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

AGAPANTHUS

All of us get excited when we visit a well maintained flower garden. Some people have made creation and maintenance of gardens a favorable past time activity.

This is a tough job considering the hundreds of thousands that a gardener is to choose from. He has to consider the characteristics of every plant to be grown in the garden.

Some of the characteristics to consider are; the form of the plant: is it upright, trailing, what the maximum height it can attain?

Secondly he has to consider if the plant is a flowering plant. If so, what is the color of the flowers?

Thirdly he has to establish whether the plant is an evergreen or deciduous.

Finally he has to consider the impact of these plants to the environment. For example are the plants invasive in nature, what is the effect of the plants to buildings, the soil and to animals

In this article I will discuss about Agapanthus. There are thousands of flowering plants that can be used to give color to a flower garden- agapanthus is one of them.

For those growers who may wish to put a touch of blue in their gardens, consider planting Agapanthus at your home.

This plant produces elegant blue or white umbellate flowers on tall flower stalks, thus providing a burst blue color throughout the year.

For those in temperate regions, you can still enjoy the blue color during warm summer days.

I recommend this flowering plant as it is fast growing, disease resistant, easy to maintaining and propagating and is drought tolerant.

The plant is also tolerant to sandy soil and clay soils. The most popular and widely grown are the evergreen Agapanthus praecox species and its numerous cultivars.

During flowering, capsules are produced and when mature, they explode and release black flat seeds that are wind dispersed.

This plant can be propagated from seed or division of the rhizomes. New plants generated from seeds take longer to flower compared to those raised from the rhizomes.

The height of agapanthus ranges from 10 cm tall miniatures to 2 meters tall giants and their colors vary from shades of blue to pure white.

RECOMMENDED SPECIES

1. Cape Agapanthus (Agapanthus africanus subs africanas) has spreading, deep blue open flowers on rounded umbels reaching 30 cm across. This species is endemic to the Fynbos region of the Western Cape.

This is the most widespread variety in Kenya.

2. Fynbos Agapanthus (Agapanthus africanus subs. walshii) has longer drooping flowers and shorter leaves. It occurs naturally in the Granbouw district in south Africa.

3. Eastern cape Agapanthus (Agapanthus praecox) most popular and widespread species ranging from the western cape to Kwazulu natal with many local forms and cultivars.

Its leaves reach 60 cm and its umbels are borne on flower stalks 80-100 cm tall the blue (or rarely white) flowers and more than 5 cm long. Agapanthus praecox subspecies orientalis is the most popular-Mt Thomas has deep blue flowers.

4. Knysa Agapanthus– Agapanthus praecox subs minimus syn. Agapanthus comptonii) is smaller and lacking in growth of the former. Its inflorescence may grow up to 60 cm tall and the pale flowers reach 4.5 cm long.

It is confined to the eastern margin of the Western Cape and southern coastal region of the Eastern Cape. Recommended cultivars are Alelaide and Storms River.

5. Highveld Agapanthus (Agapanthus campunulatus) has 50 cm tall, slightly grey green leaves. The umbels reach 20 cm in diameter on stalks 70 cm tall with pale to blue spreading flowers.

It naturally occurs in grassland in the Drankensberg (Kwa zulu natal) and eastern free state to near Johannesburg (Gauteng) in the north. Recommended cultivars have white stripped leaves.

6. Drankensberg Agapanthus (Agapanthus caulescens syn Agapanthus nutans has 60 cm tall, glossy bright-green leaves in clusters. The umbels reach 20 cm in diameter, on stalks 60-130 cm tall with deep blue to violet (rarely white) spreading flowers.

It occurs among grassland along the northern Drankensberg of Mpumalanga and Northern Province.

7. Graskop Agapanthus (Agapanthus inapertus subsp pendulus) differs by its smaller heads of drooping flowers. This beautiful and popular plant occurs in the Sabie/Graskop district of Mpumalanga.

Other subspecies include Agapanthus inapertus subsp hollandii and Agapanthus inapertus subsp intermedius.

