Smart farms

: 19 April 2017; Hits: 8394

Trenches save surface run-off water for semi-arid irrigation

Banana Muia Kusenga By Laban Robert.JPG

Muia Kusenga with Festus Mutemi. The farm has more than 10 trenches ans a tank that store water for irrigation for more than three months. Photo by Laban Robert.

As the long rain seasons starts, 83-year-old Muia Kusenga is removing the accumulated silt from the trenches to create space for collecting run-off water from the a nearby road for later irrigation.

Kusenga, who has dug more than 10 trenches in his farm in Machakos County, says the water helps him in irrigating the fruits for about two months after the rains.

Besides, the trenches drain the excess water into a more than 100,000 litre tank within the farm for storage.

“This is not just soil, but rich nutrient silt from for my grapes, loquats, avocados, goose berries, among other fruits. Even if the rains disappear for one to months from June, I will be safe for another three months with irrigation from the trenches and the tank water,” he said.

Leaves and other organic matter accompanying the surface run-off water keep rotting for the entire duration the water is in the 4feet to 5feet deep trenches. Together with the silt, the farmer says the organic fertiliser is ‘concentrated’ with minerals.

The trenches run end across the farm. They are interconnected at the ends so that after the first one is filled, the excess water flows to the next one.

The small ‘Garden of Eden’, as he calls this farm, survives through the dry seasons experienced in the semi arid county.

In other shallower trenches, he has grown yams. Yams do well in water-rich soils. But he says the moisture that is within the trenches is enough to sustain the crops until harvesting.

There are more than 50 fruit varieties grown this farm of about five acres. The colonial extension officer said he learnt from the Britons that “lack of rain does not mean lack of farming”.

The Kenya Meteorological Department has predicted that the long rains may not be intense as previous years, but they will continue until June this year.

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: 18 April 2017; Hits: 9453

Prioritise agriculture for development, Africa governments urged

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A farmer irrigates his vegetables in Western Kenya using a solar pump. African governments have been urged to help in accelerating agriculture for economic growth of the continent. Photo courtesy

Abidjan, Ivory Coast, 18 April, 2017 - Governments across Africa, private sector actors, donors and development partners were today urged to step up efforts to accelerate Africa’s path to prosperity, inclusive growth and decent jobs creation by moving from agricultural commitments to action.
The call was made at the official unveiling of Ivory Coast as the host of this year’s African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), hailed as premier continental agriculture gathering, to be held on 4-8 September 2017. The West African nation, a leading agricultural powerhouse and a hub of expertise in improving smallholder farming, will be the first francophone African country to host the annual forum.
Chosen for its leadership in placing agriculture at the heart of its economic transformation, Ivory Coast is among a few select African countries that have made the biggest investments in agriculture resulting in sizeable increases in both farm productivity and overall economic performance. These countries provide a shining example of agriculture’s potential to turnaround the continent’s economic fortunes.
Under the leadership of President Alassane Dramane Ouattara, the AGRF 2017 will focus on Accelerating Africa’s Path to Prosperity: Growing Economies and Jobs through African Agriculture.
Mamadou Sangafowa Coulibaly, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ivory Coast, emphasised his country’s commitment to continually improve the agricultural sector which is key to its economic development.

"Five years of significant investments through the National Agricultural Investment Plan have enabled the country to empower farmers and place them at the heart of Ivory Coast's economic transformation. The first phase of the NAIP contributed to a significant boost in our agricultural production, with more than 17 million tons of food crops in 2015 compared to 11,886 million tons in 2012. We are delighted to see that our efforts are being recognized internationally. We are confident that Phase 2 of the NIP, based on a more integrated approach that includes water resources management, health, electricity and education, will help to lift farmers out of poverty and further stimulate our economy. Ivory Coast is committed to developing its agricultural economy, this needs to be consolidated. "

Agriculture is the backbone of Ivory Coast's economy and its robust growth is driven by sustained investment in agriculture and smallholder farmers. The sector contributes 26 percent of GDP, 40 percent of all export revenue, close 75 percent of non-oil export revenue and employs close to 60 percent of the population. The 2016-2020 National Development Plan (PND) aimed at guiding the country into emerging nation status by 2020, considers agriculture as a key pillar and specifically calls for an increase in agricultural output.

