Handling agricultural produce correctly will make you have an edge in agribusiness

If you visit Wakulima, Korokocho or any other market in Kenya, you will see Lorries loaded with hundreds if not, thousands of fruits or vegetables.

If not, hardworking women-trying to eke a living will be seated in the hot sun; their produce placed on gunny-bags lined on the ground, just next to them is slurry from yesterdays’ rain.

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As the fruits or vegetables are piled on each other in the Lorries cabins, they bruise each other, those at the bottom squashed.

To crown it all, two or more brokers are sitting on them as they haggle with customers.

By the end of a single day, 10% of the produce will go bad. If it takes 3 days to sell all the produce, over 30% of the produce is destroyed.

Let’s get back to the women. If some of the produce they were selling remained at the end of the day, can’t be sold the following day as the sun will have wilted it.

It has been observed; over 40% of agricultural produce is destroyed at the post harvest stage.

This loss would have led to higher incomes and changed the fortunes of farmers and those product supply chain.

At times a total loss can occur if the produce is highly perishable; for example vegetables and fruits.

We must understand that seeds, vegetable or fruits are living commodities that continue to respire long after they have been detached from the mother plant.

Seeds respire slowly therefore can handle rough treatment and still be viable years later.

This is not the case for vegetables and fruits for they respire and deteriorate very fast after suffering wounds from rough treatment.

Who is the loser at the end of the day? – The farmer. The broker would have made their cut, the city council theirs- the farmer crying all the way to his wife!

When Kenyans are selling produce to the international markets, it is well packaged, handled and inspected by our best graduates who work for KEPHIS [Kenya plant health inspectorate service]

What happens when we want to sell produce locally? Nobody cares! - The produce is loaded and ferried in a dirty pickup that probably ferried a corpse the other day.

When the produce gets to the market who handles it? Your guess is right- it is that ‘fella’ who is water phobic.

The last time he had a shower was when he was rained on as he was caring a 100 kilo sack of potatoes.

The logic behind this article is- you can earn more if you mind how you handle produce as you will reduce wastes due to rotting.

Have a careful day! Will you?

LiveJournal Tags: Conditions in Horticultural markets in Kenya

Cooling of agricultural produce.

LiveJournal Tags: Cooling of agricultural produce,Effect of storage temperature on agricultural produce,Post harvest technology

During harvest time, the temperature of harvested produce is almost the same as ambient temperature.
Sometimes it can be high as 40⁰ degrees depending on the surrounding environment.
If temperatures are high, the respiration rate of the produce increases consequently increasing the evolution of ethylene, a gas responsible for ripening and senescence.
The objective cooling of produce is to slow down the rate of respiration thus prolong its shelf life.
PRE-COOLING
Pre-cooling is the rapid lowering of the field heat from freshly harvested produce before a comprehensive cooling regime is undertaken so as to maintain its quality.
Methods of pre-cooling vary from plant produce to produce. For example when cut flowers like roses are harvested, they are dipped in a bucket containing water mixed with a fungicide before being taken to a cold room.
Conversely tea is kept under a shed or in a cool place after harvest as the application of water to it, will reduce its storage life and encourage rotting.
Other produce like grapes should not be immersed in water as this will remove the natural wax layer on the fruit.
The natural wax is important in enhancing long storage life; furthermore it is a quality requirement of the market.
For most crops, storing them where cool air is circulating, under a shed, is sufficient to remove field heat.
Precautions to consider during cooling agricultural produce
Inappropriate cooling temperatures or methods may subject produce to abnormal ripening or chilling injury.
Abnormal ripening is mostly observed in fruits. They either ripen very fast or fail to do so when exposed to room temperature.
During cooling, a high relative humidity is maintained to prevent an excessive loss of water.
Such loss may result to wilting, shriveling, flaccidness or loss of nutritional value of produce.
Ethylene is an important gas produced naturally in fruits and vegetables as it promotes ripening.
However, during storage it should be absent or present in minute amounts; ripening is desired after the produce has reached the customer.
To prevent its production during storage, cooling must be done rapidly.
High ethylene producing commodities like fruits should not be stored together with low ethylene producing commodities like vegetables.
The produce must also be cooled at temperature which is above freezing point for temperate commodities or chilling point for tropical and subtropical commodities.
Chilling or freezing of produce affects the flavor of fruits its quality in terms of or will result to chilling injuries.
Unfortunately, these methods are not used by small scale farmers because they are at times at far flung areas away from power lines and the cost involved.
The quicker the temperature of the produce is lowered after harvest, the longer the storage life.

