It is common to spot rickety trucks in Karangi Village of Gatanga, Murang’a County, crisscrossing the chilly hamlet, picking up avocado fruits in the evenings to be transported to Nairobi ready for export.

On the dusty and bumpy feeder roads, it is hard to miss the rotting fruits usually rejected by the aggregators, due to immature harvesting or low quality standards.

And driving along the Thika-Sagana highway, which cuts across the county, avocado seedlings dot the road, and traders are making a killing selling the grafted Hass and Fuerte avocado varieties for Sh150 to Sh400 per piece. Business is booming, going by the number of stopovers travellers make at the nurseries.

Most (80%) of the acreage under avocado is planted with Fuerte followed by Hass, Pinkerton, Ettinger, Reed, Simmonds and Puebla (Mugambi, 2002).

The common rootstock cultivars are Fuerte and Puebla (Griesbach, 2005).

Most registered nurseries that propagate avocado in Rift Valley (31), Central (29) and Eastern (23) Provinces whereas Western, Nyanza, Coast and Nairobi Provinces have between 1 and 6 (HCDA, 2004; Griesbach, 2005).Most (80%) of the acreage under avocado is planted with Fuerte followed by Hass, Pinkerton, Ettinger, Reed, Simmonds and Puebla (Mugambi, 2002).

Several kilometres away in Kiamutiga Village, Tetu in Nyeri County, it is the same script, but with different players. Mr Jesse Mworia, of Forest Edge Nurseries, said business was good. Going by the trends across several counties, including Murang’a, Meru, Embu, Nakuru, Nyeri, Kiambu, Trans Nzoia, Kisii and new entrants Kakamega and Uasin Ngishu, an avocado revolution is happening.

This nutritionally complete fruit that is a treasure trove of essential vitamins and minerals, is literally on every farmer’s mind.

Even the populous maize growing Rift Valley has joined the bandwagon.

And stung by the avocado bug, many farmers are transitioning from subsistence farming to the high-value export market through contract farming. Murang’a County leads in avocado production, accounting for 57 per cent of what is produced by the counties. It produces

It produces mostly the Hass and Fuerte varieties. Hass takes 20 per cent, while Fuerte 80 per cent of the export market. Duke, Pueble and G6 are for the domestic market.

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With benchmarking activities by newly entrant counties into avocado producing regions at its peak, avocado is poised to be the next “gold”. Smart Farmer Magazine recently caught up with the Deputy Governor of Uasin Gishu, Mr Daniel Chemno, and his team who had travelled to Murang’a on an avocado farming fact-finding mission.

“We want to change from being branded the food basket to the money basket due to this fruit,” said Mr Chemno. According to him, Uasin Gishu had an elaborate plan to turn around the fortunes of avocado farmers. The county has set aside about Ksh20 million to improve the status of the fruit.

“We are currently working with contract farmers and large scale avocado producers to transform farming, which is undergoing a myriad of challenges,” he added.

The county is using extension services and whereas Western, Nyanza, Coast and Nairobi Provinces have between 1 and 6 (HCDA, 2004; Griesbach, 2005). Several kilometres away in Kiamutiga Village, Tetu in Nyeri County, it is the same script, but with different players. Mr Jesse Mworia, of Forest Edge Nurseries, said business was good.

Going by the trends across several counties, including Murang’a, Meru, Embu, Nakuru, Nyeri, Kiambu,Trans Nzoia, Kisii and new entrants Kakamega and Uasin Ngishu, an avocado revolution is happening.

This nutritionally complete fruit that is a treasure trove of essential vitamins and minerals, is literally on every farmer’s mind.

Even the populous maize growing Rift Valley has joined the bandwagon. And stung by the avocado bug, many farmers are transitioning from subsistence farming to the high-value export market through contract farming. Murang’a County leads in avocado production, accounting for 57 per cent of what is produced by the counties.

It produces mostly the Hass and Fuerte varieties. Hass takes 20 per cent, while Fuerte 80 per cent of the export market. Duke, Pueble and G6 are for the domestic market. With benchmarking activities by newly entrant counties into avocado producing regions at its peak, avocado is poised to be the next “gold”.

Many parts of the country are experiencing above-average downpours. This has led to flooding in some areas, ravaging both animal and human lives. In some regions, it has been moderate, promising a bumper harvest, making it either a boon or bane, depending on whom you ask and where they come from. Without a doubt, the season presents peculiar challenges to livestock farmers, but also comes with promise and opportunities.

In this article, I will highlight aspects relating to animal husbandry that are key for farmers to heed to ensure that they sustain production and the survival of their treasured livestock. We shall look at the different aspects of animal husbandry that cut across livestock ventures.

Housing

Feeding

Disease Control

Article by:

Department of Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology

Egerton University.

