ARABICUM

Arabicum is an annual flower used in fresh bouquets, usually grown from bulbs. The foliage and the stem of this cut-flower originates from the bulb. Several leaves are produced on the mother bulb and bulb-lets are produced before the inflorescence is initiated. Only one stem is produced by each bulb.

  This annual flower is gaining popularity among small scale farmers because they are easy to grow, they yield higher returns to farmers. Thus many Non governmental organizations are promoting the cultivation of this flower on their poverty eradication efforts with great success.

ECOLOGICAL REQUIREMENTS OF ARABICUM

Arabicum grows best in a cool climate at elevations of 1500-2000 Meters above sea level in Kenya.

Arabicum requires a growing temperature of 22-28 degrees.

Arabicum requires deep fertile well drained soils preferably with a slightly acid to neutral PH.

SUITABLE AREAS FOR GROWING ARABICUM IN KENYA

Areas where it is commonly grown include warm to cool areas such as Limuru, Redhill, Kericho and Embu.

CULTURAL PRACTISES CONDUCTED ON ARABICUM

Planting: the crop can be grown either from seed or bulbs. Initial planting material is bought, and then in subsequent years the crop is grown from previous years bulb-lets. The bulbs are planted in raised beds made from well ploughed land raised 10-15 cm high and 1 m wide and with 50 cm paths

Before planting the bulb-lets, they are sun-cured by spreading them in the sun for 7-9 weeks. The cured bulbs are planted by placing either on the soil surface( in warm areas) or in shallow holes(in cold areas). The bulbs are set with the roots facing downwards. Immediately after planting the bulbs should be irrigated to ensure rapid sprouting.

SPACING OF ARABICUM

This depends on the bulb size. Optimum spacing is 35-60 bulb-lets per square meters. On a 1 meter wide bed, four rows at 20cm apart are planted, with the bulbs 10 cm apart in the row.

FERTILIZER APPLICATION ON ARABICUM

The rate and type of fertilizer to be used depends on inherent soil fertility. Prior to planting, incorporate well rotted manure into the beds at a rate of 20kg/M². At planting, add NPK 20:10:!0 or 17:17:17 at 50-100g per plant depending on soil fertility. During plant growth, do not apply large quantities of nitrate fertilizer as this only leads to vegetative growth at the expense of the flowers.

IRRIGATION OF ARABICUM

Arabicum requires plenty of water for quality flowers. During the growing season, the new bulbs form as leaves and stems extend. The roots from the original bulb anchor the plants and provide water and nutrients.

HARVESTING OF ARABICUM

It starts 3-4 months from planting. Arabicum starts to produce a stout flower stem with 8-12 scented white flowers with black centers. The flower stem is cut at the base, when 2-3 flowers on the stem are showing a white flush flush and are fully opened. They are immersed in cold water and moved out of the sun as soon as possible, harvesting continues over a 4-5 month period.

GRADING OF ARABICUM

Grading by stem length

Longer stems with a well developed blooms are classified as the best grade.

Grade I-70 cm long

Grade II- 50 cm long 

Grade III- 40 cm long

POST HARVEST HANDLING OF ARABICUM

It is important to wrap the flowers with clean paper to avoid damage to the flowers during transport. Stems are packed in tens per bunch. Arabicum does not require any special preservative but the use of a bactericide in  the water is recommended.

LIFTING OF ARABICUM

After harvesting the flowers, the roots and stems die  back. When foliage has died back, the bulbs are lifted carefully and prepared for storage, by drying. Storage of the bulbs should be on racks in a shady location. Bulbs break their dormancy after 6-8 weeks.

YIELD OF ARABICUM

15-20 stems/M²

 

Want To Keep Avocados Fresh Before Customer? Here is What Every Avocado Farmer Must Know

  If Avocado farmers can adhere to some straightforward rules, they can keep their fruits fresh for weeks before they reach the customer. This includes the following;
Having healthy avocado trees
Knowing when to harvest mature avocado fruits
Avoiding injuries on harvested avocado fruits
Minimizing field heat during harvesting.

Daniel bought a dozen avocados from the market a fortnight ago. They looked so fresh and yummy. He had no doubt that he would enjoy eating the fruits once he got home. Some of the fruits he bought were unripe. Daniel wanted to eat the unripe avocados as ripened slowly over the next 4 days.

Some of them were ripe, and he hoped to eat them that evening. When he cut the ripe ones, he discovered that all of them were bad.

“I felt like a loser!”, Said Daniel. “even the unripe, were immature fruits.  Instead of  ripening, the unripe avocados deteriorated until they turned sour."

This is the story of many avocado buyers.
After they buy avocados from the market, they suffer anguish because they cannot eat the fruits when they get home. 
When they discover the fruit they bought was not worth the prize because a fungal infection or a physical injury that they never identified during purchase resulted in the fruits going bad! Unfortunately, once goods like fruits are bought, they cannot be returned.

Small-scale farmers face the challenge of keeping their avocados fruits fresh; immediately after harvest and during transit to the customer.

It ascertains that once a enables the fruits if they are in good condition, he can keep them for about 4-5 days without going bad, but this rarely happens; often the fruits have started going bad when he receives them.

Photo of an avocado tree

Most small-scale farmers have little or no knowledge on;

when and how to spray trees with fungicides and pesticides, when and how to harvest and postharvest treatment of fruits once harvested.

The availability and understanding of this information are critical for the supply of high-quality fruits to the customer.

A farmer should seek to know the appropriate cultural practices that he can maintain so that he can produce high-quality products.

1. KEEPING AVOCADO TREES HEALTHY

Healthy trees produce high-quality fruits that are free from pests and diseases. To achieve this objective is not difficult. 
All a farmer needs is his ensure his trees are regularly sprayed
The soil is supplied with the recommended nutrients, 
The farm is free from drainage problems, the farm should be free of weeds, and the plants are irrigated during the dry season.

2. KNOW WHEN AVOCADO FRUITS ARE READY FOR HARVEST

Whenever fruits are harvested when they are immature or when they are over-mature, they present some challenges to the farmer.