MISCONCEPTIONS REGARDING GREENHOUSE PRODUCTION

My neighbor bought and installed a greenhouse about 1 year ago. He had high hopes that in a short while he would recoup his investment.

Greenhouses in Kenya have been touted as the panacea of increased farm profitability. This served to increase his resolve to own one; little did he know...

After researching, he noted, during rainy seasons there was a critical shortage of tomatoes- prices would skyrocket to over Ksh 6000/= for a 70 kilogram crate.

An ‘expert’ estimated that his greenhouse measuring 45 feet by 15 feet could yield 100 crates of tomatoes if, he planted Anna F 1 Hybrids.

He salivated at the prospect of earning a turnover of 600,000/= within 5 months after investing Ksh 180,000/= in construction of the greenhouse and about Ksh 50,000/= on labor, seeds and agrochemicals.

His experience proved contrary to his expectation, because he had a job that made him busy, he left his wife in-charge of the greenhouse.

Despite the fact that his wife was determined to succeed, unfortunately, she had zero skills in pest identification, irrigation and fertility requirements and greenhouse management.

Within 1 month of transplanting her plants were invaded by white flies and red spider mites and within weeks, everything had dried up! She planted tomatoes again and again, the same thing happened.

By the time I arrived, the greenhouse was under Sukuma wiki[kale] for family consumption.

They had lost over Ksh 80,000/= in seed, chemical and labor costs and were on the verge of selling the greenhouse.

 

Exaggerated information:-

Most of the information available on greenhouse production is inaccurate as it is being peddled by salesmen is whose motivation is, to make a quick sale or profit.

The yield potential of greenhouses is exaggerated to appear attractive to the naive first time grower or inexperienced farmers.

Some of these self appointed ‘experts’ do not have any hands on experience on greenhouse production!

Their job is to set up greenhouses for farmers [which they do skillfully] after that, the farmer is left on his own, either to succeed or fail.

The hard job for the farmer commences after he purchases the greenhouse. He has to; grow the correct crop, at the correct time, the correct way- to make profit.

The reality is; the yield obtained from a greenhouse is directly proportional to the technical skills and its management by the owner.

One needs to be experienced on use of irrigation, plant hormones, greenhouse grade fertilizers, pesticides, pest identification and control.

For instance, crops grown in a greenhouse are sensitive to salinity. This means, the water used in irrigation, must be free from dissolved salts especially sodium chloride, as it has a damaging effect on crops.

Secondly, most farmers do not realize incorrect usage of fertilizers in a greenhouse can render their greenhouses useless.

Fertilizers tend to increase the level of salts in the soil or growth medium. They need to use fertilizers with a low salt index or periodically drench the soil.

The other misconception is; plants grown in a greenhouse do not suffer pest attack.

The fact is, a greenhouse is an enclosed environment where high warmth levels coupled with high humidity exist making favorable for pest growth compared to the open areas.

An experienced farmer will continuously scout for pests and diseases and control them before they reach economic injury levels.

They continually struggle with greenhouse pests like red spider mites, white flies, thrips and diseases like agro-bacterium, powdery mildew among others.

To control these diseases and pests, they spend a great deal on agrochemicals. For them to make substantial profits they continuously device ways of minimizing pest problems.

In conclusion, you should not be afraid of this investment, for it richly rewards for those who are ready to learn and persevere.

It is in a greenhouse that technology can be used in previously unimaginable ways.

At a click of a button, you can irrigate crops, increase or reduce greenhouse temperature, irrigate plants and a myriad of other operations conducted.

