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”.

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 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.

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.

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.

By Jackson Okata

It has enabled them to practise inter-cropping on degraded forestland, boosting their finances while restoring and conserving forests.

Ms Christiana Akwabea, from Seikwa in Bono region, is one of the happy beneficiaries. A forest plantation management company, Form Ghana, which took a trans-formative forestry project loan from the African Development Bank (AfDB), allocated her five hectares.

She is now practising inter-cropping and got 6,800kg from her first harvest. In the past, the mother of six owned no land and would buy maize from other farmers for resale.

“I had always wondered how I would get farmland for maize. Now, I just wait for a call from Form Ghana to complete the registration and land is allocated to me. This is encouraging and gives me a sense of reliability. I’m not burdened with getting land and money for land preparation,” she said.

Motivated by the rewards from maize farming, the farmer wants to double the acreage of the crop.

“I have put up a two-bedroom house and pay fees for my son in Europe as well as my other children,” she said.

“I also plan to expand my house with the inscription ‘Form Ghana Nti’ (For the sake of Form Ghana). I look forward to improving the standards of living of my family and educating my children to the highest levels.”

Form Ghana has partnered with the AfDB, the Forest Investment Programme of the Climate Investment Funds and the Ghanaian Government, to undertake an innovative public-private partnership in its forest sector. The project entails the reforestation of degraded forest areas.

Ghana’s forests have been in decline since the 1970s due to severe overpopulation. It has more than 300,000 hectares of highly degraded forest reserve land.

To address the issue, the AfDB and the Forest Investment Programme agreed in 2016 to fund the Restoration of Degraded Forest Reserves through the Certified Plantation project, with a $10 million concessional loan from the Climate Invest Funds and $14 million from the AfDB.

“This project, a collaboration between African Development Bank and Form Ghana, is an important step towards the expansion of large-scale reforestation and landscape restoration projects in Africa,” said Mr Paul Hol, the Executive Director, Form Ghana.

By Clifford Akumu

The cost of running farm machines can be very high, depending on the kind of fuel used. Biogas an environmentally friendly renewable fuel, is cost efficient not only for low-income earners, who cannot access electricity, but also farmers looking for an alternative clean source of energy.

Biogas is a by-product of anaerobic (without oxygen) breakdown of organic matter such as animal manure, crop and kitchen waste, and garden weeds. Anaerobic digestion is a fermentation in which waste is digested by microbes to produce methane gas (or biogas).

Mr. Solomon Njuguna, the founder of Ngerwa Final Solution, a company that develops and constructs biogas units, says that very many people are now opting to install biogas systems to avoid high electricity costs.

Biogas consists of 60 per cent methane and 40 per cent carbodioxide, with low levels of hydrogen sulphide and other gases. It can generate electricity for cooking, lighting, heating water, refrigeration and can run engines such as chaff-cutters.

Materials needed for biogas production such as livestock manure and others, including feed, food processing, and slaughterhouse waste, corn silage, industrial waste and sewage sludge, are readily available on the farm.

Setting up a biogas system involves several requirements thus, you must engage a reputable biogas expert to avoid disappointments.

“Always engage a qualified digester designer, builder or equipment supplier, to install your biogas system,” cautions Mr Njuguna.

A complete biogas unit for four cows, costs from Ksh50,000 to Ksh150,000. The charges vary depending on the size and location of the biogas plant.

“The cost of biogas installation also varies depending on the components chosen such as the foundation, digester effluent storage, roof, gas pump, boiler, hydra-ram and manure pump,” he adds.

According to Mr Njuguna, the capacity of the smallest biogas unit is 6m3. One or two cows or five to eight pigs should provide enough manure to run a biogas unit for a household of four people.

A biogas plant comprises of three sections:

Inlet – Here the biogas unit is fed with water and cow dung. This mixture is stirred with a stick until it forms the slurry.

Digester – This is an airtight tank or container where biological requirements of anaerobic digestion are controlled to hasten digestion and optimise biogas production.

Here, acid-forming bacteria decompose organic materials and release methane and carbon dioxide.

Outlet – This is where the digested slurry leaves the digester into the storage to be used as fertiliser.