For instance, if the fruits are harvested immature, they will take too long to ripen or wouldn’t ripen at all.

On the other hand, When they are over-mature, they will soil before they reach the customer.  

To avoid the aforementioned stresses, various indices have been developed by research that enables a farmer to determine the correct time to harvest the fruits and to ascertain whether they are mature.

They include the following;

• Changes in skin color.

Green colored fruits are ready for harvest when they have acquired a yellowish tint. In some varieties, the fruit color changes from green to purple or brown indicating readiness for harvest.

However, it should be noted that some diseases induce pre-mature ripening of fruits thus giving the impression that the fruit is ready for harvest.

• The firmness of the stalk attachment

Fruits attached firmly to the stalk are too immature for harvest while those that are too loose are too mature for sale.

• The floating test/specific gravity test

Immature fruits sink when placed in water because their specific gravity is higher at 1.02-0.95g/cm3 compared to ripe fruits that range from 0.9-0.85g/cm3.

• The appearance of the skin membrane

When an immature fruit is sliced open,  the seed of the fruit is enclosed by a yellowish white to light brown seed coat, on the other hand, mature fruits have a  thin, brown to a dark brown seed coat.

3. REDUCING INJURIES TO AVOCADO FRUITS

Injuries occur on fruits when they are mistreated for instance dropping them down from a tree during harvesting, allowing them to knock each or other or against a container as they are being transported.

These injuries or bruises become entry sources for microorganisms responsible for rotting or these wounds turn black thus reducing the visual appeal of the fruits.

Bruising or injuries increase the rate of respiration in the fruits, which in turn increases the rate of ripening and senescence.

To reduce injuries caused by dropping fruits during harvest, Ensure the height and shape of the tree is conducive to work on since tall, shapeless trees make harvesting dangerous and difficult.

The height of a tree can be reduced by cutting off the vertical branches to reduce vertical growth and encourage horizontal growth.

During harvesting, the stalk is cut 3 cm from fruit leaving a small portion attached on the fruit, but not to be pulled. Pulling results in the removal of the stalk, therefore creating an opening for diseases and pests.

4. MINIMIZE EFFECT OF FIELD HEAT ON AVOCADO

Harvesting should be done during the cool hours of the day as exposing fruits hot sunny conditions for extended periods results in uncontrolled ripening thus the fruit reaches the customer too ripe.

After harvesting the fruits should be kept in a cool place to reduce field heat. If they are meant for export, they should be stored in a cold room where the temperatures are maintained at 6-8 degrees.

Do not store avocadoes at temperatures below 4 degrees for extended periods as Low temperatures will prevent additional ripening when fruits are kept room temperatures or result in chilling injuries.

The objective of all these treatments is to ensure that the conditions the fruits are exposed to;  before, at harvest,  and during transit encourage slow ripening, healthy and visually attractive fruits.

When the above issues are considered and put into practice, I am assuring any farmer that his crop will be the best.

CARBONATED SOFT DRINKS VERSUS FRESH FRUIT JUICE

Kenya's soft drink market is worth approximately 1 billion dollars. A great portion of the market is dominated by carbonated soft drinks and synthetic juices. Fresh juices are now receiving positive publicity and there is growing demand for them. They are being touted as blood purifiers, antioxidants besides containing the necessary vitamins and nutrients.

On the other hand, carbonated drinks are being regarded as slow poisons and are being linked to conspiracy theories of a few illuminati who want to destroy the world through slow poisoning.

Unfortunately, small farmers are reaping less than 5% of this money in form of sales of fruits to middlemen, exporters and local juice makers. The farming of fruits in Kenya is disorganized especially among the small farmers thus the poor proceeds.

This is soon to change, thus signaling the end of dark days for farmers and usher a bright future.

This indicated by the entrance of many market players who are competing for produce from few farmers and increased demand even from consumers who make homemade juices.

MAKING FRUIT JUICES AT HOME

Making juices at home is nowadays simple because of the availability of affordable blenders in the market imported from China. They make it possible to produce high quality fresh fruit juice from the comfort of peoples home.

All one needs to do is to peel the fruits, cut them into small pieces then put them in a blender or juice extractor. A little water is added to reduce the thickness of fruit paste.

Once the blender is turned on and runs for about 2 minutes, the juice is ready for drinking. In this way; you will save money, gotten; nutrients, vitamins and fiber that are devoid in carbonated drinks and made sweet juice free of added artificial sugars.

MARKET PLAYERS IN THE SOFT DRINKS MARKET

Currently the Kenyan market is dominated by soft drink manufacturers like Coca cola, Pepsi, and Softa, who produce carbonated drinks. These drinks have raised health concerns in Europe, USA and other parts of the world.

They are suspected to be responsible for fuelling the increased numbers of people suffering from lifestyle diseases like hypertension, diabetes, gout and cancers resulting to a shift of focus to fresh juices.

ROLE OF THE MIDDLE CLASS IN THE FRESH FRUIT JUICE CONSUMPTION

The shift to fruit juices in Kenya has been caused by the changing preferences fueled by the rapidly budding middle class. This group is demanding and ready to pay for fresh juices; at are more expensive compared to carbonated soft drinks.

On the other hand they are avoiding carbonated drinks which are associated with lifestyle diseases. Though the shift has not substantially reduced the consumption of carbonated drinks, manufactures processors are developing strategies serve health conscious customers. 

The result of increased health awareness is the entrance of new players in the market; like Daima, Pick and Peel and Afia Juices whose niche is the consumer with health concerns.

These new entrants have been able to grab a significant market share that was formerly dominated by carbonated drinks and customers are choosing their products over carbonated and synthetic juices. 

EFFECT OF GROWING DEMAND OF FRESH JUICES

Multinationals like Coca-Cola have been forced to invest in the fresh juice production, which they previously ignored partly because of the logistics involved, and previous low demand of the product due to the cost.

Furthermore they have realized that the growing demand is sufficient for them to recoup their investments. This is good news farmers, since this has created a market of their fruits that in the past used to rot in their farms.

