FUNCTIONAL USES OF INDOORS PLANTS.

Plants aid in creating a mood when used as a focal point in a room. To create different moods, lighting may be used on such a plant emphasizing it as a centre of interest.

Indoor plants are used as room dividers; when they are placed strategically, they help in creating a feeling of a distinct space, they also reduce the of noise levels in the room.

As you choose plants for use as room dividers; make a good selection. This can only be achieved if you know the characteristics various plants and their forms.

Characteristics of plants are their biological attributes that make them suitable for a particular setting i.e. shades loving plants are suitable for indoors and conversely for light loving plants.

When we consider form; it has to do with their shape, height and other attributes that make the plant suited either for indoors or outdoors.

Large indoor plants, hanging baskets, small potted plants on the shelves are combined in the plant arrangement as you define space in a room.

To achieve attractive plants arrangements; pots chosen should suit the room decoration, be of the correct size, colour and should be in harmony with the form of plant contained in them.

Plants effectively conceal architectural eyesores for example; waste water pipes, cracks in walls, old buildings- they almost go un-noticed when beautiful plants are arranged on or around them.

HOUSE PLANTS: MAKING A CHOICE BASED ON THEIR CHARACTERISTICS.

• House plants should have a capacity to tolerate shade of diverse levels of intensity.
• They should have evergreen foliage so as to retain a permanent decorative texture.
• Leaves should have a beautiful form or shape and colour. Green leaves can be attractive especially, if the shape is unusual or interesting e.g. Monstera deliciosa. Leaves of a different colour other than green are very attractive e.g. Coleus blumei, Caladonium spp, Begonia rex
• Indoor plants should not have a fast growth rate; such a rate would require regular change of the size of the pot.
• They should also have a compact growth habit as space becomes a limiting factor in any house e.g. coleus blumei.

HOUSE PLANTS: THEIR VARIOUS SHAPES.

1. Broad leaved grassy plants

They are the most widely grown of all foliage house plants e.g. chrophytum comosum.

Several growing plants also have grassy leaves of these types e.g. narcissus sp, billbergia nutans.

2. Bushy plants are a vast collection of varieties that do not fit in other groups. The standard pattern is an evergreen plant of several stems, arising from the corm or base with a growth habit that is neither vertical nor horizontal.

They may be small and compact like peperomias or tall and shrubby like aucuba. Some plants are bushy, producing side bushes. Others must be pinched out regularly to induce bushiness e.g. coleus blumei, begonia rex

3. Upright plants bear stems with distinctive vertical growth habit. They vary in height from an inch to the tallest house available.

Medium sized upright plants are essential components in a mixed group of plants since they provide a feeling of height, thus help in offsetting the horizontal effect created by rosette plants, trailing plants and low bushes.

The upright plants are often displayed as solitary specimens serving as effective focal points. e.g. ficus elastica, diffenbachia picta, dracaena sanderana, yucca.

4. Trailing & climbing plants

Trailing plants bear stems that grow parallel to the ground. For them to grow upright they need support; they are left to hang downwards if grown in a hanging basket.

They are used as; climbers trained on canes, strings, vertical poles, trellis walls or grown in wall mounted pots to frame windows and trimmed on stout supports to serve as room dividers.

Trailers spread horizontally thus are ground covers in the indoor garden or the can be left to trail the side of pots of hanging baskets. e.g. philiodenron scadens, hedera helix, scindapsus aureus, sedum marsanianum, hoya carnosa.

5. Rosette plants bear leaves that form a circular cluster around the central growing point.

Most of them are low growing, they combine well with bushy and upright plants in pots and groups in the indoor gardens e.g. sanseveria hahnii, African violet saintpaulia ionatha, aloe humilis.

6. Ball plants are leafless and have a distinct globular shape.

All cacti belong to this group; their stem surface may be smooth or curved with air and spines e.g. echinocactus grusonis and most mammilaria.

HOW MPESA, INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT AND A GOOD POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT ARE CEMENTING KENYA’S POSITION AS TOP HORTICULTURAL PRODUCER.

 
Many policy analysts were worried of the future of the horticultural industry. The only people seemed making money were those in big business-but some of them were suffering.
For the small scale farmers their only hope was to persevere because everything seemed against them; the economy, weather and cost of production...just to mention a few.
But, Kenyan farmers proved their ability to overcome tough economic crises in Kenya and around the world and retain the country’s position of the as a top agro-commodity producer.
Currently small farmers still generate over 70% of Kenya’s agricultural export earnings and there is no letting down of this arrangement.
This situation will remain for a long time and probably they will contribute more if they are empowered and they organize themselves in credible farmer groups and cooperatives.
TOUGH TIMES MAKE KENYAN FARMERS TOUGH.
Hard economic times of the 1990’s to 2002, difficult EUROGAP regulations and poor infrastructure threatened the position of Kenya as a leading Horticultural nation.
Furthermore; horticultural investors around Lake Naivasha region, were threatening to relocate their businesses to Ethiopia and bordering countries because of loses they caused by the aforementioned reasons.
Incentives for investors in adjacent countries seemed better; the tax rebates, huge discounts on land, economic growth....among others; conversely! Kenya’s economy was shrinking.
Conferences were organized by stakeholders; reasons identified slugging growth were, growing competition from other countries, infrastructural challenges, expensive requirements for certification and a lack of knowledge on good agricultural practice.
An improved economic environment ushered in by mpesa and unexpected economic, political and social reforms changed farmers’ fortunes and ability to be resilient.

