Agriculture in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) is constrained by low annual rainfall. This calls for the diversification of the rural economies to reduce reliance on climate-sensitive agricultural practices, through the adoption of drought-tolerant crop varieties, empowerment of rural farmers to become more resilient to climate change and building the capacity of smallholder farmers to access local and international organized markets. In response to…
Technological investments in agriculture can help East Africa deal with a looming food shortage and raise the sector’s contribution towards economic growth and creating jobs, World Bank experts have said. According to the experts, there is a need for governments, donors and private sector to invest in digital agriculture and disruptive technologies — those that render existing technologies obsolete — and apply them in all segments…
Farmers in the breadbasket of North Rift have been urged to grow wheat, barley, and fodder this season following failed rains that have derailed the March planting season amid the worst drought in 38 years. Chief Administrative Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture Andrew Tuimur said any farmer who will plant maize when the rains eventually come will incur losses. If growers heed to the…
Still waters run deep. This is the term that best describes Vincent Chelule, the farmer we chose to feature in this quarter’s issue of The Sower. Chelule as he is popularly referred to as hails from Chesoton village in Njoro sub-county, Nakuru County. At forty-five years of age, he remains an inspiration to not just his neighbors, but to farmers around the country that he…
By David Jones What follows is a list of highland maize varieties grown in Kenya, their strong attributes and their vulnerabilities, especially to certain pests & diseases. Pannar 691 Still arguably the standard for yield despite being released in 2001. In most highland areas it requires 160 days to maturity. Good disease resistance and as our fungicide trials showed, low response to fungicides. Pannar 683…
The benefits of fertilizers can only be realized when they are used in an efficient manner, that is by minimizing losses and maximizing the gains in terms of the yields. Therefore, as a farmer, how much fertilizer you apply, from which source, at what time and how you place the input on the farm is crucial. There are four rights (4 Rs) in using fertilizer…
By Suleiman Okoth The ban on genetically modified organisms (GMOs), also known as transgenic or genetically engineered crops (GE), is not only baffling but tantamount to denying smallholder farmers an opportunity to improve their lives and holding hostage the advancement of biotechnology research. While more than a million Kenyans face starvation due to poor performance of the October-December rains, as confirmed by the National Drought…
Farmers have been urged to join hands and work together through cooperatives and associations as a way of strengthening the agricultural marketing systems in Kenya. This was during a public participation forum where the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) presented the proposed draft food crops regulations for public scrutiny at KALRO headquarters on the 14th of March. The draft food crops regulations are anchored on…