Years ago farmers were not able to find market during peak production for their fresh fruits like mangoes, passion fruit, guavas, apples but the current demand of such has created a shortage of fruits. The effect of this is the growth of income thus they are no investing in activities like irrigation to boost year round production.

CASE STUDY OF FRUIT FARMING IN KIAMBU DISTRICT

Farmers in Kiambu grew these crops in the past with the export market in focus. This was attributed to the returns realized from the local market. The stringent requirements of the export market made it uneconomical and difficult for the farmers to comply leading to a shift to the local market whose prices had improved dramatically.

Mr Mbogo a farmer in Githunguri in Kiambu says, “3 years ago, the size of my farm that was under passion fruit was 3 acres with the rest 5 acres dedicated to coffee.”

“I realized that the demand for passion fruit was so high, so I put all my land under passion fruit.

My strategy is to target hotels within Nairobi city where I sell 1 kilo of passion fruit at 250 Shillings.” says Mbogo. “I can now afford to pay fees for my three daughters in university” He adds.

Increased awareness of consumers on the health benefits of fresh fruit juice is surely going to change the fortunes of farmers. Multinationals like Coca Cola are now entering into contract farming farmers in Central Kenya.

Last year, the soft drinks maker entered into a deal with the Gates foundation to work with 54,000 small scale farmers in Kenya and Uganda for mango and passion juice production under a company known as Beverage Services Kenya. This company was latter, rebranded to Coca Cola juices Kenya.

Another case that is an indicator of changing market tastes is the multibillion investments currently being undertaken by companies like Del Monte Juices, Sameer Agriculture and Daima juices. Farmers should therefore position themselves to reap from these developments.

AVAILABILITY OF FRESH FRUITS IN KENYA

Passion fruits, strawberries, pineapples, pawpaw, lime, banana, tamarillo, African horned melon are available throughout the year, while mangoes, avocados and macadamia are seasonal. The chat below shows the times and availability of some fruits in Kenya

 

 

Make Millions of shillings from your small farm through integrated farm management.

Mr. Maina, is a successful farmer in Kiambu district Kenya has proved you don’t need hundreds or thousands of Acres of land to make millions. He also demonstrated to me that you don’t need to invest hundreds of thousands for you to achieve good income from your farm. “All you need is to think” he says. “I am using locally available materials, seeds and common sense he added.”

A section of the farm.

In a year he earns $ 20,000-30,000 after deducting all his expenses from his 4 acre farm which translates to about Ksh 2,000,000-3,000,000. Earning this amount of money as a small scale farmer is a tall order. He is not doing any extraordinary things but he strives to time the market requirements. All his production is aimed coincide with times of peak demand.

First i sought to know which crops; and what farming activities he undertakes to earn him such a tidy sum of money. His secret was how he organized his farm enterprises and proper timing of the market. His strategy is simple, yet it has borne him fruit.

“For many years i received mediocre returns from the farm when planting maize and other crops like the rest of the crowd”He laments! After gathering information on the internet and visiting farmer conferences, he decided to come up with the following strategy which proved highly successful.

1. Start a tree nursery

The basis of the idea was that farmers realized that the earning potential of trees in the long run is higher. Many farmers were busy planting fast growing Eucalyptus seedlings, trees that could mature within 8 years and the earnings of the tree once fully mature could fetch Ksh  35,000. Imagine if a farmer could plant at least 10 trees in his farm, he was to earn 350,000.

Mr. Maina said “The most profitable enterprise is the trees section rural communities have appreciated the role trees play in the environment. Whenever a farmer visits my farm, i encourage them to consider trees as a long term investment that will prove useful during a rainy day.”

a section of the tree nursery.

“For me to get maximum returns from trees i  ensure that just before the rainy seasons commence, the tree nursery is fully stocked with seedlings.” He quips. “I am able during the rainy season, to sells up to 10,000 tree seedlings each at between Kenya shillings 30-50 which translates to 300,000- 400,000 shillings.” He adds while smiling.

2. Preparing grafted Passion fruit, Avocado and Mango trees

He realized that most farmers have within his locality have not mastered the art grafting of crops. The area being a passion fruit producing center, he grafts purple passion fruit on yellow passion fruit rootstock. The yellow passion fruit root stock is the best rootstock since it is resistant to nematodes, and other soil borne diseases and pests.

Grafted mangoes ready for sale

Because of his many years experience, the failure rate of the grafted union is only 3% and all his customers have confidence in his products. For every grafted plant he earns 80 shillings and he is able to sell 4,000-5,000 of them per season; which translates to 320,000- 400,000 shillings. He also grafts mango and avocado seedlings which yield the same amount of money as the grafted passion.

4. Growing bananas

He realized that there is a lot of competition among farmers when it comes to producing maize, beans and vegetables so he decided to plant bananas. He planted 200 of them along a small stream that cuts his farm into two, so they consume very little space.  photo showing how bananas have been grown along the stream.

For every banana bunch produced, he earns 600 shillings that translates to 120,000 shillings clean money per year. He also harvests about 120 suckers per year which he sells at 150 shillings each. That earns him Shs 18,000.

5. Keeping bees

there is a part of his farm that is infertile because the basement rock is too close to the ground and only shrubs can grow there successfully. Being a secluded area, he decided to put 5 Top bee hives there. The hives yield 60 liters of honey per year. 1 liter is sold for Shs 5,00 therefore he earns Shs 30,000 per year.

6. Keeping cows

He has 4 Friesian cows that are Zero grazed in his farm in a day they yield a total of 20 liters which he sells at 40 shillings a liter. in a year, he is able to earn a total of 120,000 from his animals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Having fish ponds.

He decided to increase his income by digging to fishponds that hold 2,000 fish. He harvests once in a year when the fish have attained a weight of 500- 800 grams. Each fish fetches 250 shillings therefore he can earn up to 400,000 shillings.

 

In conclusion the i realize this success was not achieved in one day. It is through timing the market, being creative and ploughing back the profits to the farms. This strategy worked out for Mr. Maina it doesn't mean it will work for you. You need to first understand where you are, what the market requires before embarking into any investment. I hope to get a feedback from you, thank you.

