Norah Jeruto, the owner of Seko Farm in Uasin Gishu County, grows some 4,000 chilli plants inside four greenhouses. She spoke to us on the venture that enables her to export produce through an agent Q1. How and when did you start? Norah: I developed an interest in the crop last year after visiting a farmer in […]
Bee-pollinated crops contribute about a third of the human food. The global honey market is estimated to have hit $9.01 billion this year. Honey is a sweetener and a nutritious, healthy and natural food. Bees also produce raw materials for medicine and soap. This means their preservation should be a concern to mankind. However, it
About 30 kilometres from Nyeri Town, a dazzling farm sits on 100 acres in the expansive plains of Kieni constituency. The area is dry due to the ongoing drought but the farm, named Tacazze, stands out as leafy crops sway in sync with the wind blowing from yonder. The Seeds of Gold team finds workers
The Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (Kephis) has received equipment worth Sh1.3 million for seed inspection. Gatsby Africa donated the 30 tablets that will enable real time inspection of various crops such as maize, beans, wheat, sorghum, cowpeas, green grams, potato, rice etc. The equipment will enable the implementation of the automated seed certification and
With the current drought, training smallholder farmers, especially in arid and semi-arid regions on rain water harvesting skills, is critical. According to researchers, farmers can harvest rainwater by building small planting basins and ‘half-moon’ trenches, or create stone and earth bunds or grass strips that redirect runoff towards crops – an approach called contour farming.
With the recent headlines of skyrocketing prices of maize flour and an entire sack of irish potatoes selling at the price of two plates of chips, it is increasingly becoming imperative for for farmers and consumers to rethink of other options. Margaret Achieng, a farmer and a trader says this has enabled her to improve
Falsehoods. Misinformation. Disinformation. Confusion. That is the chaotic state of affairs in social and mainstream media, since President William Ruto lifted the ban on Genetically Modified Organisms on October 3, 2022. By lifting a 10-year ban on biotechnology foods in the country, Kenya officially approved importation and cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops. As expected, scientists welcomed
In the quiet Kipsirigo village in Nandi County, a new agribusiness is picking up. Samuel Kibet Sugut is among those who have embraced the new agribusiness, which involves the multiplication of Irish potato planting materials, having abandoned dairy farming to concentrate on the cash cow. Sugut, who was a dairy farmer for 15 years, has
Some three kilometres from Kabarnet town in Baringo County, one finds the Cereals Farm. The two-acre farm, named after the National Cereal and Produce Board stores located in the area, hosts dairy cows, goats and chickens in the livestock section. The crop farm, on the other hand, is teeming with green maize, a variety of