THE ROLE OF MPESA: IN IMPROVING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY.
Kenyans who owned a mobile phone were only a handful, in comparison with the general population making communication difficult.
This was soon to change, thanks to the reversal of year’s economic decline - a result of improved governance.
The increase of mobile phone penetration made it possible for small marginalized farmers previously written off; share market information on prices- an impossibility in the past.
A hard nut that beforehand disturbed policymakers was now partially cracked... thus; a glimmer of light could be seen.
Innovative thinking among GSM companies lead by Safaricom gave birth to mobile money transfer that was to revolutionize farming and the economy in general.
Farmers; most of them women... in far flung rural areas, could now receive money instantly from their husbands, other relatives and trading partners in cities and major market centers.
By 2007, over 10 million Kenyans owned a mobile phone and currently over 1 billion dollars is transacted in the mobile money platform; a great portion of the money is used in farming.
REGIME CHANGE: IT’S EFFECT ON AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION.
The propulsion of the NARC government to power in 2002 beckoned economic prosperity and opening of political and social space in Kenya.
People became bolder in criticizing government; and a robust parliament put the executive, judiciary in check and instituted police reforms-minimizing the excesses of corruption.
This led to an increase in government revenue, thus of roads to various production regions could be rehabilitated; dilapidated roads were responsible for post harvest losses of farmers.
Also significant investment in airport infrastructure commenced, for example expansion of Jomo Kenyatta international airport to allow larger cargo aircraft to land and the upgrading of Kisumu airport to international status.
The road network in the country is currently being transformed; it’s said it will be the best and most extensive in sub Saharan Africa.
The completion of Thika super highway, transport corridors and bypasses will make it possible to get to Jomo Kenyatta international airport and the city centre faster than before.
The access to credit has improved with the setting up of the youth enterprise fund, women enterprise fund and the current flexibility of commercial banks in availing credit to farmers.
The current major challenge is finding ways of reducing production costs. This role can only be played effectively by the farmers with assistance from other stakeholders.
This will happen when farmers make an in-depth analysis on the suitability of various enterprises in his/her farm and forming cooperative societies that cater for their interests.

HOW: TO PRODUCE ONION SEEDS.

Have you ever wondered how onion[allium cepa] seeds are produced? two approaches are used. My discussion will consist of production, harvesting, threshing, conditioning, storing, available varieties in Kenya and the yield per acre and the price of onion seed.

There are two ways of producing  onion seeds, namely;

• Bulb to seed
• Seed to seed

Onions can be open pollinated or hybrid seed. Hybrid seeds have greater uniformity, increased yield and disease resistance and also give greater seeding.  

BULB TO BULB METHOD

Bulb to seed method, is where onions seeds are produced  from previously harvested bulbs. Bulbs are harvested and stored and replanted the following season. Seeds are produced in the second season.

This method is said to expensive than seed to seed method, but it allows the grower to easily discard the off types, diseased or undesirable bulbs.

Bulb to bulb method is done for the preservation of onion seed stock.

 

SEED TO SEED METHOD

In this case, seed is used as the initial planting material and has the following advantages;

• It results in a higher seed yield than bulb to seed method, because of the closer spacing achieved when seeds are sowed meaning that more bulbs will be produce and latter flower to produce seeds.
• Less time is invested in bulb establishment.
• Overall cost is less than bulb too seed method.

The above reasons,  make this method the most preferred  for seed production. The major disadvantage of this method is the production of off-types thus rouging is required.

 

IMPORTANT CULTURAL PRACTICES IN ONION SEED PRODUCTION

Some of the very important cultural practices have a role in ensuring the seeds produced are viable It’s to pay close attention to pest and disease management when using seed to seed method.   .

1. Tillage

Leave the field fallow for at least 4 years and ensure it’s free of perennial weeds and soil borne diseases.

The soil should be ploughed to a depth of 10-15 cm, worked until a firm seedbed is achieved ensure it’s friable, fertile and well supplied with humus.

2. Planting

Plant seeds at a depth of 1-3 cm in rows of a width of 50-70 cm at a rate of 4.5-6.7 kg per hectare. Higher seed rates and close spacing yield more plants, thus more seed production.

In some varieties, more than one stalk is produced. Where soil fertility allows, adequate and reliable irrigation or rain is present, the inter row spacing can be reduced to 30 cm.

3. Fertilizer application

Onions respond well to fertilizer application because rooting structure is shallow and limited to a depth of 5 cm.

It is important to add organic matter to improve soil moisture retention ability and soil structure. An equivalent of 56 kg/Ha of Nitrogen should be applied as farmyard manure.

Application of nitrogen and potassium is not recommended at flowering because flowers become unattractive to bees; that are so important in pollination.

When the onions experience a copper deficiency, they become thin, poorly colored and have a poor bulb storage life. This can be improved by application of 22 kg /ha of Cuso₄.

Manganese deficiency common in onions; it is seen as leaf chlorosis. This is often observed in alkaline soils thus adding an acid based fertilizer e.g. ammonium sulfate will solve the problem.

Maintain the soil PH at 6.0-6.5 which is slightly acidic to prevent the incidences of manganese deficiency through regular soil testing. Ameliorate the soil PH when it becomes unfavorable.