Role of Kale in Kenya’s Food security

When most people talk about food security, the emphasis is on a country’s productivity of cereals like maize, beans, rice, sorghum and millet.

Other food crops like potato, cassava, taro, tomatoes, sunflower, cabbages, kale are rarely mentioned as are important because of the role they play in making a diet balanced.

For instance, maize is the most important cereal in Kenya because over 80% of population consume it.

Furthermore, it is considered as a strategic crop; thus  the government reserves 8 million, 90 kg bags through the National Cereals and Produce board.

On the other hand, potato is a vegetable  whose consumption in terms of volume is second to maize yet it isn’t considered a strategic crop.

Any shortfall in production of potato will lead serious food shortage and economic problems just like maize;such is the fallacy of focusing food only on cereals 

Kale is the most consumed green leafy vegetable in Kenya as it is easy to prepare and affordable to the consumer. 

Our focus in this article is to examine the role of kale in Kenya’s food security. 

History of Kale in Kenya

This vegetable was introduced in Kenya by the European settlers in the Early 1900  mainly as a fodder crop for their animals with limited consumption for humans.

During those times Africans relied on indigenous vegetables such as Amaranths, and Spider Plant and Black nightshade which to date are often regarded as weeds.

The advent of Europeans heralded the settlement of people in towns and cities or concentration camps.

The land in cities, towns and concentration camps This brought it sets of challenges where vegetables and cereals were sourced from far off areas.

Cabbage could only grow successfully in  the highland areas which were under European control. The production in this areas was geared to producing crops like coffee and tea.

Reasons for popularity of Kale in Kenya

1. The best  vegetable for urban population in Kenya is  kale because it is affordable.
2. Its growth under tropical conditions is very vigorous.
3. It could be grown in every agro-ecological zone in Kenya and at all attitudes
4. Kale has a preferential taste when compared to cabbage and many exotic vegetables

market survey on popularity of kale

A market survey was conducted over a period of 3 months in 15 vegetable/Fresh produce markets in 3 cities and 7 towns in Kenya.

The cities in the survey were Nairobi, Kisumu and Mombasa. The number of vehicles i.e. lories and pick-ups that were carrying kale to be sold in the markets was recorded. 

It was assumed that since the markets were far from the residential areas or places where farming is likely to take place, the preferred way that kale could make it to the market is through transportation in a lorry or pick-up.

Counting the number of vehicles carrying kale when compared with other green vegetables would be a fairly accurate way of knowing which vegetable is popular.

Another assumption was that since the markets were free markets, The law of supply and demand would apply.

The volumes [lories or pickups] with produce will indicate the popularity of the vegetable.

Observations

85% of those vehicles that delivered vegetables in the markets were carrying kale with spinach occupying 8%.

This result indicates that kale takes the pole position of vegetables are delivered in various markets in Kenya.

A number of traders who were selling amaranths, Black nightshade, spider-plant, Cowpea. It was established that these traders bought the vegetables from farmers located in the outskirts of the towns/cities.

After buying the vegetables, they packed them in gunny bags and transported them to the markets very early in the morning at around 0400Hrs using public transport. The time was suitable for them since its not rush hour.

I sought to establish why the lorry and pickup traders do not deal in indigenous vegetables despite the fact that they were of high value.

They said “dealing in this vegetables is difficult they go bad very quickly! i can’t risk my capital on those vegetables says Mwema” “that area is the specialty of women traders who bring about 1or 2 bags of vegetables” quips Mutembei!

Luckily, the nutrition value of this indigenous vegetables has been established and at certain instances they have been proved to contain more vitamins and minerals compared to exotic vegetables.

The ministry of Agriculture recognizes the economic benefit these vegetables and has drafted a policy of emerging crops where such are handled.

Because of the above characteristics of kale, it is an important vegetable, especially for the urban poor those whole live in slums for their daily nutritional requirements. The vegetable can be grown throughout the year in every part of the country.

Because of the versatility of this crop, there is need for the government and stakeholders to fund more research initiatives so as to find ways of value addition of the vegetable.

During peak production times i.e. rainy season, the vegetable floods the market. I believe if more research is done, a useful industrial product may be discovered in the crop.

That will go a long way in improving the earnings of farmers and providing a year round market for them.

 

  

SORGHUM VERSUS MAIZE: WHICH IS BETTER?

 

HOW: SORGHUM IS BETTER THAN MAIZE.

Sorghum is proving to be a better  than maize for arid areas  because of its hardiness and ability to tolerate low moisture, flooding and soil infertility.

Though the yield of maize surpasses that of sorghum when both plants are planted in a high potential area, sorghum has proven to be a food security crop for arid areas.

Maize is more palatable than  sorghum, some species of sorghum have been known to contain considerable levels of tannins, which have an undesirable taste to humans.

This property is beneficial because the crop is less preferred less by Quelea birds that have been known to eat thousands of hectares of wheat, barley and rice crops in Africa.

A study conducted by Manuel et al, titled “The Behavior of Corn and Sorghum under Water Stress and during Recovery” yielded interesting results.

The purpose of the study was “to learn the behavior of stomata and the changes in leaf water potential  and saturation deficit when corn and sorghum plants were subjected to water stress and then re watered.”

It was observed, 40 days after sowing the sorghum and maize seeds in a controlled environment maize plants grew larger than sorghum.

It was noted; maize suffered from water stress sooner after watering was discontinued compared to sorghum.

The reason for this was, corn loses a larger fraction of water content from its cells at various soil moisture levels compared to sorghum.

Upon further examination, it was observed that the cells of corn have a greater cell wall elasticity resulting in the loss of more water per unit decrease in soil moisture compared to sorghum  making it more vulnerable of the two.

Varieties of maize and sorghum in Kenya

In Kenya, there are 164 varieties of certified maize seed; with a proven yield potential ranging from 4 to 15 tons, on the other hand, there are 18 sorghum varieties

The first maize variety registered in Kenya was H 632 that was bred by the Kenya seed company in 1964;its yield potential ranged from 8-10 tons per hectare.