Contacts – nderitunyaga@gmail.com 0729562450

Farmers can now access high quality semen and AI services, at very affordable prices from leading semen producer, Kenya Animal Genetic Resources Centre (KAGRC) https://kagrc.go.ke/ 

Formerly Central Artificial Insemination Station (CAIS), KAGRC, was established under the State Corporation Act through a legal Notice No. 110 of September 2011 in 1946. Its objective was to control breeding diseases and ensure genetic improvement of the national cattle population.

Currently , the centre produces, preserves and conserves animal genetic material such as semen embryo, tissues, and live animals. It rears breeding bulls and provides  high quality disease-free semen locally and for export.

KAGRC collaborates with other breeding organisations including the Kenya Stud Book, the Dairy Recording Services of Kenya and the Livestock Recording Center, to achieve its mandate.

The sires of KAGRC bulls are selected from internationally renowned sires for milk production, components, longevity and type traits. The dams of the bulls come from registered milk recorded herds that are superior in production, longevity and fertility.

The centre mainly recruits bulls from Kenyan cattle population and only a few are produced through embryo transfer. Bulls of Friesian, Ayrshire, Guernsey, Jersey, Sahiwal and Boran breeds are reared. The number of bulls per breed is based on demand from farmers.

Semen produced in accordance with internationally accepted standards (OIE regulations), is properly labeled and examined for viability prior to distribution.

Reports from KAGRC agents and farmers indicate that the conception rates on heifers and adult cows is 1.2 and 1.4 inseminations per conception respectively. With KAGRC semen, one is assured that the cow/heifer will conceive; if all other factors are right.

The centre has devolved A.I. services to the farming communities through its substations in Kirinyaga, Sotik, Eldoret, Tharaka Nithi, and Nyahururu and appointed distribution agents in over 40 counties. It provides support services for own-farm semen collection and storage, updated information on our bulls, and extension services to farmers. In addition, tested A.I. equipment is available at affordable prices.

It also collaborates with tertiary institutions and A.I service providers on genetic selection, semen production and handling in addition to assisting counties to revitalise their A.I services for increased livestock productivity.

Currently, KAGRC is finalising on construction of the first Dairy Goat Centre in Africa,  to produce and distribute dairy goat germplasm for improved productivity of Kenyan dairy goatsto an average of 4-6litres per day per goat.

It has  made concerted efforts to build capacity in embryo transfer and other upcoming breeding technologies have been made, in order to distribute embryos at affordable prices to farmers. This will see the centre upscale its operations for eventual improvement of the livestock industry.

For more information please contact:

Managing Director,

Kenya Animal Genetic Resources Centre,

P.O. Box 23070-00604,

Lower Kabete, Nairobi.

Cell Phone: 0728899767; 0737540670

Landline: 020-2064018

Sales Office Line: 0786204400

Email: info@kagrc.co.ke

Website: www.kagrc.co.ke

Of all the animal parasites, ticks are one of the most stubborn. They are a menace and can cause havoc of monumental propositions despite their miniature stature. They transmit some of the most economically important animal diseases, affecting both productivity and profitability of livestock. Their irritation affects animal feeding, which reduces intake, subsequently reducing milk yield and weight gain. The cost associated with tick management is huge, especially because many of them develop resistance to acaricides pretty fast. The eradication of ticks is a pipe dream and the key goal is to keep them in check.

Proper and effective management of ticks is based on several factors:

  1. Understanding the biology of ticks.

Ticks are not all the same. They differ in size, shapes, colour and predilection sites (preferred sites of attachment on a host). Equally, there are species’ differences in their biology. Of paramount importance in regard to their management is the life cycle. Generally, ticks undergo metamorphosis from egg, larva, to nymph and adult. Some ticks will climb onto the host, at the larval stage after hatching and stay until they become adults. The females will then drop off to lay eggs after mating. Such a tick is called a one-host tick. Others will parasitise on different hosts across their life cycles. They are either two-host or three-host ticks. It is important to understand the specific tick to be controlled in this respect, as it will influence the frequency of application of an acaricide. As a diligent farmer, consult your veterinarian to examine the ticks in your farm and institute a corresponding tick control strategy;

Although this is not the only method of controlling ticks, it is the most common. Acaricides are chemicals used to kill ticks and mites. They are mainly used in dips or applied using sprayers. There many classes of chemicals used, including organophosphates, carbamates, pyrethrins & synthetic pyrethroids among many other classes.

Development of resistance is the major challenge in   use of acaricides.  This means that once effective acaricides can lose their potency and have no effect on the ticks. Many farmers grapple with this reality. Additionally, the acaricide’s environmental degradation and residues of the same in animal products are important aspects to consider in their use.

