Smart farms

: 26 May 2017; Hits: 43789

Rabbit urine cuts pesticide and fertiliser costs

urine Rabbit.JPG

Brian Otwori stands next to a rabbit urine tapping hutch. Photo by Laban Robert.

Farmers using rabbit urine in production save on pesticide and fertiliser costs as the liquid offer major nutrients required by crops.

Organic fertiliser companies and few rabbit farmers are turning the urine into a business venture.

The cost of raw rabbit urine is between Sh400 and Sh500, according to Brian Otwori, a former Kisii University Animal Production student.

But companies that have packaged the urine sell it at Sh600 to Sh800 per half a litre.

The part time rabbit farmer says the urine business is more rewarding besides being a remedy for mineral deficiency in soils and a killer of crop pest.

“Urine has high levels of nitrogen. Nitrogen is a key element in healthy leaf formation. This makes it an appropriate folia boosting fertiliser. Because of the concentration of the compounds in the urine, the liquid also kills crop pests like aphids,” he said.

Aphids, mites, leaf miners and other pests drain crop sap in search of nutrients. On heavy infestation, the crops suffer from malnutrition as they discolourise. The leaves also shrink, effectively reducing the much needed surface area for food generation or photosynthesis, Otwori said.

Otwori was the manager of the rabbit section during his third and fourth years at the university. The section had more than 200 rabbits and urine was harvested for crops.

He says rearing rabbit for urine if one has a constant market for the product is more profitable than selling the animal for meat.

For the rabbits, which he rears at his Kebirigo, Kenyerere home, he sells a mature one at between Sh300 and Sh500 – depending on the weight.

But the same rabbit in a month can give three litres of urine, which if sold at Sh500 per litres could earn Sh1,500.

“Even if one does not have a market for the urine, they can use it in crop production. it will save them on fertilisers and pesticides.

According to the Permaculture Research Institute, the urine in litres has to be diluted with water in the ratio of 1:15.

Application has to be done around the roots the institute recommends.

The institute’s analysis shows that 5 per cent of urine contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium and other micro elements.

The content of the elements would vary depending on the diet.

The research institute says one person can release nitrogen enough for application on a 300-400m²at an application rate of 50-100kg per ha.

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: 16 May 2017; Hits: 15037

Smearing fish ponds with lime stops seepage

Fish pond at Langata Prisons farm, Nairobi. By Laban Robert.jpg

A polythene lined fish pond at Nairobi's Langata Men Prisons farm. Embu farmers are using lime to smear the ponds instead of polythene linings to prevent water seepage. Photo by Laban Robert.

A group of fish farmers in Embu County have turned to lime for hardening the walls of ponds as an alternative to the expensive synthetic linings.

Wiyake Fish Farmers Association, which has 60 members, has perfected the art of mixing red soil with lime to create earthen ponds, to reduce water loss.

Clay soil has the highest water retaining capacity. With devolution counties are empowering various group by encouraging fish farming.

But residents of areas having loam or sand soil cannot engage in fish farming because of the water seepage challenge. Such farmers depend on polythene linings to contain the water. The cost of heavy duty polythene lining per metres squire is more than Sh200.

Besides, it is prone to pricking and breakage with time, therefore, requiring regular replacement. Replacements come at a cost to the farmer.

The Embu farmers are mixing red soil with water and lime to make a thick paste that is smeared all round the pond.

The lime not only makes the walls of the pond firm, but also binds the particles together, leaving negligible room for seepage. The thickness of the paste is similar to that used in smoothening the surfaces of mud houses.

The floor and the walls of the pond have to be smoothened out carefully to avoid closing in air particles that will cause cracking. A crack becomes the starting wearing out and exit point for the water.

“We also do a continuous sprinkling with water to ensure that the surface does not dry as we smoothen the pond,” said Mwangi Kihungi, the group’s chairman.
The pond is then filled with water to the brim and the fingerlings are ready to be introduced.

“All our 60 farmers have already adopted the earthen ponds; they are already enjoying fish farming like their counterparts where clay soil is available. The lime lining is a cheaper alternative to the polythene ones, that are unaffordable to small-scale farmers, said Kihungi.

On may require more than Sh30,000 to purchase a good quality polythene lining for a 10m by 15m fish pond.

Bu the lime required for smearing the same pond may not exceed Sh10,000. The chairman said.

The high prohibitive costs of the new liners have driven other farmers into buying old greenhouse liners. The liners are not only ineffective in containing the water, with the piercings, but also risky to the fish since they may habour pesticide residues used in the greenhouses.

Martin Miako of Mbeere Constituency lost his entire fingerling stock after using liners bought from a flower farm in Naivasha.

“I just woke up one day to feed the fingerlings and found them floating in the pond,” he said.

At the same time, such linings also have a short life span in this secondhand use.

Tearing starts from the areas buried in the soil as a result of exposure to the sun. Pests like termites may also quicken the weakening of the polythene lining.

Lime, which is calcium oxide, is a strong binding agent.

It is used in stabilising shaky soils during heavy infrastructural construction such as roads and rails. The binding poser of the material bring ensure that the particles are closely packed to reduce the spaces for the passage of water and other liquids.

With the technology, fish farming may be boosted as the ponds can be constructed at the backyards.

The emergency of backyard fish farming is considered secure from thieves and other predators.

A well fenced compound reduces access of the pond by unauthorised people while wire meshes can also stop entry of other predators such as cats, dogs, birds, among others.

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: 11 May 2017; Hits: 8868

Steamed beans save cooking costs

Beans photo by CIAT.JPG

A farmer winnows beans. CIAT and other partners have come up with 12 beans varieties cooking within 15 minutes. Photo by CIAT

Consumers and bean traders will soon be spending about 100 minutes less in cooking the delicacy with the 12 newly released varieties from the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture, CIAT.

The precooked bens are subjected to steam before packaging for sale. The beans are ready for consumption in about 15 minutes.

After harvesting, the beans are subjected to boiling water that is releasing steam. The boiling water does not get into contact with the beans otherwise they will cook. The steam precooks the beans before packaging for the market.

The traditional beans take about two hours to cook. This duration becomes prohibitive for low class families who cannot afford the fuel to sustain the continued cooking.

CIAT says within the 15 minutes, consumers will require fuel of about Sh47 for one kilo of the beans.

This is a fairly affordable cost for most families. Beans are common delicacy in urban areas, where traders mix it with maize to prepare githeri or pure, in Swahili. The bans are also an accompaniment for other foods like rice, Irish potatoes, leaf vegetables, among others.

The beans will cut the cost to these ready to consume food traders.

For the families, which were prohibited from consuming beans regularly to supplement proteins and other minerals, cooking within 15 minutes will be a cheaper cost than the two hours spent on traditional varieties.

READ ALSO: Exporter wants runner beans

Besides proteins, the leguminous crop is rich in zinc, iron, calcium, selenium, among others. Fast cooking may help fighting malnutrition in low income families.

Various companies across Africa have been engaged to produce the seeds for the farmers. CIAT says about 10,000 farmers are already growing the varieties across the continent.

United Nations' food agency, Food and Agriculture Organisation, says more than 400 million people depend on beans in Africa.

After harvesting, the farmers are expected to deliver the beans to factories for processing and packaging.

Snack beans are also been developed alongside the precooked varieties. The beans only require salting and they are ready for consumption.

The programme of supporting the farmers is being rolled out in sub-Saharan Africa countries.

Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO), Lasting Solutions, National Agriculture Research Organisation of Uganda are some of the partners in the project.

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