The earliest  sorghum variety registered  in Kenya was ‘Serendo’ that was released in 1970 by Kenya agricultural institute in collaboration with the Kenya seed company.

Its proven yield potential was 2.5 tons; among the registered sorghum varieties, the best yields four 4 tons in one hectare.

From the above data, it can be noted that there has been significant investment in Maize research compared to sorghum because of the many registered varieties.

The ‘Gaddam’ variety of sorghum is the most notable variety as multinational companies like Kenya breweries are using produce beer.

Farmers in dry areas now have a lifeline…they now have a market for their produce as the multinationals are ready to buy it.

In conclusion, sorghum is better than maize when grown in dry areas and vice versa!

Kenyan French bean production-A Success story.

Mr.. Mwangi started French bean farming 10 years ago after being frustrated by coffee millers^___for a long time, earnings from coffee placed bread and butter on the table; but, not anymore!

In the 1990’s the international prices of coffee had gone down, there was also rampant corruption leading to losses to farmers; furthermore they were never paid in time!

Some farmers had to divorce themselves from coffee production; a crop reputed as the black gold of Kenya^__ oh its luster had faded!

“I now earn a better income. Previously, I used to deliver my coffee berries to one of the millers, I don’t remember being paid on time; paying school fees for my children was a dream"

“I can now afford to pay school fees for my six children, feed them and buy some property^__thanks to French-bean farming.” He says.

“I was able to diversify my farming to include, 5 dairy cows that give me an average of 80 litres per day earning me Ksh 2,400 which is an equivalent of $ 28.” “I am now out of the poverty bracket.” he quips!

This story of success is similar to that of many farmers- learn how this crop can transform your life by reading this article and sharing it with your friends!

Why french beans farming?

There is a  high demand for crop in Europe throughout the year, this means that farmers can grow it year round and get market for the crop.

In fact it is the leading vegetable export from Kenya and it’s said that our french beans are the finest.

Secondly, the crop matures and is ready for harvest after 3 months from the sowing of the seeds.

The short maturity period allows farmers to recoup their investment after a short period.

Thirdly, the crop is harvested 3 times a week, for three to four months. Every time farmers harvest the crop, it is bought in cash by various brokers and traders.

This enables a farmer to have a healthy cash flow that allows him to undertake other activities like feeding his children, taking them to school and other home expenses; thus have a peace of mind.

lastly, one acre yields 4 tons of french beans; at a selling price Ksh 60 per kilo, farmer will  earn Ksh 240,000 by the end of the harvest.

After deducting all his expenses, it has been reported,farmers make an average profit of 80,000 shillings per acre after three months of growing french beans.

Some enterprising farmers lease several farms from neighbors or friends who live in towns and are not able to farm; such farmers earn hundreds of thousands from french beans.

role FRENCH BEAN FARMING IN KENYA

French beans constitutes 40% of the vegetable exported from Kenya. In the export chain; we have farmers who grow the crop, middle men and exporters who contract farmers, airlines and logistics companies who are involved in shipping the product, the government as a regulator and the supermarkets in Europe where the crop is sold.

Over 100,000 farmers in The country are involved in the cultivation of the crop and over 200,000 have been employed in industries related to the crops production and marketing.

The export of the vegetable plays a key role in bolstering the foreign exchange the country earns from horticulture.

reasons of success of Kenya in french bean production

The country is successful in the production of the crops because we have suitable environmental conditions, a better human resource, better marketing strategy and good infrastructure.

With regard to the environment, the country lies astride the equator and has varying altitude ranging from 0-5199 Meters above sea level; a factor that enables year round production.

Most Kenyan farmers are fairly young, they are aged 40 and below, majority of who, have completed secondary education; therefore they can understand and comply to the quality requirements for export to the EU a principal market of Kenyan French beans.

This cannot be said of other African countries that are trying to compete with Kenya’s French bean industry.

The country’s geographical position is also suitable; one can fly to any African county from Nairobi- the capital city within four hours.

This geographical advantage has made Nairobi to be an international airline hub thus increasing the availability of airfreight-a paramount factor in export horticulture.

Large exporters also enter into joint ventures with Airlines to assured availability of airfreight space in cargo cabins.

The horticultural development authority,the private sector and ministry of agriculture have aggressively marketed the country for many years as a hub of horticulture.

Finally preferential trade agreement with the European union and other economic regional blocks have made Kenyan exports to gain access to such markets.

REGIONS WHERE FRENCH BEANS ARE PRODUCED

Production is concentrated around central Kenya; in areas of Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Mwea, and Meru because of the numerous rivers in the region that make year round production possible.

Many of agri-input companies operate within the region; drip lines, irrigation pumps, fertilizers, pesticides and technical information are always available to farmers.

The region’s proximity to Jomo Kenyatta international airport also makes it possible for the produce to arrive in Europe within 48 hours after harvest-when fresh condition.

Finally, the bean is adaptable to wide geographical altitudes and a variety of soils; from light sands to heavy clays, although, experts say it does better in well-drained loam soils rich in organic matter.

Ecological requirements

1. Altitude 0-1800 Meters above sea level.
2. Warm temperatures between 12-34 degrees; temperatures below 12⁰ C encourage frost that is harmful to the crop on the other hand, temperatures above 34⁰ C result to flower abortion.
3. A well distributed rainfall throughout the year, 600-1500 mm.
4. The soil should be well drained; a waterlogged soil will increase risk of root and collar rot, seed asphyxia during seed germination.
5. French beans are very sensitive to salinity; saline soils must be avoided. 
6. Fertilizer applications must be split up and applied in several installments to avoid excess doses of salts.

Considerations before planting

Before planting French bean on your farm, it is important to consider which preceding crops were on the field.

Some crops share the same diseases and pests with French beans; planting French beans areas where such crops were results to a build-up of pests and diseases.

It’s possible that previously sowed crops may have depleted the mineral resources in the soil thus making it necessary to supply additional nutrients to the soil.