Most farmers do not understand the active chemical in an acaricide. Since the same compound can be traded by different companies under different names, farmers just change the trade name on the packaging, oblivious of the fact that the compound is the same and this fuels resistance. It is paramount for farmers to seek professional advice as they design an ‘acaricide rotation’ schedule.  Additionally, these chemicals must be used properly and prudently according to the manufacturer’s guidelines;

For effective tick control, a series of complementary measures must be put in place. As we have seen earlier, there is no magic or wonder drug to wipe out ticks. As a farmer, you must be deliberate in the endeavour to control these little menacing creatures.

First, it is advisable that animal breeds are selected with their tolerance in mind, especially in areas where tick-borne diseases are a big problem.

Manage your grasslands to ensure that there are reduced populations of ticks. This can be achieved by rotational grazing, alternating crops and pastures as well as alternating animals that utilise the pastures for example alternating sheep with cattle.

Thirdly, proper use of acaricides is important. Acaricides rotation should be practised as informed by your animal health professional. The more you keep the tick population in check on your farm, the less trouble they give. For farmers with different species of animals, ensure that you control ticks in all, including chicken. Dogs are especially notorious for bringing ticks to your farm from their errands.

Finally, tick-borne diseases are expensive to treat. Please make tick control a priority.

Dr Nderitu Nyaga, BVM, MSc,

Department of Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology,

Egerton University

By James Kamau

Most people will throw away the messy remnants from burning firewood, including the ash. It is because they do not know that what they consider as waste can be beneficial in their farms.

Ash, especially for an organic farmer, is a very important asset.

There are many types of ashes but the ash from wood and plant matter is the best for use in gardens compared to that obtained from coal, briquettes or fake logs.

When applied to soil, ash provides important nutrients such as carbon, potassium and lime. It also controls pests in the garden and on animals and trace elements like phosphorus, calcium, and boron.

Potassium contained in wood ash regulates water balance, keeping plant tissues firm and juicy. Lack of potassium causes plants to become vulnerable to frost, dry climate, pests, and diseases.

Keep your ash as potassium is very soluble and if your ash is rained on, it will be lost through leaching.

Potassium helps in transporting nutrients and creating starches and sugars in plants.

Use ash around the roots of crops such as potatoes or carrots, peas, and beans as well as soft fruit bushes like plums, pears, cherries, strawberries, and blackcurrants.

Apply it sparingly since excess alkalinity can negatively affect plants that prefer acidic conditions. Too much alkalinity can also hinder the functions of some organisms in the soil or compost.

Uses of ash:

1. Ash raises the pH of acidic soil. Sprinkle it lightly onto the soil and mix. However, test your soil pH before application and avoid adding it onto soil with high pH. Do not add ash onto crops that thrive in acidic conditions such as sweet potatoes;

2. Apply lightly between the layers of compost materials to reduce acidity;

3. It fights frost and fungi and stops the reproduction of fungi spores, reducing their spread;

4. When sprinkled around vulnerable plants, its rough texture irritates the soft bellies of snails and slugs and repels them;

5. Pouring ash where there are ants repels them;

6. Sprinkling your poultry houses with ash keeps them dry, wards off pests like mites and keeps bad smells at bay. Make a dust bath for your chickens by mixing sand and ash. The mixture controls fleas and mites on their bodies as they wash themselves in the bath.

7. When sprinkled on ponds it controls growth of algae by encouraging growth of good aquatic plants. Since wood ash contains micronutrients that plants need to thrive, it strengthens aquatic plants. In turn, the boosted aquatic plants are able to compete with algae and slow its growth

8. It reduces calcium deficiency in tomatoes. Add about 1/4 cupful of ash to the planting hole and mix it thoroughly with the soil. Transplant your tomatoes and cover with the mixture. You can also make ash tea to apply on tomatoes during their flowering stage for extra potassium for better fruit formation.

Put 100-200 grams of ash in a cloth bag or an old pillowcase and tie. Place the bag in a garbage bin or bucket filled with 10 litres of water. Allow it to sit in the water for several days. Once the ash tea has brewed, pour about a cup around your potassium-deficient plants once a week until the pH balances out. Too much will cause nitrogen deficiency and can affect the ability of your crops to ingest other important nutrients.

In summary, ash plays a multifunctional role in plants and soil health, which is an important aspect in organic farming. It is also important to note that a little goes a long way.

Slugs and snails are cousins in the mollusk family of animals.

They live in damp habitats and crawl on the ground eating green vegetables. They enjoy the cool environment of dusk and dawn coming out early in the morning and late in the evening.

These pests can be a nuisance on the farm when they invade in large numbers. They consume several times their body weight each day and often hide on the undersides of leafy greens.

Below are ways to control the pests:

1. Natural predators

Make your garden friendly to predators such as frogs, lizards, chameleons and toads and encourage them to come naturally to the snails and slugs’ habitat. They will feed on these pests and other insects and also add to the bio-diversity.