Speaking at the launch event in Abidjan, Agnes Kalibata, President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), said: “Agriculture is now back at the top of Africa’s development agenda as an economic driver for inclusive and sustainable development. After Seizing the Moment at AGRF 2016 and securing political, policy, and financial commitments of more than $30 billion (Kes31 trillion). As agriculture is the surest path to Africa’s prosperity, we now need to harness this surge of support for agriculture and ensure it creates decent jobs and drives economic growth across the continent.”
Similar sentiments were echoed by the President of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina.

Highlighting the Bank’s prioritization of the agriculture sector against its $24 billion (Kes2.48 trillion) Feed Africa strategy, Adesina said: “AGRF 2017 will bring together stakeholders in the African agricultural landscape to share lessons on countering the challenges being experienced in the agricultural sector across the African continent. The forum, expected to host African Heads of State, ministers, farmer organizations, private agribusinesses, financial institutions, researchers, development partners, and implementing organizations, will provide a platform where delegates can discuss and advance policies, programmes, and scalable investments for the enhancement of agricultural transformation and food security. Through its Feed Africa Strategy, the African Development Bank will raise its financing of agriculture to over USD24 billion (Kes2.48 trillion) in the next 10 years.”
AGRF is an alliance of partners that care about, commit to and invest in Africa’s agricultural transformation.

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: 18 April 2017; Hits: 44031

Charcoal chicks brooder for off the grid farmers

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Chicks around the Economical Brooder Jiko from Milele Farm. The jiko is a solution to farmers who do not have electricity. Photo courtesy.

In helping farmers who do not have electricity in raising chicks, innovators have come up with a charcoal powered brooder made from clay.
Milele Farm, a poultry rearing enterprise, has created a brooder from clay, resembling a traditional cooking pot.
Lit charcoal pieces are placed in the pot to bun and release convectional heat to the surrounding to keep the chicks warm.
Chicks require heat for the first five weeks when feathers are developing. After this period, they can maintain their own body temperature.
With a two-kilo tin full of charcoal, the Economical Brooder Jiko can run for up to 16 hours serving about 300 chicks of less than three weeks, Milele Farm Director James Mwaura said.
The brooder is made from refined clay. Clay soil is a non-metal, therefore, a bad conductor of heat. That means the releases of the heat to the brooding house is slow.
“Cooking apparatus made from clay keep foods warm longer than their metal counterparts. The economical brooder borrows the same insulation property from traditional cooking pots. The charcoal burns to release convectional heat that to keep the chick’s brooding area warm,” Mwaura said.
The pot has holes and a lid on top. The holes allow for entry of oxygen into the charcoal chamber to support burning. Because the holes are few and around the neck of the pot, the injury risk to the chicks is low.
The holes at the top of the pot also help in regulating the amount of oxygen entering the charcoal chamber. Low amount of oxygen give prolonged hours of burning, the director said.

Apart from helping farmers, who are not connected to electricity, the jiko can also help during power blackouts.
Just like the bulb brooders, the chicks move far away from the pot when the heat is more than they need. A safety guard must, however, be placed around the pot to prevent the young birds from burning.
The brooding space has to be wide enough to allow for free circulation of air. This averts death from carbon dioxide poisoning due to crowding and reduced oxygen supply.
The Nairobi-based farm uses the jiko in raising its chicks.
A two kilogramme tin filled with charcoal, not necessarily to kilos in weight, cost between Sh50 and Sh70 in various parts of Nairobi.
That means if one if to use the brooder f for 16 hours, they will spend between Sh100 and Sh140.
Saw dust and briquettes may save farmers more energy give that their burning is slower than charcoal.
The brooders is sold at Sh1,000.
Mwaura can be reached on +254764004854

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Wednesday, 13 April 2022 [quote=Stephen Isogol]I need the jiko urgently [/quote] Hi Stephen, reach Milel...

Tuesday, 05 April 2022 I need the jiko urgently

Saturday, 29 January 2022 I have learned something very interesting