Pests

: 27 September 2018; Hits: 9289

Hermetic metal silos help farmers save 25 per cent grain losses without use of chemicals

Farmers can save up to 25 per cent of their cereals from losses by using hermetic metal silos to store their grains. The silo with a capacity of 250kg is an innovation of the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) and is suitable for small scale farmers.

Due to unreliable storage options that consist of using discarded sacks and basins, many farmers are forced to sell their crops at harvest time when prices are at their lowest, and pay higher prices later in the year to purchase maize grain back for food. Farmers also often have to purchase chemicals to control pests and rodents attacking their stored cereals.

Grains constitute the basis for food security for the majority of the population in Kenya and Africa at large and are a central component in the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. Significant volumes are however lost through post- harvest operations due to attack by pests making farming an expensive venture. It is reported that the region loses 25 to 30 per cent of cereals during market storage according to the Eastern African Grain Council.

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HERMETICSILO

Eliud Njoroge, a crops researcher at KALRO displaying new hermetic metal silo. PHOTO/JAPHET RUTO

Whereas quantitative post-harvest losses result into a direct loss of saleable weight, qualitative losses lead to a loss in market opportunity and grain nutritional value and may pose a serious health hazard of aflatoxicosis if linked to consumption of Aflatoxin-contaminated grain.

Aflatoxin is a toxin produced by a fungus that grows on certain crops, such as maize and groundnuts. Consumption of high levels of aflatoxin can be fatal, and chronic exposure has been linked to liver cancer, suppressed immune response, and child stunting. Maize is a staple food in Kenya and is a major source of aflatoxin exposure in the country.

In 2004 for instance 125 Kenyans died after consuming aflatoxin-infested food. In 2016, agricultural experts and the Kenya Bureau of Standards warned of presence of the deadly toxin in food such as maize flour and milk sold in supermarkets across the country.

The number of people dying from cancer thus has doubled over the last five years from 20,000 to 40,000 according to the Kenya Network of Cancer Organisations.

According to Eliud Njoroge, a crops researcher at KALRO, no chemicals are required for preservation purposes if farmers adopt this method of storage. Farmers can store grains for a longer period of time meaning more income in and out of season.

Procedure for storing grains in hermetic metal silos

Dry the grains for at least three days and clean them before loading them into silo. Put the silo under a roof and on wooden platform to avoid corrosion and exposure to the sun or rain then load grains into the silo from the inlet at the top.

Place a candle on top of the grain and light it. The candle will consume oxygen in the silo and hence make the silo unsuitable for pests. While the candle is burning, place the lid and seal the silo using rubber band on both inlet and outlet. The candle will go off after exhausting the oxygen in two to five minutes. Don’t open silo for 20 to 30 days after sealing so that weevils and eggs can die for lack of oxygen. When the silo is opened, always seal the outlet after scooping the desired amount of grain.

The silos can be obtained at KALRO at Sh12,000 via Eliud Njoroge who can be reached on +254 706 983 021.

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: 20 September 2018; Hits: 7690

How to avoid farm milk spoilage

Small scale farmers can avoid farm milk spoilage by observing high quality hygiene standards so as to prevent rejection of milk by dairy processors.

The International Livestock Research Institute in June 2017 released a research showing high levels of aflatoxin in Kenyan foods such as meat, milk and maize. The ILRI study established that Kenya had aflatoxin levels of between 0.02 parts per billion (ppb) to 9661 ppb with positive samples ranging from 75-100 per cent.

The study revealed that 72 per cent of milk sampled from dairy farmers across the country had aflatoxins. In this, 84 per cent of the milk came from large and medium scale farmers. 99 per cent of pasteurized milk in the market had aflatoxins which exceeded the Food and Agriculture Organization’s limit of 50 parts per trillion.

According to the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, spoiled milk has various characteristics such as bad smell, appearing watery, clots on boiling and is yellow-brownish in color.

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milk inspection

Milk inspection. Courtesy

There are various causes of milk spoilage which include the cow, the milk man and the environment. The cow may collect mud, dung or straws from the shed which may contaminate the produce at milking time. Spoilage can also occur when the milk man fails to wash hands before milking and uses dirty utensils to store milk.

To curb this, wash the mud off the cow before milking including the udder with a clean cloth soaked in warm water.

Control diseases like mastitis which contaminate milk by cutting the udder hair short and culling of cows which do not respond to treatment to prevent the disease from spreading to the rest of the herd.

Wash the milking utensils used in hot water after before and after use. Maintain the milk shed by constructing a concrete floor and roof the shed with iron sheets.

While milking, check for clots and reddish brown color which are indicators of presence of mastitis.

After milking sieve the milk with a strainer or a muslin cloth to remove unwanted particles. Cover the milk and place it in a cool place.

Milk infected cows last and ensure that you dip the teats in an antiseptic tit dip and discard the milk.

In case of suspicion of mastitis in a cow then take a sample of milk and send it to the nearest veterinary research lab for testing.

Overall, the dairy industry in Kenya contributes approximately four percent of the Gross Domestic Product and provides 750,000 and 500,000 direct and indirect jobs respectively.

In the first three month of 2018, milk production increased by 26 per cent from 47m kilos recorded in January to 60m liters in March according to the Kenya Dairy Board.

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: 13 September 2018; Hits: 6929

Herbal doctor invents machine that extracts juice to protect crops from diseases

Thomas Kioko, a medicinal herbal doctor from Ruring’u, Nyeri County has innovated a medicinal juice making machine that is used to make herbal products using innovative mechanical techniques.

“We are in the process of finding out how herbal products can be used in crop protection in agriculture” said Kioko who is an herbal doctor at Ruring’u school of alternative medicine and technology.

At the moment the medicinal juice made from tree roots, stems, branches, barks, leaves and seeds is used to treat over 300 lifestyle diseases such as hypertension, cancer and diabetes.

The World Health Organization reports that 30 per cent of Kenyans are now suffering from premature deaths due to physical inactivity and unhealthy diets. According to the survey in the last 10 years, lifestyle diseases kill more than 100,000 Kenyans aged between 30 and 70 years each year.

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kioko med

Thomas Kioko explaining how the machine works. Photo: FarmBiz Africa

Kioko says that after a careful research process, he found that each and every part of a tree has chemical substances which when processed creates herbal medicine. The juice is mostly made from indigenous trees of various species.

After harvesting trees, the specific part like a bark is dried using green energy i.e. the sun until is completely dry, the dried parts are then chopped using a medicinal plant chopping machine and put in a shredding machine whose grinding parts & teeth grounds the parts into powder. The powder is used to make syrup, tablets and capsules.

Kioko notes that their medicine has been analyzed by the Kenya Medical Research Institute and found fit for the management of various diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, breast cancer, sickle cell anaemia, skin diseases, asthma and rabies in dogs.

Kioko sells the medicine in several packages with the smaller for 250g going for Sh250.

He can be reached on +254729517819 or +254722442501.

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