4. Irrigation

You need a permanent source of water to keep soil moisture above 65% field capacity because the crop is shallow rooted. When the bulbs initiate flowering; stop irrigation.

5. Weeding

Onions are poor competitors against weeds as they are shallow rooted. They have a poor canopy structure thus can be easily shaded by weeds.

Weeds also interfere with harvesting and become contaminants of crop seed. Effective weed control is achieved through proper cultivation, crop rotation or using selective herbicides.

6. Pest and disease control

Onions are subjected to many insect pests and fungal diseases.

a) Diseases

Umbel blight is caused by Botrytis alli that infects the onion seed stalk consequently reducing seed yield and quality.

Onion downy mildew is caused by Peronospara destructor that is common during cool season’s causes chlorotic lesions on leaves and root stalk.

Pink root disease caused by Pyrenocheata tertris is a soil borne pathogen that infects onions at any stage of development and causes the root to turn pink then brown then black then die.

Fusarium basal rot- caused by fusarium oxysporum showing yellowing, die back from the top of the leaves.

b) Pests

Onion thrips feed on leaf surfaces causing them to turn white or silvery. They also feed on flowers, thus affecting seed formation. Scales are also a major problem of onions.

HARVESTING AND THRESHING

Harvesting commences, when onion heads contain some capsules that have turned black and are opening; the black color indicates that the seeds have ripened.

Although all onion seeds heads do not mature simultaneously, most farmers do a once all harvesting when seed heads are about 30% mature.

The harvesting is done by hand, cutting the plant 10-15 cm below the umbel head. The cut umbel head is put in sacks and stored for 1-2 days.

After the 2 days, the seeds will be dry enough for threshing as the capsules become brittle and readily break releasing small onion seed.

Seeds are dried at a temperature of 32⁰ C until they achieve a moisture content of 10% then at a temperature of 43⁰ C until a storage moisture content of 6% is achieved.

CONDITIONING THE SEEDS

After threshing, the onion seeds are conditioned to eliminate weed seed and chaff; onion seed that is light is unviable thus it’s also eliminated.

Initial cleaning is done by an air screen cleaner and gravity table.  The cleaner and gravity table allows the  offloading of on account of weight differences, heavy seeds sink on the other hand light seeds float and are unviable.

Wash and treat them for not more than 3 minutes;  they dried and stored as long as seed moisture content is less than 10%.

STORAGE of onion seeds

Onions seed deteriorate so fast when stored under hot, humid conditions. They become unviable in less than a year; proper storage will result to higher viability.

It has been established that when onions seed is stored at a moisture content of 6%; the seed will have a viability of 3 years and when stored at a moisture content of 3%, the viability will be more than 3 years.

returns per acre of onion

In most cases seed yield range will be 550-800 kg per hectare for open pollinated lines and 300-1200 kg per hectare for hybrid lines.  

When one is aiming to produce bulbs, one hectare can produce about 12-20 tons of onion bulbs.

Most farmers prefer growing red creole variety because can grow over a wide range of altitude and is suitable for open field planting and planting in the greenhouse.

Other varieties available in Kenya are

1. Red tropicana produces red bulbs.
2. Red tropicana F1 hybrid produces large red thick flat onions with a firm pungent flesh. it is highly productive and therefore demands high levels oif managment. it keeps well in a dry aerated store.
3. Bombay red this variety is for dry warmer areas. It is small to medium sized, globe shaped, purplish red and pungent.
4. Yellow granex F1 hybrid is an early maturing and high yielding variety, that is thick, flat with thin yellow scales. The flesh is medium firm, crisp and mild in flavor.
5. Texas early grano is an early maturing variety that takes 100-120 days. However, it has a short shelf life. Its a heavy yielder for high altitudes and ideal for fish salads.
6. Green bunching is a spring onion that does not produce bulbs. It has dark green attractive leaves. Its an early and highly productive onion grown for stems rather than bulbs and tolerant to sun scotch. 

STATUS OF MACADAMIA PRODUCTION IN KENYA

A feasibility study funded by Food and Agriculture Organization in the 1970’s indicated that the production of this crop in Kenya is viable. This was due to the high value of products from the tree and relatively low cost of maintenance inputs. After efforts were initiated for commercial production of the crop, through funding and technical advice by JICA; the crop now earns the country over one billion Kenya shilling every year. The potential of the country for production of this crop is so great! But; we are sleeping on the job.

Though we are currently ranked number 5 in the world, with production of 10,000 metric tons of macadamia, we can easily be number at production of 100,000 metric tons. There is an increasing demand from importing countries like USA, Germany, Japan and China among others, while our country’s production has stagnated.

This crop is considered as the world’s finest dessert because of its delicate taste and numerous health benefits, thus it is used in the manufacture of chocolate and oils. Unfortunately increasing production of this crop

CHALLENGES, OPPORTUNITIES AND FUTURE OF MACADAMIA IN KENYA

There is weak commitment from the government aimed at enhancing the production of the crop. Instead the government is concentrating on crops like sugar, coffee, tea, maize, rice that are regarded as food security crops. Small scale farmers whose land area is 2-3 acres produce 70% of the country’s production on the other hand large scale producers who number 500 account for 30% of Kenya’s production.

