farmers make silage from sweet potato vines

Step one

Prepare a shallow pit, preferably on slightly sloping ground. The depth of the pit should decrease from the higher side of the sloping ground to the lower side giving a wedge-like shape. Dimensions of the pit depend on the amount of forage to be stored. 72 cubic feet (2 cubic metres) holds 1000 kg (or 20 bags) of fresh, chopped material. This requires 2030 liters of molasses and 10 meters of polythene sheeting.

Molasses is an important ingredient on dairy farms as it is used to provide sugar to animals, improve palatability of feed rations and is used in silage making to aid in fermentation.

A 20 kg liter can of molasses in Kenya retails at an average of Sh.300- 500 depending on the location while polythene bags cost about Sh 110 per meter.

Step two

Chop the forage to be ensiled to lengths of about 1 inch tong using either a panga or a chaff cutter.

Step three

Place polythene sheeting over the sides and floor of the pit so that the forage does not come into contact with soil.

Step four

Empty 1 bag of about 50 kg of chopped material into the plastic lined pit and spread into a thin layer. Repeat this till the pit is filled to 1/3 (6 bags).

Step five

Dilute 1 liter of molasses (that is about 1 kg Kasuku tin full) with 3 liters (3 Kasuku tins) of water. Sprinkle this mixture over the layer of chopped forage. Use a garden sprayer to distribute the solution evenly. This helps to feed the micro-organisms to make the silage acid quickly, which will prevent rotting.

Step six

Press the forage down with your feet or a suitable weight (e.g. a drum full of water) to force out as much air as possible. This will prevent fungi attacking and destroying the forage.

Step seven

Add another bag of the chopped feed, sprinkle diluted molasses and compact the forage again. Repeat this process of adding forage, diluted molasses and compacting until the pit filled is in a doom shape.

Step eight

Cover the pit after a final pressing with polythene sheeting to prevent water seeping into the silage and dig a small trench around the sides of the pit.

Step nine

Then, cover the pit with soil: a layer of 24 inches (in the case of wet, fresh fodder) up to 36 inches (in the case of more dry forage) of soil to keep the air out and to prevent damage of the polythene by rain, birds and rodents.

Step 10

The conservation of the material by microorganisms takes a couple of weeks. Thereafter, it can be fed, but you better leave it until a time of feed shortage. With good sheeting and enough soil on it, the silage can be kept well for 1 - 2 years.

Step 11

Open the pit from the lower side of the slope. Remove enough material for one day's feeding, and then cover the open end again. A grade cow may eat up to 30 kg of silage per day. To ensure that the milk has no silage smell, feed after milking or at least 3 hours before milking. Silage offers a store of feed for the dry season. It ensures that animals remain in good condition; farmers get more milk at a better price thus more income in the dry season.

For more information on polythene sheets farmers can Contact GREKKON LIMITED | RHAPTA ROAD, WESTLANDS | Tel: +254 735962626 | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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: 02 November 2017; Hits: 17307

Tomato farming creates a 4.3M job for Laikipia youth

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A section of Livingstone's farm in Laikipia. He has three seasons of planting and harvesting in a year.

At a time when higher learning institutions are producing graduates yearly and releasing then to the limited job markets as compared to high number of the qualified job seekers, one Laikipia youth has decided to do tomato farming as his full time job earning him over 4.3 million annually.

Livingstone Ng’ang’a, 23, a resident of Ng’arua village in Laikipia County started tomato farming four years ago after learning what other farmers within his surrounding were doing. He acquired one and a half acre from his parents which he decided to till and try a number of crops to see which one could do better.

“When I started farming I did not have advanced knowledge but after tomatoes performed fairly better among my first crops to grow, I decided to major in it and since then my yields have been increasing impressively,” said Ng’ang’a

His efforts attracted Cooper K-Brands Ltd (CKL) agronomists who in 2015 used his farm to offer agronomical training to a number of farmers within the area. The training exposed him to the company’s products like AfriKelp LG-1, the CKL’s brand product which helps tomatoes produce their own hormones resulting into more roots, a stronger and healthier plant that can take up more available nutrients and defend itself better against biotic and abiotic stress factors, resulting in higher yield and quality crops.

“Before training and introducing AfriKelp LG-1 to my tomatoes, I used to harvest between 150-200 boxes of tomatoes per season this has changed to 300-400 boxes,” said Ng’ang’a.

"We are happy that Livingstone is one of those farmers who have accordingly applied our products and training to his farm practices and he is progressively doing well in his tomato farming,” said Hiram Ngung’u, CKL agronomist.

The major markets for Ng’ang’a’s Shanty F1 tomato variety include Muthurwa market in Nairobi, Laikipia town, Daraja Mbili market in Kisii County and Rongo town in Migori County. He sells a box of tomatoes at Sh6000 or even more when the demand is high.

In a good season Ng’ang’a harvests five lorries each carrying 72 boxes of tomatoes. This rakes Sh1, 440,000 minus all the expenses. Ng’ang’a has three seasons of planting and harvesting in a year meaning at the end of every year he pockets Sh4, 320, 000 and spend Sh216, 000 paying his four workers, on transport plus farm input expenses.

For tomatoes or advice on tomato farming reach Ng'ang'a through 0725511906

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