Smart farms

KALRO to hold the first ever agricultural scientific conference and exhibition in Nairobi

The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) will hold the first ever scientific conference and exhibition at the company’s headquarters from 26^th to 28^th June 2019.

The theme of the conference will be “technologies and innovations for agricultural transformation, improved food/nutrition security and livelihoods”.

According to the United Nations Economics and Social Council, science and technology will ensure food security in Africa by 2030 as new and existing technologies will raise crop and livestock productivity and improve soil fertility thereby enhancing farmers’ lives.

The conference will provide a forum for sharing breakthroughs and achievements in agricultural research products and service, allow stakeholders to share innovative approaches and strategies for technology transfer for enhancing agribusiness and livelihoods, enhance partnerships and strengthen linkages among stakeholders such as farmers, researchers, exporters, government and the private sector.

It will also cover scientific research findings in areas of innovative technologies in food, horticulture, industrial crops, livestock genetic improvement, disease control and feeds.

High yielding and fast maturing grafted tree tomato seedlings variety now available for Kenyan farmers

Nairobi modern farmers’ market set to connect food producers directly with consumers

kalro science conference

Farmers will get a chance to learn on pre-and-postharvest and value addition technologies for improved local and global competitiveness at a time when they are losing an estimated 1.9m tonnes of food annually according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.

Of the total food wasted, maize, Kenya’s staple food was the most affected with the country losing Sh29.6bn worth of the crop. Green bananas were the second most affected crop as farmers lost Sh24bn worth of the produce.

Other produce that went to waste due to poor storage and handling, transport, and fungi attack, according to data contained in the 2018 Economic Survey released in April, includes Irish potatoes (Sh19.7bn), milk (Sh12.4bn), beans (Sh11.5bn), ripe yellow bananas (Sh5.6bn), sweet potatoes (Sh3.5bn), tomatoes (Sh2.4bn), pineapples (Sh2.4bn), sorghum (Sh1.9bn), and millet (Sh1.6bn).

According to the survey, Kenya loses approximately a third of its produce yearly through post-harvest losses.

Farmers will also be taught on mechanization along agricultural value chains, improved agricultural service delivery using ICTs, innovation platforms, extension channels, Innovations to increase opportunities for women and youth integration in agriculture, socio economics, policy, marketing and impact of agricultural technologies and private sector and county government involvement in technology uptake.

Farmers who would like to attend/register for the event can contact KALRO on +254-722-206-986 or +254-733-333-223.

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Cape gooseberry, wild fruit that can earn smallholders up to Sh750,000 an acre

cape gooseberries Cape gooseberry fruits. Photo courtesy.

Smallholder farmers in Kenya can grow and earn up to Sh750,000 an acre from Cape gooseberry, a traditional vastly seen as wild and self-propagating-commonly fruit found in farms after harvesting maize and which was left as food for the birds and hunters in forests.

However, the fruit’s nutritional value has resulted to its rise in demand especially among the current health conscious consumers.

According to researchers, Cape gooseberries are an excellent source of vitamins A, B, and C and rich in protein and phosphorus making it anti-inflammatory, and which could help in the management of cancer, leukemia, diabetes and hepatitis among other lifestyle diseases.

In addition, the leaves of the gooseberry are utilized as medicinal teas. More value added products such as gooseberry crumb cake, gooseberry cake, juice, jam and wine are other sources of income for the farmer.

Cape gooseberry is known differently in the Kenyan local dialects; the Nandi people call it Mboniik, the Luo know it as Nyamtonglo, Kikusyus call it Nathi, the Kisii call it Chinsobosobo, the Kamba Ngondu while the Kipsigis, Chelolo.

The Gooseberry takes the form of a small orange berry, when ripe, which varies in taste from sour to sweet, based on the soils they grow in.

Farmers in Europe and South Africa have recently cultivated it commercially after it gained popularity as an interesting component for salads and a tasty garnish for cocktails. The berries are also delicious when stewed with other fruit, like apples and they make for an interesting mix with meat and seafood.

However, in Kenya the farming of the fruit is yet to pick up to make it the next big thing after it was selected as one of the 100 crops for commercialisation in the Big 4 Agenda.

Other than that, its great health benefits might provoke farmers to consider it a great addition to their farms.

Cultivating the fruit is easy as all a farmer needs are seeds, which take 12-14 weeks from planting to maturity and it can be grown organically with livestock manures.

The average yield observed in Kenya is 8 to 10 tonnes per hectare but under optimal management, this crop can yield up to 13 tonnes per hectare.

A single plant can yield average 200 fruits which is about five grams each translating to 1000g or a kilo fruits per season.

RELATED ARTICLE: Rare fruit fetches KSh2,300 per Kg in Kenya

An acre can accommodate 2500plants which can yield 2500kg of fruits which if sold at Sh300 per kilo earn a gross income of Sh750,000.

A farmer can also earn from selling the fruits directly to consumers in open air markets where a handful goes at Sh25 each and a farmer can sell at least 80 such hand full a day raking in Sh2,000 just on a single day.

Seeds can be collected from uncultivated land in most areas after the rains or call 0720466433 for seeds.

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Weed tolerant maize for Western Kenya does well in both short and long season rains

Farmers in Western Kenya can now grow the KSTP 94 weed tolerant maize variety developed by the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization.

KSTP 94 is resistant to striga, a parasitic weed that causes up to 100 per cent crop failure in affected farms.

According to the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), striga weed infests over 20m ha of crops in sub-Saharan Africa each year causing losses estimated at Sh100bn thereby affecting over 100m people who depend on agriculture and specifically maize to sustain their livelihoods.

In East Africa, the weed infests over 1.4m hectares yearly with Kenya accounting for 340,000 ha of the total land invaded by the weed.

The striga weed normally causes stunted growth of cereal crops like maize and wheat by attaching itself to the roots of the host plant extracting essential nutrients and moisture necessary for growth.

How to identify genuine maize seeds this planting season

Drought tolerant yellow maize which can yield eight tonnes per acre best for silage making

maize kstp 94

The variety can yield up to 22 bags per acre and does well in both the short and long rainy seasons in Kenya.

Farmers can obtain seeds from KALRO-Kakamega or Dominion Farm, Lagrotech Seed Company, Sacred Africa or their nearest ministry of agriculture offices.

Alternatively, KSTP 94 is an open pollinated variety and farmers can select own seeds from the previous crop seed for the next season. In this, select cobs in the middle of the field as cobs at the edge are more likely to have been contaminated with pollen from neighboring maize plantations.

Dry the maize Dry the cobs separately to avoid mixing with other varieties at the homestead then shell the maize and treat with the recommended seed dressing chemical such as diatomaceous dust. Store the seeds in a cool dry place for the next season. Seed recycling is recommended for only three seasons and thereafter the farmer should get new seeds from the sources identified earlier.

In 2018, maize production in Kenya increased from 35m bags in the previous year to 46m bags.

Maize consumption in the country is estimated at 98 kilograms per person per year, which translates to 2.7 to 3.1m metric tonnes per year, according to Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy And Development 2016 research.

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