Secondly land fragmentation is threatening this crop as acreage under production reduces, people resort to developing real estate on the land a business that yields more. Thirdly there is stiff competition from alternative farm enterprises like; vegetable growing and dairy production that have higher yields. Compared to the crop produces after 5-6 months after flowering. On the other hand, a farmer engaging in horticulture will have earned money from vegetables that mature in 3-4 months solving his money problems in the short term.

WHY MACADAMIA PRODUCTION IN CENTRAL KENYA IS SO SUCCESSFUL

The communities living around Central Kenya have been pioneers in almost all areas of agricultural production/activities. It is no surprise that this crop is currently being grown in this area while western Kenya; a region with the greatest potential relying on the traditional food crops and industrial crops like maize, tea and sugarcane.

This is attributed to various reasons like the region’s close proximity to Nairobi-Kenya’s capital that has many agro processing industries, agro-export companies, secondly a vibrant enterprising population and a regional political class that is willing to attract investments in the regions they represent.

From the production of rabbits, chicken, coffee, apples, plums pears, dairy farming, oranges…virtually over 90% of all food crops found in the world have been grown, are grown or will be grown in this area.

The introduction of macadamia in Kenya was aimed at diversifying the income streams of coffee farmers; and the crop proved reliable during the years when the international market prices of coffee had hit an all time low. Secondly there were efforts championed by various NGO’s like JICA that saw the crop as a tool to reduce rural poverty considering the high demand of macadamia nuts worldwide.

It was introduced in Kenya in 1950 as an edible landscape crop by white settlers in home gardens. Commercialization started in 1970’s after realization it could be of export potential. It culminated into a technical cooperation between Kenya and Japan through JICA. Success of program made Kenya be the second largest exporter in the world but now currently the 5^th largest exporter due to drop in production. According to data from the ministry of agriculture, in 2007, the production stood at 10,000 metric tons. The production of the crop has stagnated at that level despite the enormous potential of the crop.

Indeed this crop proved to be a life saver for those farmers who adopted its production early when the coffee boom of the 70’s and 80’s was over. The price of the nuts became so good overtaking that of coffee by up to 10 times.

Currently the market demand for this product is so high that farmers cannot even meet a quarter of it. Although this is a blessing because of the improved prices, a societal problem of theft has been created. Thieves are harvesting farmer’s crops at night and during weekends thus robbing farmers their hard earned income.

This theft has created an additional problem of quality reduction of nuts destined for export. Ideally only nuts that have dropped from the trees are harvested because they are fully mature, have attained the required oil content among other quality requirements. Stolen nuts are often harvested by the thieves from the trees before reaching maturity. When these stolen nuts are mixed with other mature nuts during processing in a factory, they reduce the final product.

CHARACTERISTICS OF MACADAMIA TREE

This plant grows as a large spreading and evergreen tree to of height 12-15 meters. The bark of the tree is rough but not furrowed. Trees develop a proteoid root system. The growth of the trees occurs in flashes depending on water supply.

Pollination

This tree can self pollinate, although varieties vary from totally self compatible to totally self incompatible and in-betweens. Varieties grown in Kenya are cross pollinated with each cluster of flowers having 40-50 flowers that produce 4-15 nut-lets or nuts. These nut-lets eventually mature into nuts encased in hard corky shells that are protected by greenish brown fibrous husks. Just before harvesting the husk opens releasing the nut. In a natural setting, trees will have fresh growth. The falling of nuts is an indication they are ready for harvest.

VARIETIES RECOMMENDED IN KENYA

There are 6 varieties that are suitable for planting in Kenya

KRG 1, KRG 3, KRG 4, MRG 20, EMB 1, KMB 3

KRG 2

In Australia cultivars recommended include

H2 produces heavy fruit but the problem it is the stick type. It is preferable for nursery cultivation.

HAES 246 is a large spreading tree, slow to come to bearing, once it comes into production; it becomes a reliable tree whose canopy is very large. It is more suitable as a pollinator.

HAES 660-this is an upright tree suited for close spacing, since it produces small nuts with high kennel recovery and quality. Small kennel size is suitable for the confectionary industry e.g. in chocolate.

HAES 344 –this is an upright and hardy tree with very heavy tree. Has relatively good wind resistance, the problem is that it is prone to the nut borer than other varieties. It produces very well even in high limiting temperature.

HAES 741- this is an upright tree, moderate wind resistance less vegetative, kernels are of very high quality. They suffer from a problem called watermark where the kernel still remain wet at the bottom.

ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS OF MACADAMIA

This crop was introduced in Kenya in all coffee growing areas because these areas receive a minimum of 1000 mm of rain.

They tolerate warm to relatively cool environment as long as there is an adequate supply of water, for the tree to function properly, temperatures of between 24- 30 degrees are suitable.

Frost of about -6⁰ C will kill young trees. Light frosts do not affect the tree much. Long periods with maximum temperature of 40⁰ c will results to burning of leaves and subsequent reduction of yields.

WATER REQUIREMENTS

Rainfall of 1250-2500 mm under moist soil conditions can be optimal for production however in volcanic soil the crop is produced at a rainfall of up to 4000 mm. The heaviest rain should be in the nut and oil accumulation stage.

Strong winds are detrimental to growth of macadamia they reduce growth rates, flower production and flower set and ultimately affect yield. Violent winds can cause branch breakage.