To attract lizards and geckos, make a ‘lizard house’, ‘lizard lounge’ or ‘lizard habitat’. Select a quiet, warm, dry and sunny spot in your garden and plant indigenous plants – those that grow naturally in the area. These could include grasses, ferns and vines, which tangle up to form great hiding spaces.

Next, loosely stack stones, bricks, old concrete blocks or dead wood on top of each other allowing for cracks and holes. Lizards like to squeeze into these spaces to feel safe. Other insects such as beetles and spiders also like this atmosphere; hence, more food for the lizards and bio-diversity for your garden.

Toads and frogs are amphibians. However, toads spend more time on land and live in burrows while frogs spend most of their lives in or near water. These amphibians feed on pests such as bugs, beetles, caterpillars, cutworms, grubs, slugs and snails.

Amphibians prefer damp shady areas and need protection from the sun’s heat, which may cause dehydration and make them vulnerable to predators.

To attract them, construct a shelter for them by arranging stones loosely into a small cave or use a ceramic pot turned upside down. Use stones to prop it up and a small space to allow them slip inside. Provide water next to the shelter in a shallow basin, a small pond, or a shallow water hole because toads and frogs only drink by sitting in water, not through their mouth. Change the water every week.

Avoid use of herbicides, pesticides or synthetic fertilisers in your garden. Toads and frogs breathe through their skin and such chemicals will poison them.

2. Ducks are also a good bet. They feed on the mollusks and not the plants, while giving the farmer eggs, meat and feathers. Ducks should be in a flock to operate efficiently. According to the Western Australian Agriculture and Food Division, two dozen ducks can service 50 acres. However, when the snail numbers have been reduced, the ducks may stop actively hunting for them.

3. Create rough environments

Snails and slugs avoid gritty or rough environments since they get injured or killed as they move on them. Sand, ballast, coarse diatomaceous earth or crushed eggshells drive them away when sprinkled around plants. This method is effective, although not completely foolproof, as some of the slugs and snails might still get through.

4. Snail traps

Setting snail traps is another effective method of controlling pests.

5. Barriers

This involves putting something in their path that they do not like. These materials include copper wire, Vaseline, mesh turned outwards or leftovers wool from a textile factory. Coffee grinds and wood ash are other natural barriers, although some snails may cross, it’s still an effective, cheap and natural method.

6. Biological pest control also works quite well. Water your farm with a solution of nematodes (microscopic worms). These penetrate the slug, infect and kill it.

Small piles of wheat or corn bran kill the slugs and snails when they eat it. These are organic and wildlife can eat their corpses safely.

7. A popular method used to get rid of snails is salting them. However, this is not recommended since over time it will salinise your soil.

6. Keep your farm as dry as possible to create an unwelcoming atmosphere for snails. Use of drip irrigation rather than overhead sprinklers can deter them. In addition, water your plants early in the morning rather than late in the evening.

8. Mulching: Snails will hide beneath the moist, warm mulch. When mulching, ensure  the mulch does not touch the base of your plant.

9. Trap crops: Slugs like soft leafy vegetables and you can plant them at the borders of your garden to keep them away from your main crop. Examples of crops that attract slugs are marigold, maize seedlings, cabbages, lettuces and the seedlings of most vegetables. When using trap crops, monitor the activity of the pest. You do not want to attract many slugs and have them move onto your main crop. Also, plant flowery crops to attract predators that will attack the snails.

10. Plant a bit earlier so that by the time the rains and wet conditions set in your crop will have grown past the stage where it is highly vulnerable. Maize is less affected by snails after it reaches the five-leaf stage.

https://theorganicfarmer.org/

By Ambole Okata

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has appointed Ms Carla Elisa Luis Mucavi as its new representative to Kenya.

Ms Mucavi, a Mozambican, succeeds Dr Heslon Gabriel Rugalema, who has joined the World Vegetable Centre as its Eastern and Southern Africa head.

Dr Rugalema has been the FAO Kenya representative for the past three years.

Before her promotion, Ms Mucavi had been serving as the head of the FAO liaison office at the UN headquarters in New York.

The FAO has been instrumental in helping Kenya to tackle the desert locusts’ invasion that threatened to wipe out tens of thousands of acres of crops.

The UN agency offered training on fighting locusts as well as coordination and other logistical support.

Speaking during a courtesy call on Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya in Nairobi, Ms Mucavi commended the Kenya Government for a well-structured and coordinated response to the food security threat posed by the locust invasion.

“I am confident that Kenya is better prepared to manage the second invasion, given the systems in place and the capacity already built nationwide,” she said.

CS Munya acknowledged FAO’s assistance to Kenya and called for increased funding and technical support to complement the government’s

http://www.fao.org/kenya/en/

By Mercy Wanjama

Kenya has concluded a trade deal with the United Kingdom that will benefit many farmers. The UK-Kenya Free Trade Agreement was finalised after top officials met early this month.

