Archive

Category: News

Bill & Melinda Gates offers US$28 million grant to support cassava research project aimed at boosting the crop’s productivity

By Zablon Oyugi The Bill & Melinda Gates Agricultural Innovations (Gates Ag One) has offered US$28 million (€25.8 million) grant to Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) to…

Government to scale up irrigation investment to boost food production in the country

President William Ruto has announced an increased government focus on irrigation investment to bolster the country’s food production capabilities.  He emphasized that irrigation would enable…

Rainforest Alliance supports companies to make a big leap towards EUDR compliance

Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee and cocoa farmers can now opt-in to specific criteria that align with European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) requirements in the Rainforest…

KALRO introduces new early maturing rice varieties, aims at boosting farmers’ production

The Kenya Agricultural Livestock and Research Organization (KALRO) has introduced two new rice varieties that mature in 85-120 days as opposed to 150 days of…

CIFOR-ICRAF’s New App Boosts Climate Resilience and Income for Eastern African Fruit Farmers

The Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) have released a new smartphone application to help fruit tree smallholder farmers in Eastern Africa…

Government announces cotton price hike by Ksh7 to entice farmers, as it eyes US market

The government has officially announced a Ksh7 increase in cotton prices for purchase, aiming to incentivise farmers and double yields for export to the US…

Kenyan agritech innovator shines in global 2024 Underdog Tech Award Shortlist 

Royford Mutegi, Kenyan agritech innovator has been shortlisted in the global Underdog Tech Award, a new global prize for tech startup founders outside major tech…

Canadian Government unveils aflatoxin decontamination plants to boost trade and food security in Kenya and East Africa 

The Canadian Government, through TradeMark Africa (TMA), has provided aflatoxin decontamination plants to the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) depots in Bungoma and Nairobi….

Wambugu Apples unveils state-of-the-art grading facility to combat post-harvest losses

In a significant move to address post-harvest losses and curtail exploitation of farmers by brokers, Apples’ grower and exporter company, Wambugu Apples, has introduced a modern fruit grading and packing warehouse in…

Kenyan farmers set to benefit from five-year $50 million USAID project to support food production

Smallholder farmers in Kenya are set to benefit from a five-year USD50 million (Sh7.6billion) United States Agency for International Development (USAID) project aimed at supporting…

Oikocredit, approves a five-year loan of US$ 5 million (KES 750 million) to Kenya’s Juhudi Kilimo to support smallholder farmers and micro enterprises

Dutch-based global cooperative, Oikocredit, has approved a five-year loan of US$ 5 million (KES 750 million) to Juhudi Kilimo, a non-deposit-taking microfinance institution (MFI) in…

Fine of up to Ksh20,000 or jail term for selling vegetatively propagating seed without license in new rules

By Zablon Oyugi In a move to bolster the quality and accessibility of vegetatively propagating seeds (VPS), the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development has…

Some crops like maize and sorghum tolerate ozone pollution better than others, study finds

Differences in the photosynthetic “machinery” of certain crop plants can make them more or less prone to harm caused by ground-level ozone pollution, according to…

Green Climate Fund and AGRA partner to transform Africa’s food systems

Despite the challenges posed by the climate crisis, Africa is positioned to emerge as the world’s breadbasket, with 60 per cent of the world’s unused arable land…

More than 130 world leaders endorse Food and Agriculture Declaration at COP28

By Smart farmer writer In a historic move, 134 world leaders including 35 African countries have signed up to the ‘COP28 UAE Declaration on Sustainable…