PROPAGATION OF MACADAMIA

There are two ways; through sexual propagation or through asexual propagation. Sexual propagation involves raising seedlings from seeds on the other hand asexual propagation is by raising new plants from the parts of the mother plant by way of stem cuttings. Well matured branches from healthy and high yielding plants of pencil thickness with 2-3 buds are cut; the stem cutting is de-leafed to minimize evapo-transpiration, dipped in a rooting powder, then planted in plastic sleeves filled with well watered and manured soil. After two weeks, the cutting will have rooted. The cutting will be ready for transplanting to the farm after 2-3 months after forming an extensive root system. Another method of asexual propagation is through grafting on a rootstock that is resistant to soil borne diseases.

The following is the most appropriate criteria to follow when propagating macadamia through seed Inspection of seed that involves;

§ Picking a sample of 20 seeds and inspect for insect holes. If infection is above 60% in the lot do not use the seed lot.

§ Take a sample of 20-30 seeds, crack open the nut; kernel should ne fresh and mature. If shrunk and immature at 60% do not use.

§ Moisture content should be 15-18%, at higher levels; the viability of seed is diminished.

§ Floatation test should be used. Unviable seeds float.

§ Coloring test by use of tetrazolium chloride if it is applied to seed and it turns to a red color; the seed is alive and respiring. If 60% and over does not change color do not use the seed.

Yield

A single tree produces 55 kilograms per year. The current price of macadamia nuts is Ksh. 120. This means that you can earn Ksh 6,600 per tree. One acre can accommodate up to 70 trees when spaced at 8 m x 8 m. This means from one acre a farmers is likely to earn a farmer Ksh. 417,510 per year. Up to 7 tons have been reported harvested from one hectare.

Lawns

A lawn is defined as a living green carpet of spreading turf, which is a product of intensive husbandry and management. Lawns are used to create pleasant views for homes as they link the house to the garden. To produce a good lawn you are required to;

1. Eradicate species that are not grass or the wrong grass

2. Requires application of fertilizers and irrigation

3. Frequent mowing to control strong growth of the grass.

The resultant effect of the aforementioned activities is a stripped green carpet. Having a great lawn is public expectation. Only one type of grass should be grown.

Establishment of lawns

The following are considerations for establishment of lawn

1. Grass species should be suitable to produce a good lawn in the local climatic regime.

2. The method of propagation- lawns can be established from seed or vegetative material; Seed is more agronomic

3. During actual planting of lawns, the land is treated just like agricultural land; this means all activities associated with land preparation for good production are done. This includes plowing, harrowing and application of manure or fertilizer, however land preparation of the seed bed may require grading while removing foreign objects like stones.

4. Never try to bury objects in a lawn area. Ideally top soil should be removed. Remove as shallow as 3 cm and deep as 15 cm; scoop it and pile it on the side or along the paths, establish a gradient.

5. In every 3 to 5 meters, a drop of 6-10 cm should be created away from walks and buildings, sometimes from plants like trees to aid in drainage of water from objects.

6. The center of the lawn should be slightly raised. Fill back the top soil ensure that paths roads are 3-5 cm higher than lawn in general level. This also helps in preventing water logging on the paths. Secondly top soil; helps in smothering the area thus helps in avoiding small depressions or low spots which become a source of drainage problems.

A lawn is expected to be fairly flat. Where this is the case, during land preparation consider a heavy duty rotary cultivator. Afterwards you can do seeding, making sure you have fine seedbed. Cover grass seeds with 0.5 cm of very fine soil by raking the soil with dry branches.

On certain occasions, the land may require grading which is a process of leveling uneven land using machinery. During grading, the original land may be altered depending on the owners’ capability. During certain instances, large trees may be encountered that need to be preserved.

Two approaches have been instituted; when grading involves removing of soil and you encounter a large tree; carefully remove soil from the tree area, leaving a slope from the tree that acts as a mound around the tree covering the main roots.

If grading involves raising the level of the slope; and you encounter a tree use the well. Construct a well around the tree with loose stones. Fill the area up to the walls leaving a depression. If you are in a high rainfall area use aggregate materials to increase drainage.

Steep slopes present great challenges in establishing a lawn on them because they dry fast and the danger of surface run off. At times machinery is not able to move on the surface.

If your land has steep slopes, think of retaining a series walls. Do some cutting and filing to form terraces. If this is being done by machine, there might be some compaction and you may require sub-soiling to enhance drainage.

LANDSCAPING YOUR HOME: DO IT YOURSELF

All of us have the desire to live in a beautiful and clean environment. This desire resulted in creative horticulturists gradually developing concepts of landscaping with the purpose of achieving beauty in the living environment.

In the past, people were satisfied to live in a concrete or stone house that formed a part of the urban concrete jungle that was almost devoid of green vegetation. However things are changing because people are currently aware of the relationship of the environment to their satisfaction, health and well being.

I am sure for a long time; you may have been thinking to landscape your backyard or any space surrounding around your home so as to increase its visual appeal, or to make a statement to visitors in your home.

Most of us think of having an intricate or complicated flower garden or lawn or patio surrounded with hedges consisting of different beautiful plants. Unfortunately that’s not the way to achieve a great landscape for your home. You need a carefully thought out design of how various elements of the design are going to interact together once they are interpreted on the actual land.