It guarantees companies operating in Kenya, duty-free access when exporting products to the UK. This comes as a reprieve for most farmers as the UK’s biggest imports from Kenya include tea, coffee, vegetables and flowers.

Motor vehicle, pharmaceutical and paper imports from the UK will also enjoy duty-free access to the Kenyan market.

“Once fully implemented, the pact will boost trade. Our key exports such as flowers and fresh produce will benefit from enhanced privileges for agricultural goods with originating status traced to the EAC,” Industry and Trade Cabinet Secretary Betty Maina said during the meeting.

Both countries will have access to each other’s markets under preferential terms.

The trade agreement come at a time when the UK is counting days to its exit from the European Union. The deal is a replication of one that Kenya already has with the EU. All trade deals the UK had signed earlier with Kenya through the EU will be valid until the end of the transition period on 31st December, 2020.

Lack of a trade agreement would mean Kenya losing access due to Brexit and facing higher tariffs on its products entering the UK market.

Minister for Africa James Duddridge said the UK’s approach delivers mutual benefits and that the trade deal with build on the historic ties between the UK and Kenya.

“It is the perfect springboard to increase our trading in future,” he said.

However, the UK-Kenya trade agreement has not been well received by other members of the East African Community (EAC) and could heighten the existing trade tension between Kenya and the other countries.

The EAC, which also includes Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania and South Sudan, had been negotiating a post-Brexit deal with the UK and talks had not been going so well. Kenya’s push to secure its own deal increased tension as it was strongly opposed by the other EAC members, which wanted negotiations as a trade bloc to begin in 2021, citing elections in the countries and the need for more time for the negotiations.

A dispatch from the UK High Commission, however, confirmed that the trade deal with Kenya would have entry clauses for the other EAC member states. Thus, they’ll retain preferential access to the UK market, getting an opportunity for increased exports, skills transfer and foreign currency flows, while the UK expands its trade footprint in Africa.

The UK has so far signed five trade deals in Africa mainly through economic blocs.

Kenya finalises UK trade pact amid EAC tensions

Byline??

Kenya has concluded a trade deal with the United Kingdom that will benefit many farmers. The UK-Kenya Free Trade Agreement was finalised after top officials met early this month.

It guarantees companies operating in Kenya, duty-free access when exporting products to the UK. This comes as a reprieve for most farmers as the UK’s biggest imports from Kenya include tea, coffee, vegetables and flowers.

Motor vehicle, pharmaceutical and paper imports from the UK will also enjoy duty-free access to the Kenyan market.

“Once fully implemented, the pact will boost trade. Our key exports such as flowers and fresh produce will benefit from enhanced privileges for agricultural goods with originating status traced to the EAC,” Industry and Trade Cabinet Secretary Betty Maina said during the meeting.

Both countries will have access to each other’s markets under preferential terms.

The trade agreement come at a time when the UK is counting days to its exit from the European Union. The deal is a replication of one that Kenya already has with the EU. All trade deals the UK had signed earlier with Kenya through the EU will be valid until the end of the transition period on 31st December, 2020.

Lack of a trade agreement would mean Kenya losing access due to Brexit and facing higher tariffs on its products entering the UK market.

Minister for Africa James Duddridge said the UK’s approach delivers mutual benefits and that the trade deal with build on the historic ties between the UK and Kenya.

“It is the perfect springboard to increase our trading in future,” he said.

However, the UK-Kenya trade agreement has not been well received by other members of the East African Community (EAC) and could heighten the existing trade tension between Kenya and the other countries.

The EAC, which also includes Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania and South Sudan, had been negotiating a post-Brexit deal with the UK and talks had not been going so well. Kenya’s push to secure its own deal increased tension as it was strongly opposed by the other EAC members, which wanted negotiations as a trade bloc to begin in 2021, citing elections in the countries and the need for more time for the negotiations.

A dispatch from the UK High Commission, however, confirmed that the trade deal with Kenya would have entry clauses for the other EAC member states. Thus, they’ll retain preferential access to the UK market, getting an opportunity for increased exports, skills transfer and foreign currency flows, while the UK expands its trade footprint in Africa.

The UK has so far signed five trade deals in Africa mainly through economic blocs.

By Kennedy Lumwamu                     

The distribution of subsidised fertiliser should not lock out large-scale food producers. Players in the agricultural sector have said that the e-voucher system, which is expected to eliminate the cartels in the distribution of fertilisers, should benefit both large and small-scale farmers.


Registered farmers’ cooperative societies should help to verify genuine food producers and subsidies given out without discrimination to enhance food security. Many farmers support this view.
“If well managed, the e-voucher method of distributing subsidised inputs is the best. The government should not discriminate large-scale crop producers, who contribute to the country’s food stability,” said Mr Kimutai Kolum, a large-scale maize and wheat farmer in Uasin Gishu County.


