Listen Humphrey Njoroge, a retired military officer, fell in love with trees while growing up in Nyandarua County on the edge of the Aberdare Forest in the 1950s. His fascination with the plants would blossom during his time at Kapsabet Boys and Kagumo high schools where different types of trees, labelled by botanical names, rose […]
Listen Exports of fresh horticultural products were worth an estimated Ksh153.7 billion in 2018, an increase of 33.3 percent compared to 2017. Horticulture has, sometimes, been mistaken for market gardening. While both involve some form of farm work, the crucial difference is in scale. Market gardening refers to small-scale production, on under one acre, of […]
Listen Farmers have been advised to buy seeds from licensed stockists or agrovet stores to avoid losses. Speaking during a farmers’ exhibition at Sigot in Nandi County, agricultural experts told farmers to avoid buying seeds that have been divided into smaller rations. “What you produce depends on what you plant. I am also urging you […]
Listen Introduction of the science of tissue culture has made it easier to grow fast-maturing and healthy bananas locally. Until a few years ago, farmers relied on banana suckers harvested from growing plants for planting materials. Some farmers still uproot and re-plant the suckers, but this practice has cost many dearly due to diseases such […]
Listen For increased agricultural production, the government has set up various parastatals and other agencies that offer services such as research, finance and marketing. The sector’s success depends on how these institutions deliver on their mandate. These institutions include: Agriculture and Food Authority The Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) brings together various regulatory institutions in […]
Listen Legislation drawn up and passed to regulate agriculture in Kenya guides the conducted of business in the livestock and crop sub-sectors while ensuring that farmers and consumers are safe. Seed and Plant Varieties Act This key law is aimed at regulating transactions in seeds, including indigenous and farm-saved ones which were incorporated in the […]
Listen It can be a lucrative business but also fraught with many challenges, experts say. A minimum of 300 layers is the least number one should keep to make good commercial sense. This could fetch you up to Sh700,000 a year, while having 1,000 layers can rake in Sh2.4million a year. However, this business can […]
Listen Kuku Farm is a 15-minute drive from Naivasha town and is a leading hatchery for indigenous chicken in Nakuru County. n an area best known for flower farming, this state-of-the-art chicken hatchery comes as a pleasant surprise. Located on a seven-acre farm in the Karati area is a multimillion-shilling poultry investment by veterinarian Tony […]
Listen A plan by Rose Wambui’s mother to keep her busy and away from bad company after primary school by buying her three hens worth Ksh1,500 unwittingly sowed the seeds for a succesful poultry venture Little did this youthful mother know that she was ushering her daughter into a profitable mini-business that today earns her […]
Listen Residents of Marigat were for a long time trapped in a cycle of poverty. At the centre of it were tsetse flies tat rendered the green pastures useless and livestock keeping almost futile. Tsetse flies had literally killed the main economic activity, livestock keeping. The story changed tune when the government rolled out a […]