QUALITIES OF A GOOD LANDSCAPE DESIGN

Every landscape has elements; consisting of plants, passages, footpaths or just open places. Non plant elements include surfaced roads, pavements, buildings, fences, terraces, mountains, water pools and small lakes; thus a good design shows the harmonious interaction of the aforesaid elements.

Consult professionals who will draw a design that can be easily interpreted and transferred to the ground. Simplicity is the key; a design that posses this quality avoids the overuse or overtreatment of any element in the landscape. Elements should be sparingly used except on a few occasions like grass in a field.

Secondly a good design creates emphasis to certain elements of a landscape, say; a building, pond, door, wall, road or a path. These elements are brought into focus, by using the distinctiveness of diverse plants for example color, height, and shape of leaves, trunk or its form.

Using this principle, a chosen element in the landscape is made the center of attention; while allowing the separate parts of the design to be attracted together. Thirdly, unity must be put into consideration. It refers to the arrangement that pulls all elements of the design to one symphony; so that elements appear to belong to one whole unit.

Unity must exist in a design. It is visual; it is the eyes that have the perception. Unity is achieved where plants show a good relationship in terms of; form, color and texture and through uniformity. Monotony can result, where uniformity has been overemphasized; an unacceptable state.

Fourthly balance in a design is an aspect that implies stability by establishing a pleasant visual weight distribution. Natural balance is applied; which can be, either symmetrical or asymmetrical.

Finally a good design takes proportion into consideration. Proportion refers to the aesthetic relationship or restfulness of the desired size relationship of one part of design to another and to the whole. This is illustrated where a storey building is in proportion with upright growing trees. This can contrast with a single storey house in proportion with a spreading tree. A small patio will be un-proportional with a large lawn.

A large terrace will be in proportion with a small lawn. To make objects or elements of equal size will not be good to view; rather it is not a matter of equality but should be complimentary.

Principle of variety is an aspect that prevents monotony. Variety adds dimension to the design which is reflected with changes that occur at different times of the year.

Harmony and rhythm refers to unity and completeness of design. This quality is difficult to achieve, but; it reflects completeness and shows the pleasing relationship of sizes and shapes. Without harmony, separate components will lose their identity of belonging to the whole.

To achieve rhythm, the same groups of plants are arranged at the same interval (space) this gives a sense of movement and establishes a visual line for eye movement.

On the other hand, scale shows the visual relationships of the objects in the design with respect to size. Establish a pleasing relationship with things in the design; especially those that appear jointed.

Plants especially trees have been used to bring human experience linked to inanimate things. Inanimate structures are difficult to link into design; but trees bring life, by making the building be seen between plant materials.

Finally, line should be incorporated into the landscape design, because it is a means that guides the eye and express emotion. It denotes the shape or structure of the design.

AGRO INPUT COMPANIES: ARE THEY DOING ENOUGH IN EDUCATING SMALL SCALE FARMERS IN KENYA? AND THE ROLE OF AGRO DEALERS

Agro-input companies are large organizations whose operation involves the manufacture, production, distribution, importation of one or more of the following; hybrid seeds, fertilizers, greenhouses, vegetative planting materials, pesticides, Animal feeds, vaccines, bio-stimulants, acaricides, knapsack sprayers and farm implements.

Are agro-input companies doing enough to promote agricultural production among the small farmers? This is a question of great interest to agricultural policy analysts. Various corporates have initiated efforts to assist farmers, for example Amiran Kenya is equipping farmers with knowledge on greenhouse production.

Sygenta has started an insurance policy in collaboration with insurance companies to minimize losses to farmers, Kenya Seed Company conducts field trials in collaboration with farmers during various times of the year- among others.

First, there is some effort to reach farmers, but more needs to be done. This is so because the amount of investment in farmers’ education is so small, compared to the numbers of farmers and their requirements. The information direly needed by farmers is on the; use of agrochemicals, fertilizers, proper choice of seed varieties, animal husbandry and post harvest technologies.

Secondly, according to Kenya government records, it is estimated; over 80% of Kenya’s population resides in the rural areas. Over 70% of them participate in agriculture as their main economic activity. Majority of these farmers are small scale with farms averaging 0.2-0.3 hectares.

They contribute 75% of agricultural output and 70% of agricultural produce. This means that agro- input companies have a huge customer base to reach, thus the investment they put in is a drop in the ocean. Kenya’s population currently stands at 40 million; meaning that agro-input companies have a potential client base of 15 to 20 million farmers. These companies have barely scratched the surface.

Some years ago a Massai herdsman went to an agro-vet shop to buy an acaricide for controlling ticks. When he reached home, it happened that his brother who is a farmer has bought Di-methoate for spraying his crops. They all placed the chemicals on the same place. Sometime later, the one who was to spray cattle decided to spray his animals.

Since, he did not know how to read and write; furthermore no one was near who could do so. He decided to pick one of them and give it a try anyway! Though he was not very sure which chemical he bought, little did he know of the impending disaster. He sprayed his 15 cattle with the wrong chemical and by end of the day, all his animals were dead!

Such stories abound in several parts of Africa, especially among rural farmers. There have been cases of children drinking agro-chemicals, birds and fish being poisoned, farmers applying excessive fertilizers-only to lose their entire crop, farmers spraying herbicides thinking they are foliar feeds. These cases would not have arisen if the farmers were properly informed.