The table below indicates the crops to avoid, those that have no effect on the soil condition and those that are beneficial if they had preceded French bean.

To be avoided as preceding crops	Not useful as preceding crop	Recommended as preceding crop
Peas, Beans Potato eggplant Melon Cucumber zucchini, Watermelon Lettuce Okra	Groundnut Pepper, Celery, Lettuce Carrot Onion, Garlic, Shallot	Cereals like (Maize, Sorghum and Millet) Fodder grass Cabbage,Kale,turnip Beetroot Cassava Sweet potato Strawberry

The Growth Cycle of french beans

During sowing   the most important thing to consider  the is seed depth.

Research has demonstrated that the most optimal depth is 3-5 cm in sandy soils, while for heavy soils a depth of 2 cm is sufficient.

Period/timeline	Observation/activity
0-10 days	Seedling emergence
11-25 days	Vegetative phase
35th day	Commencement of flowering
50th day	Harvesting commences
55-80 days	Harvest period

The table above shows what a farmer should expect after sowing french beans.

Timing of the market is important; plant when the best prices are expected and in times of shortages. Flooding the market is disastrous to a farmer because the crop does not have local demand.

To insure yourself from total loss in seasons of overproduction, grow a variety of crops to diversify your source of income.

MANAGING DISEASES in french beans

The major disease of French beans is rust. It is caused by a fungus known as uromyces appendiculatus; fortunately it is effectively controlled two fungicides, Dithane M45 or Anvil.

To reduce the prevalence of this disease, avoid sprinkler irrigation; such irrigation wets the leaves thus providing a suitable condition for rust.

Where furrow irrigation is practiced, there is a high incidence of wilt and nematode attacks. The wilt is caused by a fungus known as fusarium oxysporum.

The best method of irrigation is drip irrigation; it allows direct application of water to the root zone.

Frequency of Harvesting

The date of seedling emergence depends on the variety of bean, the soil condition, and the altitude; factors that determine the commencement of harvesting.

It is expected that emergence will occur within 4-10 days. Flowering will commence after 28-35 days.

Farmers harvest French beans every Monday, Wednesday and Friday; days when they employ pickers to do the work for them.

On the days of harvest, buyers come and before the end of the day the produce is in a cold room in Nairobi awaiting export to Europe.

Harvesting lasts for 3-5 weeks and by the end of the harvest season, the farmer would have harvested 4-5 tons for every Hectare planted.

Application of Fertilizers

The table below gives an example of fertilizer regime that can be used to increase production.

Examples of fertilizer application (per Hectare) The figures are for quantity of input per hectare of actual crop

Fertilization	Example 1 (Classic fertilization)	Example 2 (Alternative fertilization)	Example 3 Fertilization coupled with irrigation)
Basal dressing	10-20 tons organic matter	10-20  tons organic matter	10-15 tons organic matter 100 Kg K2SO4 100 kg 18-46-0
Correct application 1 (1st hoeing)	200-400 kg 10:10:20	200 Kg K2SO4 150 Kg DAP	100Kg K2SO4 100Kg 18-46-0 25 Kg Urea 40 Kg/week of 16-9-26 (soluble fertilizers) 20 Kg/week of 0-52-32 (soluble fertilizers)
Correct application 2 (2nd hoeing)	150-300 kg 10:10:20	150 Kg KNO3 50 Kg DAP	100Kg K2SO4 25 Kg Urea 40 Kg/week of 16-9-26 (soluble fertilizers) 20 Kg/week of 0-52-32 (soluble fertilizers)
Flowering to harvest	Foliar spray	Foliar spray	40 Kg of KNO3 (soluble fertilizers)
Inputs N:P:K	50-100/50-100/100-200	76/92/232	100/137/200
N/K2O balance	1/2	1/3	1/32

 

 

 

Sunny days for sunflower growers

This crop is eliciting interest especially among small farmers who have historically grown maize. This is because the cost of producing maize has escalated exponentially over the last 10 years.

The high cost of farm inputs like fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides and the increase of fuel prices  has made maize farmers reduce their acreage of the crop. In a bid to sustain their income from the farm, farmers have started venturing to sunflower farming; a previously ignored crop.

Secondly, industrialists in Kenya who depend on the crop  for production have developed an interest in encouraging small scale farmers to venture into sunflower farming. They have been driven to that point by the ever volatile prices of edible oils in the international markets  that are making their operations expensive. This has created a boom in the sunflower business as growing demand creates a shortage in domestic market.

Current local consumption stands at 30,000 Metric tons against a production of 12,000; from small and large scale farmers. This has created a shortage of the seeds in the market, for oil production; as demand increases, has forced edible oils manufacturers to either import more or use other alternatives to sustain high production levels resulting to increased cost of vegetable oil and soap.

Currently, “Kenya is the lowest ranked in the region both in production and consumption of sunflower hence the need for the government and all other local players to come in and promote and enhance the growing of sunflower,” says Mr. Mbugua an Agronomist in the Ministry of Agriculture.

SUNFLOWER FARMING IN KENYA

Sunflower is turning into a hot commodity because of the prices being offered by oil processors is increasing  because of the growing shortage. Oil manufacturers have been forced to either import more or use other alternatives to sustain production.

Bidco Oil Refineries Ltd  and other oil refineries are offering to buy sunflower stocks across the country in the hope that this will encourage farmers into planting more, with a kilo of seeds being bought for Ksh. 25.

25/= Amount

in Kenya shillings offered farmers for 1 Kilo of sunflower seeds.

Though farmers have sited lack of suitable hybrid seeds, preliminary investigation indicate that Kenya seed company has developed 12 varieties, 4 among them in collaboration with Kenya Agricultural Research Institute. On the other Hand, KARI has developed one variety while Pannar seed company has 2 varieties being sold in the Kenyan market.

One interesting fact is; these varieties have a yield potential varying between 2-4 tons per Ha. With the current prices being offered in the Market, a farmer who has properly maintained his farm has the possibility of earning between Ksh. 50,000-200,000 per Ha after 160 days from date of planting. These earnings include the expenses incurred during production.

