Western Kenya is famously recognized for its production of Kenya’s staple food crop, maize. Areas in the Western region that practice small scale maize farming mainly come fromkakamega, Bungoma, Busia and Trans Nzoia counties, and some other parts of Nyanza and Rift Valley. However, all is not rosy for these hard working men and women because of the numerous troubles they have to go through.

Firstly, the lack of awareness of modern, improved technical knowhow and agrcultural practices. This can be attributed largely to a lack of sufficient interaction between farmers and extension officers and research experts in the area. Farmers still rely on traditional farming methods which lead to reduced production.

In addition, the use of unsuitable seeds is common in the region. The seeds come from outside and is usually untested on its suitability in the area. Besides, most farmers end up with uncertified seeds which may be prone to diseases and intolerant to the region’s climatic condition.

Furthermore, a lack of the necessary farm inputs is a problem that most farmers grapple with in this region. Most people are poor and unable to afford basic farm inputs. Accessing financial aid and credit is also a thorn in the flesh for most of the small scale maize farmers in the region.

Moreover, there has been evident trend of changing climate making it difficult for farmers to accurately predict when to plant. In most cases, farmers either plant too early before the onset of sufficient rains, or too late into the rainy season. This negatively affects maize production in the area.

Other problems that small scale maize farmers face in Western Kenya include insufficient labor, lack of farm machinery, poor  storage facilities and low rate of adoption of modern technological techniques in maize production. In general, small scale farmers in Western Kenya are going through tough times in their quest to feed the nation. It is evident that a problem of agriculture in the region results in a serious food crisis in the entire country because maize is the staple food of almost all Kenya’s communities.

 

Kenya Cereals and Produce Board (KCPB) is a government body in Kenya whose main function is buying and storage of cereals from farmers. The board has its branches in many towns such as Webuye, Kisumu, Nakuru, and Moisbridge.

At Moisbridge, Kenya Cereals and Produce Board is located within the Township along Moisbridge-Cherangani road. This is one of the largest branches in Kenya consisting of eight large silos with a capacity of approximately 5 million bags of cereals. This board is easily accessible through tarmac roads that feed it. The Main cereals that are stored is this KCPB branch include: maize, wheat, sorghum and millet. However, out of all the four, maize is the main cereal being stored at Mois’bridge silos. This is because farmers in the region grow maize on large scale.

KCPB gets funds from the government which it uses to buy cereals from farmers. Each year, around three million bags of maize are bought from farmers after harvesting period. The Moisbridge KCPB serves farmers in Transzoia, Uasin Gishu, Bungoma and Kakamega Counties. The Board either buys cereals directly from the farmers or from middlemen who buy from both small scale and large scale farmers.

In addition to buying cereals from farmers, the board also enables them to easily access farming inputs including fertilizers and cereal seeds through government programs. The stored cereals act as food security in Kenya. The board also sells these cereals especially maize to other stakeholders in these sectors especially maize and wheat millers. Information for farmers on when to sell their produce to the board is usually passed to them through Farmers Cooperatives, Farmers programs on radio and TV stations, leaders and farmers representatives.

 

 

 

Western county is the largest producer of sugarcane in the country and many farmers are investing in the cash crop and eventually making alot of profit from it.The various sugarcane companies found at the place have encouraged  the development of infrastructure in the regions making it good for farmers to invest in the crop.Among many other reasons,the following are some of the factors promoting the farming of sugarcane in western kenya

Plenty Supply of Rainfall

Sugarcane needs plenty supply of rainfall and the western part of the country has good rainfall patterns and is continually receiving alot of rainfall in the longrun.Plenty supply of rainfall is essential for the growth of sugarcane.It is good for the farmers to to invest in western kenya as it has good rainfall that is needed for the huge production.

Availability of land

land is crucial for the farming of sugarcane and it is good for farmers to have enough pieces of land before investing in the farming of sugarcane in the country.It is a crop that does well in places having huge tracks of land and western province is good in supply.

Availability of labor

Western has alot of people that are currently investing in the farming of sugarcane.Labor is needed for various reasons such a weeding the crop and ensuring that no weeds and other harful pests are around the cane plants.Labor is also essential for the harvesting of the crops and burning of the sugarcane burgase.

Sugarcane factories

The many number of factories found in the county pay well their farmers making them  get encouraged to invest in the cash crop and encourage economic growth of the countrysugarcane industries offer various education services about the ways that can be used to encourage the production of more sugarcane in the place.