Working of the biogas unit:

Kitchen waste (food remains, vegetable stalks) and fodder (Napier grass, brachiaria, purple guinea grass) or zero-grazing unit waste flow to the biogas digester, where the farmer adds a bucketful of water before stirring. Compared with other feedstocks, grass has suitable and promising characteristics as an energy crop for biogas production.

The quantity of gas produced from a biodigester depends on the type of feeds given to the cow. If a cow is given quality feed, the digester will yield more gas. Dry feeds produce more bacteria inside the cow than wet feeds and manure from animals fed on such feeds will process the gas faster, inside the digester.

Farmers can opt to put in 2kg of food waste each day. This will produce enough gas to cook with twice a day. A biogas digester requires extra water for anaerobic digestion so when water supply is limited you can harvest rainwater, recycle domestic water or practise aquaculture.

Remove any fodder and other waste materials such as pampers and sanitary pads that can cause blockages. Use a shovel or special metal called a D8.

Insert a photo of D8.

The system requires seven days for the gas to build up. Thereafter, it will   continuously produce enough gas.

For optimum performance, the biogas unit should have the following qualities:

– Be arranged to minimise heat loss;

– Provide a simple flow path for material through the system;

– Be as automated as possible and be accessible for maintenance and repairs;

– All pipes and gas lines should be made large enough to provide access for cleaning devices.

Safety measures include the following:

A good biogas unit lasts for at least 30 years.

Benefits of biogas and bio slurry:

Disadvantages of Biogas:

Biogas expenses:

Though the initial cost of biogas plant installation has been a deterrent to some farmers, in counties such as Kiambu, a Pay-As-You-Go model allows farmers to purchase the biogas units through affordable payments. In this model, biogas companies absorb the initial installation cost and recover it, plus their profit, by charging farmers for every unit of power used. Consumers can pre-purchase energy units via M-Pesa or Airtel Money using their meters.

Consultant : Solomon Njuguna, Telephone: 0725913128

Researchers have developed a cheaper, more time effective molecular diagnostic tool that accurately identifies different subgroups of cassava whiteflies, bemisia tabaci. The team behind this is from the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) http://www.iita.org/iita-countries/kenya/

Whiteflies transmit viruses that cause cassava mosaic disease (CMD) and cassava brown streak disease (CBSD), which wreak havoc on Africa’s cassava crop.

Damage from the two diseases results in over 50 per cent yield loss in East and Central Africa, estimated at more than $1 billion.

Efforts to control pests and diseases are founded on proper identification, and the tool will be useful in African laboratories that lack expensive sequencing technologies.

“Using this method, keeping track of potentially dangerous whitefly populations, will be very straight forward for many national laboratories in Africa with limited resources,” said Dr Everlyne Wosula, a vector entomologist based at IITA–Tanzania.

Cassava enhances the nutrition of children and livestock, and supports over 350 million people in Africa. The researchers also tested and identified the best cassava varieties for adaptation and good performance in Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia

Farmers have been wondering what makes Tanzanian onions popular with consumers and why are they cheaper?

 Ms Grace Awuor has been to the onion growing areas of Tanzania and Kenya, and knows a lot about the trade.

She got into the onion business by chance after a friend requested her to supply some fresh produce in 2019.

 “Being risk averse, I chose onions which have a relatively long lifespan. Little did I know that I was venturing into the supply of a food product that we consume every day, but which accessing would be an uphill task,” she says.

 “I thought that I would just walk into farms and get onions, given that in every mama mboga’s kibanda (stall) you never miss them. I was wrong! It took me three weeks to get the first lead on where to buy the produce only to discover that the sizes were not what my client wanted and the quantity was also very little.”

The following are what Grace found out:

Kenyans plant and produce in small quantities According to the former Nation Media Group employee, Kenyan farms are small and produce little.

“Rarely do acreages go beyond 10 and if they do, the farm is subdivided into smaller portions such that harvesting is staggered,” she says.

In May, Kenyan onions are scarce with most farmers having harvested their produce in February in preparation for the March-April rains.

So, around May and June, very few farms have ready onions, as most of them are in the seedbed at this time, she explains.

 This posed a challenge for Grace as her clients needed a consistent supply of onions. “I did a background check and found out that most onions come from Tanzania,” she adds.