Do not be afraid to consult experts. I believe there are those who are motivated by the success of small start-ups and are ready to offer free advice.

Overcoming failure in agribusiness needs one to resolve to work hard, technical knowledge on crop production and financial literacy skills.

Farming is an enterprise where you can double or even triple your investment in 6 months to one year but it is laden with huge risks.

In my previous blog posts, I have provided technical information on different crops for those who wish to start a farming enterprise; but this one is unique, for the focus is success in agribusiness.

A farming business is the easiest business to start; all you need is a piece of land. If you don’t have any, there are people, always ready to lease their land.

Secondly; you must have the resolve to work hard, equipped with technical knowledge on the crop you wish grow and be abreast to the ever changing crop or farm operations and financial literacy skills.

Most of us assume that capital is the paramount factor in agricultural production, this is not true. In my opinion, managerial skills reign supreme- they determine success or failure.

A knowledgeable agricultural investor/farmer will view farming as a production line. The factory is the soil, where inputs are necessary in sufficient quantities for flourishing crop growth.

Most farmers do not supply the requisite inputs in the desired quantities. They either, oversupply or undersupply them; two conditions having a considerable influence on the quality of and price at which to sell the product.

Farmers all over lament that the costs of production have sky rocketed while the commodity prices have remained low; even in this condition, there are those who are smiling all the way to the bank.

For instance, during the rainy season, grass sprouts all over even on public land. Those with foresight harvest the grass aggressively; store it for the dry season or replenish their barns.

An Agro-based business thrives during seasons of biting shortage or during seasons of high demand like Easter and Christmas; successful farmers position their resources for such occasions.

All we need to succeed in any business including agriculture is the ability to forecast and lay plans that will shape the business/firm in the present term, medium term and in the future.

HOW FINANCIAL LITERACY AFFECTS AN AGRIBUSINESS

Success in business is the wish of every businessman or lady in Kenya; unfortunately only a handful makes it. A discussion on a popular web forum www.wazua.com attributed this failure to lack of financial literacy.

“The...biggest handicap to most people achieving financial freedom is the lack of financial education. We have people all over who are keen to invest and start business, but the truth of the matter is that 90% of the businesses started fail within the first 5 years of operation.”

The question is; which financial education is needed to succeed in business? Must you arm yourself with complex accounting formulas or equations to calculate profit or loss, sales projections or turnover?

We have witnessed people, who’ve had suboptimal education succeeding in business; some of whom are billionaires! This proves to succeed; only a basic education is necessary.

All we need to understand is; what is capital, what are sales, when do you make a profit or loss and how to deal with and regulate expenses, and, recognize that every decision taken, has a financial implication to the business.

Many people have bright business ideas. Once they take the bold step to implement them, they fail to differentiate capital from sales, profit from sales, and fail to monitor expenses to peril of the business.

Successful businessmen whether learned or not, have learned by experience and practice the role of capital in business, the tricks of increasing sales, the ways of increasing profits while reducing losses and the effect of ballooning expenses on a business.

Of course there are other ‘accounting calculations or concepts’ [if implemented] assist a businessman to accurately determine if his business is doing well.

I believe the most basic accounting concepts constitute the foundation of any business; other accounting formulas evolve from them.

Customarily, we are quick to leap into opportunities without seriously analyzing them. We consequently finish up missing the bigger picture.

We are rash to engage in business because of the greed of achievement. A business is like a seed; there are preparations that must be put in place before planting the seed.

You don’t expect to harvest immediately after planting, the seed must be natured; the bountifulness of the harvest is determined by how we natured the seed.

At times, regardless of the effort done, we miss a harvest because of reasons beyond us; the same applies to business.

When we critically analyze ourselves and the business, we will be able to understand our limitations and how they affect the business so that adjustments can be made.

There exists a very big gap and the same must be addressed if we want to progress as a country and get out of the shackles of poverty and of course the middle class mentality.

Establishing A Grape Orchard

The first question that any prospective grower needs to ask himself before he chooses a crop to grow is; “can grapes grow successfully in my locality?”
In my previous post, titled growing grapes in Kenya, I tackled the issue of appropriate environmental requirements for grape growing. 

