Listen The armyworm is especially devastating for maize farmers in Kenya and across Africa because it attacks the crop while it is still in the field. The fall armyworm often invades Kenya’s breadbasket regions of the North Rift and western Kenya maize belt and Meru and Machakos counties. Integrated pest management is the best way […]
Listen Farmers lose much of their harvest to poor access roads to markets, diseases and pests like army worms and aphids. Maize is Kenya’s main staple. In 2018, the Maize production increased by 26 per cent from 35.4 million bags in 2017 to 44.6 million bags. In the same period, production of wheat increased from […]
Listen Wheat is the second most popular cereal after maize in Kenya. It is an ingredient in many favourite and common meals such as chapati, cake, mandazi, samosas, bread among others. Interestingly, most of the wheat-based foods in the country are considered as precious and for special occasions especially in rural and low-income areas. Wheat […]
Listen Fed up with meagre earnings from his farm, Finelius Irungu woke up one day, uprooted his tea bushes and replaced them with climbing beans. For years Mr Finelius Irungu, a tea farmer in Murang’a County, would endure a thankless and familiar routine. He would wake up early, harvest his tea leaves and then wait […]
Listen Athanas Tuiyot swapped pen for hoe and has since become a renowned farmer at Chepkanga area in Uasin Gishu County. He shares tips on cabbages. Seedbed Identify a good piece of land. Soils with high organic matter yield more. They should also be well-drained with a high water retention capacity. Soil pH should be […]
Listen A steady flow of farmers visit Charles Mureithi’s home to get valuable lessons on how his foray into fruit growing became a notable success story in a county more famous for beef ranches. Dimcom Eden Villa Farm is located in the Sipili area of Ng’arua, Laikipia County. The 7.5-acre farm is one of the […]
Listen Adding value to mangoes by drying them created a new line of revenue for Mercy Mwende and her husband Mageria. It seems like the middle of nowhere for first-time visitors. But Kamutiria village, deep inside Tharaka Nithi County, hosts a gem that is changing the lives and fortunes of mango farmers. Sweet and Dried […]
Listen Yellow passion fruit output was worth Ksh134 million in 2017 with most of it consumed locally showing the huge market potential for a fruit that is hugely popular in supermarkets and is regarded as the best tasting passion fruit in the world, compared to its more acidic-tasting purple coloured cousin. It is one of […]
Listen An agricultural revolution is taking place in Kenya’s towns with mini-farms sprouting in the most unlikely of spaces. From buckets to plastic containers, sacks, and pots, the little farms are sprouting everywhere. In some instances, no soil is needed. The urban farming movement is especially spreading fast in Nairobi and central Kenya. Hydroponic technology […]
Listen Fred Okemwa Omoke found a sure-fire way to make money from beetroot despite its taste which many find unpleasant. British writer, editor, critic, poet and suffragist once wrote: “The true colour of life is the colour of the body, the colour of the covered red, the implicit and not explicit red of the living […]