Grace travelled to Arusha and on to Mang’ola, a remote village on the shores of Lake Eyasi, about 200km from Arusha.

Upon arrival, she was surprised to see vast and neat fields of onions. The land is mostly communal and farmers combine efforts to cultivate as much as 200 to 500 acres.

Each farmworker is allocated two acres to care for. Grace was surprised at how many other Kenyan traders had lorries lined up to buy the produce.

 “At some point, I thought I was in a village in Kenya, as most of these trucks were from Kangemi, Kawangware, and Marikiti in Nairobi, Nakuru, Kisumu, and Kitale,” she says.

“My Tanzanian farmer friends wondered if Kenyans had discovered a cure for a disease that utilises onions. They could not understand why we kept importing such huge amounts of the produce.”

 Planting seasons While in Kenya, we plant the crop to coincide with our rainy seasons, production in Tanzania is all-year-round.

Different regions in Tanzania produce onions during different months.

Singida produces from January to May, Mang’ola produces from May to October and Moshi from October to January.

Most Kenyan farmers produce onions from January to march and August to October.

Production cost The production cost per acre is lower in Tanzania than Kenya because of a few factors:

• Most Tanzanian farmers do not plant Hybrid seeds. They select seeds for propagation from the harvested crop. Their large acreages allow them to enjoy economies of scale. In Kenya, most farmers use hybrid seeds, which cost around 23,000/- per kilo. However, because of using hybrid seeds Kenyan farmers are able to produce more on smaller acreages* Hybridscome with benefitssuch asincreased production, resistance to diseases amongst others.

• Neatly done farms are irrigated through flooding water tapped from the surrounding hills, as most, are located at the foot of the hills. This cuts the cost of irrigating the crop. Although some parts of Narok use water pooled through gravity, most farmers in areas like Mt Elgon region rely on rainfall (thus their production is seasonal), while others use drip irrigation , which is expensive.

• Cost of fertilisers and pesticides in Kenya is also higher and some chemicals are banned because of their negative residual effects on the crop. The curing (post-harvest) “I was impressed by the curing process in Tanzania.

 It is serious business. Five days are dedicated to this,” says Grace.

How it is done:

Harvested onions are left on the plain ground for two days. On the third day, the roots and stalks are cut off. The stalks are then used to cover the onions, which are left for another day.

After the fourth day, the onions are packed in nets for transportation to different destinations, but the highest demand is from Kenya.

Lessons learnt by the trader on becoming a farmer After a couple of trips, Grace decided that not only was she going to be an onion trader, but she would also farm.

 “I decided to pour all my energy into the farm. Many think that farming is a walk in the park,” she says. “It is not! After facing a few challenges with a failed crop twice, she is upbeat that things are looking up with a good crop on the ground.

“Perfect the process, know the weather patterns, do a soil test, and don’t take shortcuts. I am still at it, I have learned the hard way and my next crop, is on the ground,” the farmer cum trader advises.

Ms Awuor further explained that onion prices in the market vary depending on when and where you are selling your onions.

They can go as low as Ksh25/kg to highs of Kshs 80/kg. The recent unexpected closure of the border of Tanzania resulted in a spike in onions prices which rose to kshs110/kg.

 These prices have sinc fallen and a kg of onions is currently going for between kshs40 and kshs 60/ kg depending on the farmers proximity to the markets and the quality of onions produced.

 Massive importation of onions begins from mid July to mid September and at this time expect to sell at lower prices and ensure that your onions are well cured to be competitive in the market.

From October to Mid January prices of onions will begin rising but untill when harvests from Nyeri hit the market and they reduce to between Kshs40 and kshs55 per kg.

From April prices again take an upward trend and peak prices are experienced from around May, June and part of July.

Onions cost higher in Mombasa, Nyanza, north-eastern Kenya and Nairobi where demand is high and the markets are vibrant and competitive.

The average cost of production ranges between Kshs6-11 per kilogram and this changes mainly due to the pesticides and fungicides used.

 However, with good planning farmers can choose to specialise in onion farming all year round or they can plant other high value vegetables that can earn them equally good incomes during the months when poor weather conditions hinder proper curing of onions.