“The subsidy should not be for the chosen few. A farmer selling a two-kilograme tin of maize grains and the one selling a thousand bags incur expenses in production and both should benefit from  the government subsidy. Farmers should have been engaged in public participation forums for further deliberations on the programme,” he added.


Mr Samuel Yego, the Uasin Gishu County Executive Committee (CEC) Member for Agriculture, said that fertiliser subsidy should be made available to all farmers.


“The government should not pilot the e-voucher input distribution but instead make farmers in all regions access inputs for food production. Since last year, the system has been on a pilot phase in only two of the 30 wards and farmers are yet to benefit from it,” said Mr Yeg0.


He said the country spends a lot of money importing food whenever there is shortage and an investment in subsidies to boost production could reduce spending on imports.

He was optimistic that the e-voucher system could be well managed, if government agencies, including the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) and farmer’s cooperatives, are involved in managing the distribution.


Farmers in Segoit and Tapsagoi wards in Uasin Gishu County and Lelmokwo/Ngecheck and Kabisaga wards in Nandi County are to benefit from the e-voucher system under the National Value Chain Support Programme (NVCSP).

While commissioning the construction of Chepkaitit irrigation project in Trans Nzoia, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya said the programme was expected to benefit smallholders in 12 counties.

Munya said the initiative would lock out cartels that had undermined the government’s subsidy scheme in the agricultural sector. He announced that the national government would work with county governments to implement the subsidy programme and boost food production.

Under the system, identified and registered smallholders will buy vouchers, which they will redeem to access subsidised farm inputs from government-accredited agro-dealers.

Farmers will pay up to 60 per cent of the cost while the government will cater for the rest.

By Jackson Okata

The cotton subsector is set for a major turnaround following the government’s decision to procure and distribute BT cottonseeds and pesticides to farmers in 23 counties.

BT cotton is a genetically modified variety known for its high germination rate, early maturity and resistance to common pests and diseases. The Ministry of Agriculture has procured 16.3 metric tonnes of seeds to be distributed to farmers in the eastern region.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya said the revitalisation of the textile and cotton sector would boost the commercialisation of the BT cotton production.

“The journey of BT cotton production has been long and tedious, coupled with multiple challenges, suspicion and negative campaigns,” he added.

He gave an assurance that the government would continue investing in the cotton sector to increase its capacity to meet export market requirements, even as it looks forward to a free trade agreement with the United States and the UK  

In March, the government launched the testing of BT cottonseeds for commercial production at Alupe University College in Busia County. It also established 700 BT cotton demonstration plots in Kisumu, Baringo, Kwale and Tana River counties.

A national task force on the revival of cotton farming was appointed in May.

Kenya produces 20,000 bales of cotton and hopes to increase this to 200,000 bales a year by 2022.

After months of intense pressure, Hon. Betty Maina, Cabinet Secretary for Trade and Industrialisation finally met Greenpeace Africa to receive the 20,000-strong petition calling for her to take a stand against advocacy from lobbyists from the American Chemistry Council, to make Africa a dumping site.

“We are here to represent the voices of over 20,000 people who are concerned about the future of our country and continent at large. We want to send a clear message that we will not allow any lobbyists or the plastic industry to derail us from the progress we have made in the continent. Kenya cannot be coerced into lowering its environmental standards by corporations who put profits before people and the environment,” said Fredrick Njehu, Greenpeace Africa’s Senior Political Advisor.

Many voices have come together to place this injustice on the agenda. Recently 62 lawmakers from the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives urged President Trump to oppose the export of more plastic waste to Kenya and support Kenya’s actions to curb the production of wasteful single-use plastic products. 

A recent opinion piece by the U.S. Ambassador to Kenya, Kyle McCarter, gives a clear indication that the U.S. is willing to proceed with its  Free Trade Agreement with Kenya, respecting its environmental restrictions. 

However, Njehu implored the Kenyan government to conduct an environmental, social and human impact assessment of its FTA with the US to inform its position.

“Such analytical work will enable government to include provisions which align with to its  sustainable development objectives in order to improve the livelihoods of its people. With the ban on the use and manufacture of single-use plastic carrier bags, and the recent ban on plastic in protected areas, Kenya has made significant progress to reduce plastic pollution. CS Maina should not undo the progress made this far,” the Greenpeace Africa Senior Political Advisor said..

A group of young climate activists from Kenya formed a coalition during the recent global climate strikes, to try and hand over a petition by one of them and call on CS Betty Maina not to allow Africa to become a dumping site for the US.

Proponents of single-use plastics are pushing for more plastic production and exportation into Africa, which could undermine progress made by countries to ban single-use plastic products and combat pollution.

 The plastics and petrochemical industry plans to use the US-FTA negotiations to push for investments in plastics products, market access for recycled plastics in Africa and importation of plastics waste.