In this post, I will discuss 

How to Establish a Grape Orchard.

To establish a grape orchard, you need the right planting material. Grapes happen to be propagated vegetatively; this means, parts of the plant are cut, rooted and used to generate other plants. The most common method used in the vegetative production of grapes is stem cuttings.

If you are growing grapes for the first time you can obtain the cuttings from other grape farmers in Kenya or the Kenya Agricultural research institute (KARI). But if you already grow some grape vines in your farm in Kenya all you need to expand your farm is the vegetative propagation of the vines.

Other grape vegetative propagation methods include; layering, budding, grafting and tissue culture.

Layering is used in cultivars that are difficult to root while budding is used to rejuvenate old vines
On the other hand, grafting is done on rootstocks resistant to the grape louse, nematodes and other soil conditions like drought and low PH.

When you need clean planting materials in large quantities such that it is impossible sufficient grape stem cuttings, Tissue culture becomes handy.
Grapes can also be grown from seeds; this method is mainly use by plant breeders to grow grapes with the intention of creating new varieties or improving the existing ones.

How To Obtain Suitable Grape Cuttings For Propagation.

The best time to get cuttings from grapes for propagation is when the plant is dormant. You harvest cuttings from the dormant annual fruiting vines or canes. Hardwood cuttings of 30 cm long, each with 3-4 buds are selected from the mother-plant and treated with a rooting hormone.
Hormone treated cuttings are then stuck in a nursery to root and develop leaves. After rooting and leafing takes place, they are ready for transplanting to the main farm.

Planting Grapes

The Land is ploughed thoroughly and deeply to a fine tilth. Trenches measuring 30 cm deep by 20 cm wide and 1.5 M long are prepared for insertion of the cuttings.
The top soil is mixed with 120 grams DSP and put back into each trench. The soil is then irrigated thoroughly and excess water is allowed to drain out before the cuttings are stuck in the trenches.
Spacing of 15 cm apart should is observed the trench is filled leaving the top buds of each cutting exposed.
Sprouting will occur after 4 weeks, afterwards top dress using CAN to promote vegetative growth.
The cuttings should be left to grow for one year after which they will be ready for transplanting to the main field. The best time is between, August to October, so as to reduce transplanting shock.
If the cuttings are directly stuck in the field, the same procedure used in the nursery should be followed, but the spacing in the field should be the recommended spacing.
Holes should be at least 60 cm deep; each hole should receive 120 grams of DSP fertilizer, soil mixed with it, followed by irrigation.
The whole cutting should be covered with soil; one bud should be left projecting above the soil. The soil around the cutting or transplant should be firmed and irrigated weekly.
Shoots that sprout through soil are the best; those that are vigorous should be allowed to grow and trained towards a trellis.

Training And Pruning Of Grape Vines

Before grapes are planted a trellis system should be set up. The most suitable trellis is the T trellis as it is easy to construct and maintain.
There are other methods of trellising; they include Veranda, Double veranda and Table trellis. Training is determined more by trellis system than by the rootstock.

Spacing of vines is usually about 2 to 2.5 Meters intra row spacing and 3 Meters inter row spacing. The combination of training and pruning gives the vines the shape for bearing fruits.

The shape should maximize the number of bearing canes and their exposure to the sun, as this improves the quantity and quality of grapes respectively. On the other hand, disease control is easier.

One year after planting, vines, go dormant. When environmental conditions improve, the main shoot starts growing. When it reaches the top wire of the trellis it is pinched to encourage branching.

New shoots emerge from the pinched point. If you are using a T-trellis select only 2 shoots. Train them to follow the wire in opposite directions.
Laterals that grow from the trained shoots are allowed to hang below the wires. They should also be pinched to discontinue excessive growth once they have grown sufficiently.

Pinching of grapes is important as it conserves nutrients, removes apical dominance, prevents the growth of small berries at the top of the vines and encourages good bud break and berry development.