The panacea for the predicament of small scale farmers has been identified in various researches as; collaboration between the government and private sector with the aim of educating farmers. Without doubt agro input companies have a major role in ensuring food security. They have the responsibility of doing more than selling their products to farmers; through active involvement in innovating, importing and distributing technologies of crop production, pest management and good agricultural practice.

Many of them have not been able to suitable develop programs that address the needs of rural farmers; the greatest need being increasing their knowledge base. Most of them have taken the trodden path of using showground’s, using radios, and normal advertising channels to reach farmers but these methods are proving to be unable to sufficiently reach farmers

In this case we will discuss briefly how Agro-input companies are involved in the dissemination of appropriate technical skills especially to small farmers and whether their efforts are sufficient. There are various categories of agro-input companies all who have a specific mandate thus the need to identify the categories of agro-input companies in Kenya.   

CATEGORIES OF AGRO INPUT COMPANIES

(a) Those who supply products that are geared towards crop production e.g. Sygenta Kenya, Semenis Kenya, Mea fertilizers, National cereal and produce board, Athi river mining company.

(b) Those that supply products that are geared towards animal production e.g. Coopers Kenya, Unga limited.

(c) Those that supply products for both crop and animal production e.g. Twiga chemicals

(d) Those that supply products for crop and animal production, industrial chemicals, irrigation equipment and greenhouses e.g., Amiran Kenya, Hygrotech Kenya, Osho chemicals

The Kenyan agricultural scene is dominated by leading farm input companies in the world like Semenis, Twiga chemicals, Paanar Seed Company, Osho chemicals, Amiran Kenya, Hygro-tech, coopers Kenya, Sygenta, Unga limited and local companies that collaborate with international companies. Unfortunately despite their enormous experience, their impact has been minimal in the country. Because of a myriad of reasons that revolves around the strategies employed by the companies in reaching farmers.

HOW AGRO INPUT COMPANIES REACH SMALL SCALE FARMERS

Knowing how agro- input companies reach the farmers is important because; it will enable us to know the numbers of farmers reached, the information passed is improving their production and whether or not they are effective in the strategies they employ.

The principal strategy used by agro-input companies to reach small scale farmers has been, and will be; having stockists in their distribution chain, known as agro-dealers. They act as an intermediary between the agro- input supplier and the farmer.

ROLE OF AGRO- DEALERS SHOPS IN ENHANCING FARMER’S KNOWLEDGE

Agro-dealers are traders who stock goods of several companies like fertilizers, hybrid seeds, animal vaccines, animal feeds, irrigation pumps and any other agricultural inputs. The popularity of this strategy is indicated by its employment by virtually all the Agro input companies.

This is observed by the variety of goods stocked by the shops from different companies. Secondly Agro-dealers are found in almost all towns in Kenya where farming activities take place. Their countrywide distribution makes them suitable conduits for Agro input companies disposing their products to small scale farmers.

This method makes it possible for the agro-input dealers to reduce their marketing costs. The shop owners simply order the goods and they are delivered to their shops or they visit the factories where these goods are manufactured and pick the goods and bring them to their shops.

The idea behind this approach of selling to agro-dealers as opposed to farmers is; to bring products in proximity to the farmer at minimal expense to Agro-input companies, farmers and to provide agricultural information.

A study conducted in western Kenya in 13 districts by Chianu et al titled “Farm input marketing in Western Kenya: Challenges and Opportunities” is a pointer of the dilemma farmers face in accessing farm inputs and the gap that agro-input companies need to fill.

It was noted that the number of Agro-dealers was increasing at the rate of 16% every year; unfortunately most farmers were not able to receive their services. This indicates that demand is growing and more should be done to sustain it.

However, the Agro-dealers cited high cost of transport as a major problem coupled with low demand and high costs of inputs. Rockefeller foundation is funding programs in three sub-Saharan countries that are aimed at developing the rural agro-input stockists.

The program is meant to encourage agro-dealers to organize themselves into purchasing groups to as to achieve economies of scale in sourcing and transporting fertilizers and other farm inputs. Group members provide joint collateral to guarantee supply by agro-input companies.

Agro input companies should be more proactive in adopting the development of afore said strategy. For instance, they can use the internet to collect information of every agro-vet in Kenya and their contacts.

They can then use this information to develop a system that will encourage the agro-dealers to make orders using the system, payment of goods through mobile money transfers, distributing products specific to the various agricultural zones.

Agro-input companies can stimulate demand through conducting intensive farmer education, encouraging farmers to form groups and support in marketing of their produce. With regard to education, it can be achieved by involving community based organizations and NGOs that have a reach in the grassroots in their marketing plan.

If an agro-input company chooses a specific focus area that produces a crop; say maize, he should encourage the formation of ‘product pools’ through the cooperation of community based organization, farmers groups, and other stakeholders.

These pools will be the collection points of the produce for bulking for potential buyers and ease of marketing. The uptake of input use cannot be enhanced if farmers produce does not find a market.

Secondly, using this strategy will increase the array of products that he can sell to farmers. For example to produce maize you need inputs like seed, fertilizer, herbicides and pesticides and preservatives.

Farmers have in the past been duped by some organizations to plant a particular crop, adopt a certain process to boost their production. After they harvest a bumper crop, the organization disappears leaving farmers with produce; which at times lacks local demand.

This is because the initiating organization lacks the financial ability to buy or market such produce. As an agro- dealer adopts the strategy of helping farmers in marketing; he should focus to empower farmers to be independent of external assistance.

