Maize is at the center of global food security, as one of the most important cereal crops in human and animal diets worldwide. Together with rice and wheat, it provides at least 30% of the food calories to more than 4.5 billion people in 94 developing countries. This includes 900 million poor consumers for whom maize is the preferred staple. Aside from providing nutrients for…
By Timothy Njagi Maize is the cheapest source of calories among the cereal grains, making up about 65 percent of the total food calories consumed by households in Kenya. To meet this demand, maize is produced on 40 percent of the total crop area—mainly by smallholders. Kenya’s annual production target has been 40 million bags or approximately 3.6 million tonnes. However, over the past decade,…
The TransFert Program From the 16th of June 2019 up until the 21st of June 2019, 40 representatives from Fert and Fert’s professional agricultural partner organizations met in Kenya for the fourth annual meeting of the TransFert program. TransFert is an annual program that brings together Fert’s professional agricultural partner organizations for exchange-based learning in a selected host country. It was initiated in 2015. CGA…
Why is Uganda and Tanzania producing more food than Kenya? Both countries enjoy a competitive and comparative advantage over Kenya when it comes to agricultural production. Uganda has a very favorable climate. It receives more rainfall owing to a higher forest cover. Uganda also has a bimodal planting calendar that allows two harvests of grain in a year and a year-round harvest of all other…
By Ann Macharia A visit to various fresh produce markets across the country will often help one to appreciate the need for farmers to understand the three Ps formula of market planning. The first P stands for predicting the likely market forces that may come into play long before the planting can begin. The second P stands for planning, based on the predicted market forces…
Low agricultural yield is one of the many factors that have hindered Africa from reaching its full agriculture potential. Despite its vast arable land – about 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land is in Africa. Staple crop yields in Africa, for example, have barely grown in the last 25 years, and remain the lowest of any region in the world at just 56% of…
The levying of Agriculture Produce Cess (APC) is one of the most significant barriers to trade for agricultural producers across the country. A study conducted by CGA in 2017 and by the Kenya Market Trust in 2016 revealed that multiple and high agricultural cess rates were being charged arbitrarily and with no justification for the rates applied across different counties. CGA with the support of…
By Dominic Omondi The Cabinet is over the next two months expected to give the defining verdict on whether to lift the ban on GMOs that was imposed in 2012. The ban followed a controversial study that alleged GMOs cause cancer. All indications are that the Cabinet is likely to give the nod to the controversial technology as the country grapples with continued perennial food…
By Yogesh Chauhan The global population will reach 8.5 billion by 2030, according to the UN. Making sure we can produce and distribute enough food to match the demand is already one of the greatest challenges facing humanity today. To keep up with the ever-increasing needs of society, we need to rethink the way we approach the food industry through technology in agriculture. Of course,…
By Lominda Afedraru Scientists at Makerere School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences have over the years engaged in manufacturing portable tractors for various farm operations. These operations range from ploughing, weeding, sowing seed to harvesting, threshing, and irrigation. This innovation is by scientists majoring in Agricultural Science and Engineering at Makerere University Agricultural Research Institute Kabanyolo (MUARIK). Prof Noble Banadda, a lecturer in the area…