Greenpeace Africa and its supporters are urging the Ministry of Trade to say no to this deal.

CS Betty Maina confirmed receipt of the petition on behalf of the Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and Enterprise Development. She further stated that Kenya will keep in mind concerns raised by environmentalists during the full course of the negotiations in the making a free trade agreement

By Alex Gathii

Guiding cows through early lactation is key to their health and performance. Nutrition and health greatly affect milk yields and prevents health problems. Having good feed practices can improve peak milk yields.

What is peak milk?

Peak milk is the highest recorded test day milk production in a cow’s first 150 days in milk (DIM). Historically, producers used peak milk as a measure of the success of the dry period and early lactation nutrition and management. Peak milk indicates how well a cow responds to feeding during the dry period, calving, and early lactation.

Most cows achieve peak milk by 45 to 90 DIM and then slowly lose production over time. Many argue that each added half-litre of peak milk could lead to 100 litres more milk for the whole lactation.

Nutrition and health disorders in early lactation affect peak milk. For example, low fibre diet/sorting can lead to rumen acidosis, which can result in lameness or displaced abomasum. Both conditions reduce peak milk.

So, how can a farmer improve early lactation performance and peak milk yield?

  1. Start-off yourcows with a successful dry period

What you feed your cow during the dry period (two months to calving down) affects her health and performance after giving birth. Evaluate your dry cow programme if you are unhappy with your cow’s milk production. Key goals for dry cows include:

Reduce the risk of sub-clinical milk fever (low blood calcium) during the first week of lactation. Low blood calcium (less than 8 milligrams deciliter) correlates with the following:

To optimise cow comfort, use a stocking rate at 80 to 85 per cent of capacity. Keep cows in a fresh group for 14 to 21 days and provide 30 to 36 inches of bunk space per cow. Reduce social stress (especially for first-calf heifers), prevent cows from separating from the normal herd mates and invest in cooling for dry and lactating cows.

Providing a flake of Lucerne or grass hay for the first five days after calving would be very helpful. An early lactation diet should contain plenty of good quality digestible fiber (31 to 35 percent neutral detergent fiber (NDF).

A farmer should maintain fibre with consistent feed intake and avoid empty bunks, provide free choice buffer, and monitor buffer intake. It is critical to minimise the risk of slug feeding or diet sorting that may result in rumen acidosis (low rumen pH; sour stomach).

Cows with a history of milk fever, ketosis, or mastitis are likely to face these problems again. Keeping a close eye on such animals helps to prevent these problems.

Move cows carrying twins or first-calf heifers into the dry group early. Data shows a correlation with a seven to 10 days earlier calving date.

The target body condition score (BCS) at calving is 3.0-3.25. BSCis a visual assessment of the amount of fat and muscle covering the bones of a cow. The most common body condition scoring system ranks cows from 1 to 5, with 1 being thin and 5 being fat.

Avoid having cows reach a BCS greater than 4. A lower BCS at calving allows for 0.5 to 1.0 units of BCS within herd variation. This provides a safety margin to avoid overweight cows that have a higher risk for ketosis and fatty livers and are often more difficult to breed back.

Fresh cow groups are most likely to offer a return on investments (ROI) for feed additives. Studies support the following additives:

Anti-nutritional factors include feeds containing mold, wild yeast, and poorly fermented feeds. Mold counts of over 100,000 colonies per gram are likely to decrease feed intake and diet digestibility.

  1. Feed correct amounts of antioxidants

Antioxidants (for example, vitamin E and selenium) reduce the impact of oxidative stress. Oxidative stress could be too much fat mobilisation, poor air quality, or injury. All these decrease the efficiency of immune system function and consequently milk production.

Mr Alex Gathii is a certified Cow signals Trainer and a USAid Champion of Change

By Dennis Rapongo

Introduction

Bananas are a delicious and highly nutritious sources of fibre, potassium, vitamin B-6, vitamin C, various anti-oxidants and phytonutrients. They are also a good source of income and popular with both adults and children. In Kenya, they are probably the most affordable fruit and are available all-year-round. However, good things sometimes come with challenges and bananas are no exception.

One of the problems that farmers face is the black sigatoka disease, also known as the black-leaf streak disease.

The disease                     

The disease is caused by a fungus pseudocercospora fijiensisand can cause a 50 per cent drop in the weight of your banana bunch, and result in over 60 per cent loss in banana production. It attacks the banana foliage and goes on to the reproductive stage, affecting the final quality of the banana fingers. The disease is said to have originated in the Sigatoka riverbeds of Fiji, in 1963 (Jones 2000). This explains its name Sigatoka. It was first reported in Africa in 1978, in Gabon (Et.al Frossard 1980) and has over time spread to other countries.

Factors favouring occurrence of the disease

It is mostly favoured by wet and or humid conditions and its spread is accelerated by wind.