See more inside Issue 46 of Smart Farmer Magazine to download CLICK HERE

An American mother, Christina Adams, was in 2005 looking for a solution to alleviate her son’s autism symptoms, when she came across a man with a camel.

After a discussion with him, she became interested in camels, believing that their milk would be a good substitute to cow milk, which caused allergic reactions in her son. Ms Adams, from California, who would later become an author of several publications on camel milk and an editorial board member of the Journal of Camel Science, decided to look for camel milk but could not find any in her country then.

“There wasn’t any available in America, so I had to fly it in from the Bedouin people, somewhere in Israeli,” she said during a webinar held by camel farmers and experts across the globe, on the 20th World Milk day in June.

“I gave my son the milk and there was a significant improvement overnight,” she recalled.

This led to her further research and today, the author, whose son registered a 30 per cent improvement due to camel milk, has become one of the authorities on it, having published a number of books and held many lectures.

She is one of many people to discover the wonders of camel milk. However, the camel is better known for its ability to transport heavy loads (up to 600kg) and survive in deserts without water or food for days.

Many people do not know that its milk is highly nutritious and tasty. This very hardy animal could also overtake the cow in preference, as more consumers opt for its milk.

Over the last few years, global demand for the milk has been on the rise, especially in Europe, America and Asia.

According to Australia-based camel farmer Jeffry Flood, camel milk is increasingly being sought by people struggling with allergies from cow milk both in Europe and the Americas and supply cannot match the demand.

“Much of the camel milk used in Australia is imported from the Arab world, Asia and East Africa,” said Flood, a panelist during the webinar.

 The experts at the e-meeting said that camel milk is highly-sought-after for its anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial abilities.

It also has strong protective proteins, nutritious value, and natural immune-boosting levels. It is also known to reduce diabetes and coronary heart disease. It is rich in iron, Vitamin B, and unsaturated fatty acid content. It is also said to be three times richer in Vitamin C than cow milk. Dr Tahereh Mohammadabadi pointed out that the fatty acids in camel milk are better for human hearts, as they contain more mono-unsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids than cow milk.

“Camel milk is the best alternative to human milk, especially for children with severe food allergies or eczema because it does not have protein allergies,” the associate professor at Khuzestan Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University in Iran said.

 The milk is also known to work across a range of physical and behavioural issues, making it a highly effective alternative.

“Parents of children with autism remain a key and growing market, as studies show the milk is safe and effective and can lead to behavioural and medical improvements,” Ms Adams said.

According to the experts, climate change across the globe is also pushing dairy farmers into camel rearing because they survive well in tough, drought-ridden, hot climates and browse on prickly bushes and shrubs unlike cows.

Another panelist, Dr Abdul Raziq Kakar, a UAE-based camel dairy specialist from Pakistan and Camels4All blogger, told the webnair: “The camel saved humans for generations in the desert. In arid areas and hot weather over 45 degrees Celsius, we see cows suffer as they need 8-10 times more water than camels to produce 1 litre of milk.”

Mr Flood, also the CEO of Summer Land Camels in Queensland Australia, added that camels are more adaptable than cows or sheep to climate change and can survive for weeks without water and still produce milk that is high in vitamins and immune properties.

 According to the Kenya Camel Association, the growing demand presents farmers with a great opportunity to reap big.

 “Drought and the fact that 89 per cent of Kenya is classified as arid and semi-arid land means many are shifting from cows to camels, even in southern Kenya,” said Dr James Chomba Njanja, vice-chair of the association in a press release.

He added that though the camel milk industry in Kenya is undervalued, it could rival other foreign exchange earners.

Kenya has about three million camels in the semi-arid and arid areas of the northeastern region. Global demand In 2019, the global camel milk products’ market was valued at $10.2 billion.

The International Society of Camelid Research and Development (ISOCARD) has advised camel farmers to expect a steady rise in the global camel milk space. This will require increased camel milk production.

“The global camel market is projected to grow at more than 10 per cent for the next decade, meaning more camel milk will be required in the future,” said Dr Bernard Faye, a veterinarian, and chair of ISO

CARD.

Africa and the Middle East account for almost 60 per cent of the world camel livestock revenue. Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Sudan consume the most camel milk per capita in Africa.