CHARACTERISTICS OF AGRO-DEALERS

A study conducted in Uashin Gishu and Machakos district revealed that 58% of the owners of this business have a college education and only 13% have a post secondary education in an agricultural field.

It was also observed that 44% of these owners managed their business on a full time basis, while 46% on a part time basis and a further 10% did not participate in managing their business at all.

It was also noted that 67% of the owners employed regular workers whose average age was 27 years. Out of the workers only 40% of the workers had a post secondary education.

Uasin gishu was chosen for the because it is a high potential area receiving over 1200mm of rainfall annually, while Machakos is much drier receiving between 750-1200 mm of rainfall. Though the study was conducted in only two districts, It was assumed that the two districts will reveal the nature of agro-dealers since the two districts represented the extreme climatic areas where agriculture is practiced.

The results indicated though owners of agro-dealers have high levels of training, their skills may not maximally benefit farmers since less than half of them are involved in day to day running of the business.

HOW AGRO-DEALERS INFORM FARMERS ON EXISTING AND NEW AGRICULTURAL INPUTS

The Agro-dealers advertise the products of the Agro input companies by hanging posters of various products inside their shops. The posters are obtained from agro- input companies as the stockists purchase their requirements. These posters have the following information; a photograph of the product, its trade name and name of the company that supplies the product, where it is used i.e. on plants or animals and the purpose of the product for example controlling powdery mildew, ticks.

Other details are left out thus a farmer may not know the dosage of the product to use and other details at a glance, unless he first buys the product and reads the information on the label. In my opinion, it is the technical details that matter most to the farmer like: dosage, the suitable stage of plant growth for product use and side effects.

The other way is when the sales person working in the store relays this information to farmers as they purchase various products. This is effective when the salesperson has undergone training in an agricultural institution and is conversant with various challenges facing farmers. Unfortunately, less than 40% of the sales people have this knowledge.

It’s sorry to say most farmers do not have knowledge on suitable agrochemicals for the crops in their farm, how to use them effectively, which diseases or pests controlled by various products.  Most of them are semi-literate; they are not able to know the components of chemical. The way the various agrochemicals are branded also confuses the farmers and the Agro-dealers.

LIMITATIONS OF USING AGRO-DEALERS AS A WAY OF PASSING INFORMATION TO FARMERS

Weak regulations of agro-dealers have resulted to doubts on their ability to deliver. It has been established that, owners of the shops may have knowledge on agriculture; however they employ assistants who lack agricultural knowledge, secondly a small percentage of them run the business full time, therefore farmers are not able to benefit from the knowledge of the owners.

Also, weak regulation of Agro-dealers by the Agro-chemical Society of Kenya, Kenya plant health inspectorate unit and pest control products board, results to counterfeit products being sold to farmers. These institutions are mostly concerned with regulating big industry players but fail to monitor the agro-dealers scattered throughout the country. Furthermore various studies conducted in the country indicate that the institutions are underfunded and can’t be able to fulfill their role effectively.

OTHER WAYS USED BY AGRO-INPUT COMPANIES TO REACH FARMERS

USING SALESMEN

Sales is achieved in 2 ways

Agro-input companies need only to employ salesmen who target the agro-dealers as opposed to the farmers. This sales strategy is used where farmers are; scattered in the countryside thus reaching them is difficult and expensive, or where there is a diversification of crop production such that it would be impractical to address the challenges faced by farmers.

Secondly by targeting farmers directly- this strategy is employed where large numbers of farmers grow the same crop or closely related crops meant for commercial purposes. For example farmers in Kirinyaga district practice horticulture for the exports market. They grow crops like French beans, mange tout and cucumbers among others. Because of the high level of organization of farmers, it is cheaper for salesmen to directly sell to them.

The salesmen are properly trained, most of them have a college education so besides availing products to farmers and they also provide extension services. This proves to be more effective than agro-dealers in dissemination of agricultural technology to farmers compared to agro-dealers.

However the impact of the salesmen is localized in major towns, and market centers surrounding major crop production centers where the salesmen can easily meet their targets.

THROUGH FIELD DAYS IN VARIOUS FARMERS FIELDS

During such sessions, the Agro input companies are able to advise the farmers on suitable seeds for their specific areas, proper agro-chemical use etc. This is a good strategy where Agro input companies can meet the farmers. Unfortunately there is a weak follow-up of the programs hence minimizing the impact.

AGRICULTURAL SHOWS AND CONFERENCES

In this method, the agro-input companies have stands in agricultural shows through which they reach farmers. Various products are displayed and the farmers have an opportunity to ask questions and seek advice. However shows have proved to be ineffective since such they are seasonal, majority of those who attend are city dwellers who are not involved in farming and are losing popularity among the masses. They also organize conferences where various industry players attend to discuss which are aimed at attracting professionals.

ADVERTISING ON THE PRINT AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA

The disadvantage of this is the high costs of advertising hence its minimal use to reach farmers. TV is the most versatile due to its audiovisual properties but the target is limited to those with a source of electricity. Newspapers are not able to reach farmers who are illiterate  

CONCLUSION

Agro-input companies need to intensify their efforts of reaching small farmers. The strategies they employ have been effective in various ways, but have not been able to reach many farmers as required. There is need to think outside the box!