Symptoms

It grows and shows its symptoms in six stages of development, which include:

Stage 1

Yellowish streaks less than 1mm in width visible only on the underside of the leaves

Stage 2

Development of reddish-brown or brown streaks visible on the underside of the leaves and later on the upper side, colours of the streaks changes progressively to black.

Stage 3

The black streaks become larger and elongated.

Stage 4

Streaks grow into large brown spots on the underside of the leaves and black spots on the upper side of the leaves, the spots take a circular shape.

Stage 5

The spot turns totally black and spreads to the underside of the leaf blade, the black spot is surrounded by a yellow patch.

Stage 6

The centre of the spot dries out and turns grey, and is well surrounded by a black ring, which, in turn, is surrounded by a large bright yellow halos, the leaves dry out.

Development stages images

Control

Various approaches can be used to prevent and control the disease:

However, if your banana crop is infected, follow the following practices to control the attack:

Note: When the correct preventive measures, as indicated above are followed, there is 90 per cent accuracy your crops won’t be infected.

Banana crop affected by the disease.

Advanced stages of the Sigatoka disease.

By Ambole Okata

Initially, the farmers were harvesting 20 bags per acre, but after getting help from the project, many of them are now getting 35 bags.

“The adoption of good farming practices by farmers is a key component in realising the increase in the production of cereals in Molo and Njoro,” said the Nakuru County Agriculture CEC, Dr Immaculate Maina,speaking during a review of the project and its success, as the project came to an end.

The e-Voucher system, which enables farmers to access fertilisers easily and cheaply, has also reduced the cost of production.

Ms Janet Moraa, a beneficiary of KCEP initiative, has increased production and commercialised her cereal farming. She did this after receiving training on production, processing, post-harvest management and marketing.

“Apart from funding, the training on commercialising cereal farming has enabled us to focus on cereal farming as our key source of finance,” said Ms Moraa.

“We are producing enough for the family and the society because we are now able to sell the surplus unlike in the past, when the harvest was not even enough for the family.”

The KCEP was a four-year initiative, whose overall objective was to contribute to national food security and smallholder income generation.

It helped farmers to increase production and profitability of key cereal commodities, including maize, millet and sorghum.

Farmers were trained on how to tackle production constraints, post-harvest management, processing and marketing.

The programme was funded under a strategic public-private partnership between the Government of Kenya, the European Union (EU), the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) and Equity Bank Kenya.

The project was implemented in 13 counties with high cereal production potential.

The benefiting counties were Nakuru, Kakamega, Bungoma, Nandi, Trans Nzoia, Embu, Kitui, Tharaka-Nithi, Machakos, Kilifi, Kwale, Taita-Taveta and Makueni.http://www.kcepcral.go.ke/

The CABI BioProtection Portal – an online bio-protection resource, available in four continents – has strengthened its ability to promote the worldwide adoption of natural pest control by welcoming BioProtection Global (BPG), a worldwide association of biocontrol and bio pesticides industry associations, as an associate.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between CABI and BPG – the worldwide federation of biocontrol and biopesticide industry associations – that will see BPG’s member alliances promote the use of the CABI BioProtection Portal worldwide.

The BPG’s associations comprise primarily of manufacturers of biocontrol and biopesticide products for professional use in agriculture, public health, forestry, animal health and other non-crop uses.

Its influence in the biocontrol industry should encourage more manufacturers to partner with the BioProtection Portal, which is available in Spain, Peru, Chile, Brazil, Ghana and Kenya, with more countries expected to join soon.

A free-to-use-tool, the portal helps growers and pest management advisers to identify, source and correctly apply biocontrol and biopesticide products for their specific crop-pest problems.

Dr Ulrich Kuhlmann, the executive director, global operations at CABI said: “Globally, about 40 per cent of crops are lost to pests and diseases. The widespread use of chemical pesticides to fight crop pests is not sustainable economically and environmentally in the long run, especially when you factor in the impacts exacerbated by climate change.

“CABI is delighted to welcome BioProtection Global as an associate member. Our joint collaboration to promote the benefits of more sustainable pest management will not only benefit growers in the short term, but also the environment in the medium to long-term future.”

The CABI BioProtection Portal aims to become the go-to resource for identifying and sourcing biocontrol and biopesticide products. It will be particularly beneficial to growers keen to replace chemical pesticides with biological products in order to meet market or export standards, satisfy consumer demands for healthier and safer food and reduce pressures on the environment.

Mr Nicolás Cock Duque, president of BioProtection Global, said: “The CABI BioProtection Portal brings together the various safer and more environmentally friendly bio-protection products that growers can add to their ‘arsenal’ against crop pests as part of an integrated pest management plan.”

The innovative tool has been made available by CABI in collaboration with its network of partner biocontrol manufacturers, donors and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development.