SUNFLOWER VARIETIES IN KENYA

Variety name or code	Year of release	Optimal production altitude range (Masl)	Duration to maturity (days)	Seed production tons per Ha
H067	1974	1500-2400	130-140	2-3
Kenya white	1957	1500-2300	160-170	2-3
Kenya Fedha	1981	1000-2300	130-135	3-4
Kenya shaba	1981	1000-2300	130-135	3-4
H.894	1988	1500-2400	125-135	2-3
H.893	1988	1500-2400	130-135	2-3
H.898	1989	1500-2200	130-135	2-3
H.8998	1992	900-2200	120-125	2-3
PAN7352	1994	1000-2200	120-150	1.9-2.5
PAN 7369	1994	1000-2200	120-150	1.2-2.5
Kenya Almasi	2008	0-2500	120-134	1.5-2.5
KS-H4038	2008	1500-2300	110-120	3-3.6
KS-H4088	2008	1500-2300	113-130	3.6-4

GROWING OF SUNFLOWERS

It grows in soils ranging in texture from sand to clay. The amazing feature about this crop is that it done not require high levels of fertility like maize.

The recommended spacing is 75 x 50cm and 2 seeds per hole  will result in a plant population of 55,000  in one Hectare. In Areas receiving little rainfall, maintain low  plant densities of 33,000-45,000 in one Hectare.

For the highest yield,  60kg/Ha of Nitrogen and 80kg/Ha of Phosphorus will be sufficient. Early planting is important since the crop is able to utilize rain well when it is at the peak thus develop bigger flowers and more grains. It is important thing to consider is the planting depth which has an influence on the yield. The most appropriate planting depth is 7cm; planting at a depth of 9-15 cm reduces yields by between 10-28%.

Sunflower has relatively fewer labor demands than do other crops growing for cash e.g. Maize. Sunflower is harvested by cutting the head of and transporting it to a suitable place for drying.

YIELD OF SUNFLOWER

The yield of sunflower is influenced by 3 factors

• Number of heads per hectare
• Number of seeds per head
• Average weight per head.

It is therefore imperative to consult an agricultural officer to determine the correct seeding rate and soil fertility requirements.

Finally it is not recommended to plant the crop in the same plot for a long time because of pest buildup.  The highest yield of sunflower recorded in Kenya is 4 tons per Hectare.

INFLUENCE OF ALTITUDE TO SUNFLOWER GROWING

A farmer must first determine the height above sea level in which his farm is located.  This can be done by consulting a map of your area or searching the internet.This will assist a farmer in knowing the most suitable variety bred for that area. Altitude has an influence on the temperature of an area, amount of rainfall received, sunlight intensity factors that are important in crop growth and production.Every variety has a special altitude in it best grows.  [Use the table above to identify the suitable variety]

WHERE TO GET SUNFLOWER SEEDS

Hybrid seeds can be sourced from Kenya seed company stockists and other Agri-Input suppliers. The next step is to sow the seeds in well prepared farm. A well prepared surface will determine the future agronomic practices that are going to be conducted e.g. weeding. A poorly prepared surface will increase the number of times weeding will be done.

 CHALLENGES OF SUNFLOWER FARMERS

 The greatest challenge they face is the area of marketing. A small scale farmer in a certain area may be willing to grow sunflower. Unfortunately the area is remote and he is the only one willing to do so. He cannot be able to harvest sufficient volumes so that he may benefit from the economies of scale. It may thus prove to be uneconomical for him to grow the crop and for a manufacturer to collect it from his farm. The solution for this would be farmers within a certain locality form a cooperative society, that will handle their issues.

Many large scale farmers are either contracted by Kenya seed company to grow hybrid seeds or by large oil manufacturers.

 

 

 

Small farmers approach to Fertilizing in greenhouse tomatoes Kenya.

Fertigation is combining the application of water and fertilizers through the irrigation drip system.A good fertility program ensures that all the 14 elements needed by plants are supplied. However there is a challenge in doing that; the cost involved since the various fertilizers required are rare and at times due to the different constitutions of fertilizers it is very difficult for farmers to know the appropriate amount and type of fertilizer to apply.

The suitable approach is to examine the locally available fertilizers to determine if a balanced nutrition is possible. After a lot of consideration, I identified the following fertilizers that have closely and after using them they met my expectations.The recommendation of scientists all over the world is that by the end of a growing season, 1 hectare of tomatoes will have utilized an average of ; 450kg of Nitrogen, 65kg of phosphorus and 710kg of potassium. These three elements are major elements since they required in huge amounts compared to other elements. This creates a special challenge for farmers especially in sub-Saharan Africa who lack technical skills how to mix fertilizers and who do not take the soil for testing.  

I have developed this simple strategy that solves this problem. It involves supplying greenhouse grade NPK fertilizer through fertigation combining it with foliar sprays and soil application of a specialty fertilizer known as Dolmax. This strategy utilizes locally available fertilizer mixes to achieve the above result while taking care of the required essential micro-elements. 

Why fertigation?

It is possible to apply the nutrients exactly and uniformly only to the wetted root volume, where the active roots are concentrated, therefore increasing the efficiency in the application of the fertilizer reducing fertilizer usage. This fertilizing method prevents under-fertilizing or over-fertilizing since it is adapted specifically to the crop throughout the growing season.  The other advantage is reduction of groundwater pollution caused by fertilizer leaching and finally actual nutritional requirement is easily met.

It is paramount to know the most favorable the daily nutrient consumption rate that results to maximum yield and production quality at the same time saving as money.

Dolmax fertilizer

This fertilizer has 9 elements out of the 14 required by tomatoes. So we need to get other fertilizers that provide most of the remaining elements because if we were to purchase single element fertilizers the total cost will be too high. If you carefully examine the above fertilizer, you will notice the major elements required by plants i.e. N, P, and K constitute a very small percentage of the total constitution of the fertilizer. We therefore need the following additional fertilizers.