Harvesting, Handling And After Care Of The Vines

Ripe berries are cut off from the laterals during harvesting. After harvesting, grape vines go dormant.
If they don’t go dormant naturally, all leaves must be stripped of from the vine to allow them to go dormant forcefully.
A Powdery mildew attack or withholding irrigation can promote defoliation.

GROWING GRAPES IN KENYA

Grapes--where do they grow them in Kenya? Most Kenyans have no idea where the grapes in their wine or juice come from? This is surprising considering that Kenya is known for its quality agricultural produce, but in of grape production, we are a far way off.

Very few Kenyans know where grapes are grown. It has been established that the plant grows well in Naivasha, Mandera, Mombasa, and Kibwezi.

Grape is not very exacting about temperature. Consequently, it can be the grown practically everywhere in the world making it the fruit with the broadest geographical distribution.

Kenya has a high potential to be a leading producer of the grapes if its cultivation is taken seriously. We can save a lot of foreign exchange as over 90% of the fruit used in wine and juice making is imported from South Africa and other countries.

I am saying this because other farmers are doing it--right here in Kenya. If you don't believe me, just watch this two-minute video

The existing varieties can be classified into two distinct groups according to their functions

1. Table grapes- this group of grapes is used in making various meals for example as sweeteners in cakes.

2. Wine grapes-used specifically in the production of wine.

Grape Botany

The crop is a woody perennial vine having the ability, to live beyond 500 years.

There are some grape varieties; they include, French grapes also known as Vitis vinifera, American grapes- vitis labrusa and Mediterranean/ Muscatine grapes.

The most widespread grapes species is Vitis vinifera; a native of Europe grown on the world’s most land acreage.

Environmental conditions for grapes.

The crop prefers warm to hot temperatures; during fruiting, the weather must be sunny and dry.

Warm environmental temperatures during fruit ripening are vital in increasing the sugar content of berries while reducing their acidity.

This explains why grapes grown under irrigation in hot deserts or semi-deserts are sweeter than those from cold, humid areas.

The crop can grow in any soil, from sandy to heavy clays but the land should be deep and well drained.

Where the rainfall is scant, supplement it with irrigation of 500 mm of water during the cropping season. In Kenya, the cropping season is September to March.

Irrigation should be withheld after the long rains to force the crop to go dormant.

In August to September, fruit buds form thus it is essential to keep the plant healthy and well manured.

Suitable Grape scions for Kenya are as follows

Table grapes: Dodrilabi, Black rose, Italia, Muscat of Hamburg, Alphonse, LaSalle, Muscat of Alexandria, Perletta, Cardinal, Dalbiki.

Wine grapes: French colombard, Sauzao, Saungnok blank, Cabaret, Alicarte, Grenard, Semillon

Suitable Grape Rootstocks for Kenya

Most grape rootstocks are adapted to many soil conditions. The selection of a suitable rootstock is based on the following criteria;

1. Resistance to Phytophthora root rot

2. Tolerance to drought and other soil conditions like low PH

3. Adaptation to soil depth and texture

4. Resistance to crown gall Agrobacterium tumefaciens. This bacterium weakens vines by encouraging the production of large amounts of cytokinins and auxins that induce excessive cell division and elongation.

5. Adaptation to different PH which affects availability or uptake of nutrients. The scion should be adapted to high PH soils to facilitate absorption of Fe²⁺ Mn²⁺, and Zn²⁺ should be adjusted to low PH to take in Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, and K⁺

6. Phylloxera (grape louse) and nematode resistance. Nematodes are vectors of grape fanleaf virus.

7. Vigor control- in cold regions vines exhibit indeterminate growth. Such growth results in the diversion of food reserves to vegetative growth at the expense of the fruit development.

Related content: 
1. How to establish a grape orchard

2. How to Earn millions From Passionfruit.

TERRARIUM: AN IDEA FOR BEAUTIFYING YOUR HOME

The purpose of filling vases with flowers is to bring the beauty of nature to our living rooms, offices bedrooms or play areas.

Other people put hanging baskets in their patios or corridors among other places thus creating a hospitable environment for themselves and their visitors.