SUNFLOWERS AS CUT FLOWERS

Sunflowers are meant for oil production; however because of their large showy flowers, some florists have used them in floral arrangements with a great level of success.

Landscapists have used them in gardens by accurately planning their display in the landscape; tall varieties are planted at the back of a bed for a striking effect, those of medium height in the middle while short growing sunflower hybrids, at the front.

Different varieties of sunflowers often grow to different heights. This makes the planning of a floral display quite difficult, however plant breeders have been able to develop varieties that are; either tall, medium or dwarf.

Most Sunflowers varieties are single stemmed; but some are multi-stemmed, meaning that, they produce many flowers off the main stem. Combining these two varieties ensures an interesting balance is struck.

Balance is an attribute in floral or landscape design indicating a feeling of rest, security or stability. For example, a floral arrangement should not fall over or appear as if it will fall over; the same applies in a landscape where different plants are placed differently to achieve visual balance.

Not all sunflowers are of the same color; some are yellow, others are yellow containing a mixture an exciting terracotta lemon color, , others have an interesting yellow, with a red tinge on the inside of the petal.

Sunflowers are simple to grow, never plant the seeds deeper than twice their width, firm the soil down after planting. Some plants will flower within 50 days while others take longer; about 120 days.

STATUS OF WEED CONTROL AND HERBICIDE USE BY SMALL COMMERCIAL VEGETABLE GROWERS IN KENYA

Reports from the government and other development partners on the status of agricultural production indicate that small scale farmers are major actors in agricultural productivity.

It has been established that over seventy percent of the country’s agricultural production occurs in small farms; from tea, coffee, vegetables and fruits among others.

At the moment, farmer’s fortunes are being changed by the increased demand for vegetables for the local and export market caused by a ballooning population in urban areas and shortages due to extreme environmental changes.

Unfortunately small vegetable farmers lack technical information on the use of herbicides and other technological innovations that are available to large scale farmers.

Many small farmers rely on manual methods of weeding like; the use of hoes or ox-driven ploughs, therefore they can’t effectively control weeds when they increase the area dedicated to vegetables.

This backbreaking custom of using Iron Age implements, limits the productivity of small vegetable farmers. Farmers are unable to control weeds during the critical first 3-4 weeks [when there is rapid weed growth] during the rainy season.

As vegetable production areas have continued to increase, labor supply has decreased due to urban migration of the educated youth. The youth move to urban centers for better paying jobs or to do small trading rather than work in the fields where the pay is meager.

This has led to inadequate supply of labor for weed control and increased labor costs during the peak labor requirement period when some farmers are still sowing and weeding their first crop.

Small commercial vegetable farmers have realized, vegetables are a high value crops; they are considering other methods of weed control rather than limit the area planted to vegetables.

Some are now using herbicides to control weeds in vegetables with varying levels of success. A study was conducted in three divisions in central province; known for vegetable production.

The survey was conducted in; Kabete, Lari and Kinangop divisions because intensive commercial vegetable growing is practiced. All farmers in the areas owned 1.5 to 2.5 hectares.

During the study, the following herbicides were used by farmers

1. Afalon –used to control weeds in coriander, onions, carrots

2. Sencor-used to control weeds in tomato

3. Stomp-used to control weeds in cabbages

4. Gramoxone-used in fallow land

Farmers said that herbicides helped them expand the area planted to under vegetables. Farmers said they often weeded 3-4 times before each crop matured and was ready for harvest thus they would not be able to afford labor for hand weeding.

When asked how they came to know how the herbicides are used, most of them said they were taught by other farmers. Some of them said they were taught on herbicide usage by the vendors of the product.

This finding indicates that there is a need for extension officers to educate farmers in the areas. Unfortunately this may not be realized because the government rarely employs extension officers.

There is a need for farmers to organize themselves in community based organizations to take advantage of the few extension officers available. The NGOs involved in rural role need also to take a proactive role in assisting farmers.