 

Mixing the fertilizers

I have tried this combination of fertilizers giving me excellent results the figures for fertilizer requirement given here represent the amount of mix required for 1m2. Therefore to find the exact requirement for you greenhouse, multiply by the floor area covered by your greenhouse.

 

Requirements

NPK [19:19:19] – Buy a greenhouse grade NPK fertilizer that is highly soluble. I recommend that you buy from Osho industries Nairobi. Sold in from of 15 Kg bag, and the fertilizer is pink in color.

Agro-feed [12:10:8+ TE] 

This fertilizer is manufactured by Osho industries. It is sold in 5 litre container packs. The advantage of using this fertilizer is that it supplies elements like boron, cobalt, molybdenum and copper those are not supplied by Dolmax or NPK.

Method of applying the fertilizer Step1. Amount of N.P.K required by 1m2 is 0.24Kg. To get the amount your greenhouse will require multiply the floor area of your greenhouse by 0.24
For example Mr. Koech's greenhouse has the following floor area measurements length 30 meters, width 20 meters. Find the amount of NPK fertilizer required.

Solution area= L x W

               =30X20

               =600m2

Therefore to get fertilizer required will be 

                   600x0.24= 144 kg 

This is the amount of fertilizer required for the full season of 120 days. To get the daily fertilizer requirement we divide 144kg with 120 days to give us 1.2 Kg/day. This is what you will put in the irrigation tank every day for fertigation for 120 days. The solution is pumped by a moneymaker pump to the drip lines that supply every plant.

Step2. Apply two tablespoon of Dolmax fertilizer to every plant. The purpose of this fertilizer is to supply calcium, magnesium and micro elements to the plants. This should be repeated after every one month and should be stopped when the fruits have attained a diameter of 3 cm.

Step3. Apply Agro-feed [12:10:8+ TE] after every 2 weeks after the crop attains the age of 2 months. Put 40-50ml in a knapsack sprayer and add 20 litres of water and 10 ml of a wetting agent spray the leaves. 

Once the crop has started fruiting and fruits have attained a diameter of 3-5 cm discontinue all fertilizer application. 

 

 

 

 

 

Rude shock for farmers with small greenhouses in Kenya

The marketers did a good job saying
"Tomatoes are very profitable crops because they are very productive if maintained well. Data from the ministry of Agriculture indicate that the year 2010 was the most profitable to farmers since the price of 1kg of tomato was ranging between $ 0.4-0.9. In technologically advanced countries like Israel, 1 ha of greenhouse produces up to 100 tons of fruit. Scientists all over the world have established that other than cut flowers; tomatoes, sweet pepper and cucumbers are some of the vegetables that can be produced economically in a greenhouse. The best cultivars for greenhouse production are the indeterminate varieties. These varieties can grow up to a length of 15 meters. One plant has a potential of up to 10 kg at first harvest, going up to 30 kg by the time it has completed its full cycle". BUT….OOPS many farmers were in for a rude shock! - Their savior had let them down!

Potential Profits lured many farmers and non farmers into purchasing greenhouses that were being marketed by some Agri-input suppliers. Many people were eager to adopt this technology because of the following reasons.

• This technology is associated with the rich and famous politicians, multinational corporations and EX- PRESIDENTS SO T'WAS OBVIOUS that small greenhouses will attract a following. By the way who does not want to be the first in the village to own such a structure!
  
• The economy was performing well thus the availability of credit from banks who previously considered farmers to be risky but due to increased economic prosperity, they had to fund farmers coz of excess funds
  
• Government initiatives like youth empowerment fund and women empowerment fund that unlocked funding for farmers.
  
• Farmers were convinced that the shorter period of crop maturity of two months for greenhouse-produced tomatoes was a fair bargain compared to the 4-5 months for outdoor farming.
  
• Apart from huge savings on crop protection chemicals, which constitute a huge part of production costs, less labor is employed in a greenhouse, while exposure to chemical toxins associated with application is minimized or eliminated altogether. It is also good for the environment.
  

 

Because of the above reasons, farmers were convinced to invest in a greenhouse kit, the cheapest comprising a 500 liters water tank, irrigation drip lines, plastic sheet, seeds and chemicals has been put at Ksh150,000 ($2,239) for those participating in the project. These companies had put some efforts in providing extension services to the farmers who purchased the greenhouses but that was not enough because Farmers were scattered all over the country thus it became very expensive and difficult to manage them leading to a high failure rate of this project.

 

Unfortunately most of the farmers did not have prior knowledge on greenhouse management strategies; the FOLLOW UP/ EXTENSION SERVICES initiated by promoters did little to increase their knowledge base. Neither were they exposed to the methods of identifying diseases like bacterial wilt; a destructive disease, pest of agro-chemicals among other pertinent issues.

 

There is light at the end of the tunnel.

I abide by the fact that such type of farming is profitable but more needs to be done to increase the knowledge of the farmers on greenhouse technology. Many farmers are having challenges on controlling heat in their greenhouse, using the appropriate foliar sprays and hormones to boost the productivity, mixing of fertilizers, controlling diseases like bacterial wilt and pests like white flies, aphids and above all harvesting sufficient water to last for the entire season. Every farmer experiences a unique problem in his greenhouse and it is difficult if not impossible to develop a handbook detailing each problem a farmer is likely to experience, but thanks to technology a forum like this will enable us to share some of the challenges and come up with appropriate mitigation measures.

How to share your problem with us

Briefly describe the general condition of your greenhouse e.g.

1. Type of soil/media used
   
2. Size of greenhouse especially its height above the ground
   
3. Other crops that you planted in the greenhouse before moving to tomatoes
   
4. Type of agricultural inputs that you use foliar feeds, pesticides, hormones, fertilizers, fungicides e.t.c
   
5. If you experience diseases in the greenhouse briefly describe the symptoms of the disease and if you can share with us a photograph we will appreciate
   
6. History of the greenhouse
   
7. And any other information that may be useful in diagnosing the problem
   

This type of information will enable us to get the big picture and advice you accordingly.

 

Thank you.

Haron Mogeni.