Acquiring suitable plants for example cut flowers for our homes is expensive as they have to be imported or transported from far away if they are locally produced.

Despite the huge expense incurred, the beauty especially of cut flowers lasts for a maximum of two weeks, thereafter the blooms wilt.

God in his wisdom created different plants suited for different niches and whose foliage is of different colors.

It is possible to find aesthetic beauty in plants, each unique in its own way without incurring a recurring expense for cut flowers.

There are numerous ways of filling our homes with plants and for this instance I will discuss about terrariums.

Thank you and I hope you will enjoy. As you read this article, be free to contribute your opinions

Terrarium/ bottle gardens

A terrarium is a transparent glass or container retaining high humidity used in displaying growing plants in the indoors.

When properly planted with a suitable plant species, these miniature gardens may remain healthy and beautiful for several years.

Terrarium means growing plants in bottles. It is also known as indoor plants growth unit.

Terrarium is derived from two Greek words; ‘Terra’, which means the earth, while arium means, of the home.

Principles of growing plants in a terrarium

1. When plants are given proper light, moisture, humidity and temperature, they can be maintained in a sealed container for many years without additional water or air from the outside environment.

2. Terrarium is just like a mini jungle floor where plants receive fitted light and air and the soils are saturated with moisture.

Moisture in the jungle evaporates and then produces clouds which then produce rain.

Similarly in a Terrarium, the moisture evaporates then condenses on the glass and runs back to the soil. This cycle is repeated indefinitely.

3. A Terrarium can be likened to a sealed glasshouse where light enters and provides heat energy to the plants.

4. Carbon dioxide produced during respiration by plants is used for photosynthesis.

5. In a Terrarium, carbon dioxide and oxygen are constantly recycled within its confines.

Containers for terrariums

For a container to be suitable for use in a Terrarium, it must possess the following qualities;

1. It should admit light through it (transparent glass or plastic)

2. It should hold a suitable amount of soil to sustain plant growth.

3. It should be large enough to allow some growth of the plants.

4. It should be able to provide adequate air volume when planted.

5. It should be covered easily to hold moisture within it.

A true Terrarium is a sealed container, which is only opened for maintenance purposes.

However, open Terrarium have been developed and are placed in lighted areas, on the other hand, sealed Terrariums do not tolerate sunlight; they are placed in areas with diffused light.

Characteristics of plants suitable for a terrarium

They should be able to tolerate high humidity, moist soil, constant temperature, low light intensity and are shade tolerant.

They should be slow growing plants

A variety of sizes, colors of foliage will be desirable to make a terrarium unique.

A typical planting will consist of some plants that will be tall, low growing and some that will provide ground cover.

The best plants to choose from are those which like moisture and warmth and grow fairly slowly. Flowering plants are vulnerable to mould in the humid atmosphere thus encourage disease.

Placement of the Terrarium

Avoid placing next to windows; terrariums do not tolerate too much light.

Maintenance of Terrarium

Once they are established, they will go for months without watering. One may need to water only if the container feels light in weight or if the compost starts to turn grayish in color.

If, there are soil particles or mud splashes on the inside of the jar, clean them with a piece of sponge or dump cloth attached to the wire.

Condensation can be a problem when the bottle is first closed but this clears within a day or two; if the mistiness persists, remove the lead for a few hours to let the compost to dry.

Once a week, look at your bottle garden to check if it needs any attention which may be;

Trim the plants with a razor blade if they are growing vigorously.

Prune carefully any dead leaves, remove decaying matter or discolored leaves.

Spray a little insecticide into the terrarium if any diseases or pests have gained entry.

Fertilize the soil with liquid fertilizers or preferably slow release fertilizers.

List of plants suitable for terrariums

1. Aglaenema commutatum

2. Adiantum sp

3. Fittonia sp

4. Calathea sp

5. Peperomia sp

6. Begonia sp

7. Saxifraga sp

8. Zebrina pendula

9. Pilea cadieri sp

10. Dracaena sp

11. Marantha sp