Saudi Arabia is the leading world camel milk market, with an annual per-capita consumption of 33 litres. “North America is expected to grow the fastest as diabetic consumers switch to camel milk to control sugar levels,’’ said a statement from the Kenya Camel Association.

See more inside Issue 46 of Smart Farmer Magazine to download CLICK HERE

A five-year strategic plan to help Nakuru County to fully exploit its potential in the dairy subsector has been put in place.

Through the Nakuru County Dairy Value Chain Strategic Plan (2019-2023), the county has identified the strengths and weaknesses within the dairy value chain, which, if worked on, will breathe vibrancy into the subsector.

Developed by the county Ministry of Agriculture, in consultation with other stakeholders and development partners, the strategic plan focuses on transforming the dairy sector through commercial dairy enterprises that will ensure food and nutrition security by 2023.

The plan identifies low market orientation, low uptake of innovation, inadequate disease diagnostics, inadequate funding, poor infrastructure, and climate change as among the challenges faced by the dairy sub-sector in the county.

Speaking during the official launch of the strategy, the Nakuru County Agriculture Minister, Dr Immaculate Maina, said that the full implementation of the strategy would see the county raise its daily milk production from seven to 12 litres per cow.

“With 300 million litres of milk being produced in 2019, the county is yet to fully realise its potential within the dairy subsector,” she said.

According to Dr Maina, the strategy aims at doubling the dairy subsector revenue from the Ksh9 billion earned in 2019.

Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui termed the strategic plan a step in the right direction.

He said that the plan would help Nakuru to reclaim the glory of being the country’s epicentre of dairy farming.

Population and market penetration

The strategic plan is banking on exploiting the high population in Nakuru to increase the demand for dairy products, which will, in turn, lead to increased milk production by farmers to meet the rising demand.

It seeks to promote milk consumption for the local market as well as improve safety and quality standards to access regional markets.

The county plans to start sensitise its residents on the health benefits of consuming dairy products. It will also support dairy farmers with quality inputs and services to up their production to meet the huge demand.

School milk programmes will be introduced to expand the market demand. 

The strategy also seeks to promote dairy value chain actors to embrace innovation for improved productivity and marketing.

It will also promote linkages between innovators and dairy farmers and encourage them to use the innovations.

Incentives for investors

With the existence of potential investors within the dairy sector, the strategy proposes that the county create an enabling environment by offering incentives and subsidies.

Dairy product processors and feed manufacturers are among the investors the county will be seeking to partner with to transform the sector.

Farmer support

Taking advantage of its suitability as an agro-ecological dairy production zone, the county will invest in production and conservation of fodder and pasture, by establishing structures, which will give farmers’ access to quality inputs and services for fodder and pasture production.

Plans to train farmers on fodder conservation as well as establishment of fodder and pasture reserves are also part of the strategic plan.

Breeding

To enhance animal healthcare and breeding services, the strategy is vetting and recommendation of animal health providers and inseminators to promote quality breeding. It also wants the registration of animal health providers and inseminators with their professional bodies to enhance the public and private animal breeding services.

It seeks to develop refresher courses for animal health providers and establish a local lab or partner with vet labs for lab services with the aim of dealing with poor management of animal health. This will deal with the problem of inadequate diseases diagnostics and lab facilities.

Training and hiring and equipping of extension staff will help in dealing with the problem of inadequate qualified extension services.

Cooperative movement

The strategy seeks to support dairy cooperatives in the county with collection and processing of dairy products as well as strengthen Nakuru Dairy Cooperative Union. It will help in maximising profits, pulling together resources for training, empowerment, marketing, and product quality.

Nakuru has 17 active and registered dairy cooperative unions.

The strategy also seeks to make use of available milk cooling plants bought by the county to stimulate milk production.

Financing

The county will partner with financial institutions to provide credit to farmers at manageable and affordable rates and also encourage farmers to join saccos where they can access credit to expand their dairy ventures.

Adoption of climate-smart agriculture is also part of the strategy aimed at countering the challenges and effects of climate change.

Implementation of the strategy will involve all major players in the sector. They include the national and county governments, research institutions, training institutions, development partners, regulatory bodies, feed processors, financial institutions, farmer organisations and consumer organisations.

Resource mobilisation will be critical for the realisation of the strategy that will require Ksh570 million to implement.