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 […]
Listen Pastoralists in faraway Mandera County in the north-east of the country have never been happier. Tales of drought, starvation and official neglect are gradually giving way to prosperity. And believe it or not, what is changing the fortunes of the people in the region is something many consider a nuisance – grass. In 2008/2009, […]
Listen Michael Wanyoike took up pig farming as a last resort, but through trial and error and his sheer determination to learn, Kongoni Pig Farm is a key supplier to leading meat processor Farmers Choice. He was a greenhorn then. Today, however, he is a self-taught expert whose work is attracting national attention. In the […]
Listen Shrinking lands, scarce pasture, unpredictable weather conditions and consumer appreciation of milk from other animals besides the cow have elevated the goat to a new pedestal of importance. According to the Dairy Goat Association of Kenya (DGAK), the future of goat-keeping in Kenya is already here. The best breeds to keep for milk are […]