Market 

The availability of market encourages farmers to invest more in the crop,make money and use the harvest to make may other products making the raw materials to be used by other companies.

Pig farming in Kenya is one of the growing businesses in Kenya and those Kenya who do this type of farming in large scale benefit so much in the market. Majority of Kenya do pig farming on small scale basis, that, they keep few pigs in their farms. Although the general livestock markets are spread throughout in Kenya, there are few specific market places for pigs.

Although people may wonder if there are specific market for pig in Kenya. The truth of the matter is that pig farming in Kenya also market and these markets include:

Farmer’s Choice Limited in Kenya

This is the largest privately own abattoir in Kenya. It is located in outskirts of Nairobi city and combines both the act of slaughtering and processing the pork. Some of the pork produced issupplied to big tourist hotels in Nairobi, supermarkets, restaurants and other retail outlets while others are exported outside Kenya.

Ndumboni Farm Slaughter House in Kenya

This abattoir is located in Kikuyu district, Kiambu County and they deal with slaughtering of pigs only. They only slaughter approximately forty five (45) pigs per day and these pigs come from Kiambu County and surrounding areas after which it is supplied (pork) to most of the butcheries in Nairobi.

Lyntano Slaughter House in Kenya

This is the smallest abattoir of pigs in Nairobi. It slaughters between six to ten pigs in a day and it is being supplied by Nairobi and Kiambu County. The pork is then supplied to the people of Nairobi.

Kabati Slaughter House in Kenya                  

This is an abattoir that combines two operations; the slaughtering of pigs and other animals (cattle, goats and sheep). These operations are done separately in this abattoir. It is located in Murang’a South District and it is supplied (pigs) by residence of Muran’ga with few coming from Thika town, Machakos town, Nyeri town, Kirinyanga and Nyahururu town. The main market of pig carcasses is Thika town which.

Nakuru town is another town that has their own slaughter slabs for pigs due to small scale practice of pig farming. The pig carcasses are just sold to the town dwellers of Nakuru.

Crop rotation has for a longtime been one of the best ways of ensuring that plants are safe from pests and diseases. Many farmers have ended up losing a lot of crops due to not carrying out the cultural practice of rotating their crops. The following are some of the major benefits that a farmer gets from crop rotation

Maximum utilization of nutrients

Different crop varieties vary in the levels of nutrients and the mineral composition. Rotating crops ensure that they get plenty supply of minerals and the various that remain will be used by a different type of crop. The practice ensures that minerals are used to the maximum way possible.

Control of soil borne pests and diseases

When rotation is practiced by farmers it ensures that the various types of pests that affect the produce are controlled as they are not able to survive and attack certain types of plants in the field. Rotating therefore is the most suitable way of controlling the spread of diseases.

Control of weeds

Parasitic weeds are more common to plants that belong to the grass family hence they should be rotated to ensure that they don’t spread to other varieties of crops in the nursery bed. Weed control ensures that the crops gain much minerals and nutrients from the soil.

Control of soil erosion

Crops planted in rows ensures that they provide adequate ground cover hence protecting the soil surface from extreme erosion by preventing the main agents of soil erosion from attacking the crop species.

 

Kenya is a country whose major economic pillar is agriculture and it is practiced on both large and small scale. Small scale famers experience more challenges since they depend on the prevailing weather patterns in this case mostly rainfall which is normally unevenly distributed. The challenges facing the farmers include;

Meteorological reports; most meteorological reports produced by the Kenyan meteorological department through the Kenyan media have been unreliable since it is not as accurate as expected hence giving farmers losses because of the unstable weather patterns experienced afterwards.

Poor or obsolete technology; Kenya as a country has been making slow but sure steps towards the incorporation of technology but its application in agricultural sector has been so far limited because of lack of funds since most farmers are small scale farmers who struggle to make ends meet.

Climate change; the global climate change impacts are also being felt in Kenya mainly being the unpredictable weather patterns which is common. The months that were considered rainy months have of late changed and shifted to the months that huge amounts of rain were not expected. Famers can now not have accurate timing of planting crops.

Lack of extension services by the government. The Kenyan government through its agricultural extension officers have not been doing active work in helping farmers and giving them the necessary education needed to improve their crop yields. There is also limited access to extension services since the number of officers is small serving a very wide area where some Afarmers are located in the remote areas hence farmers cannot keep pace with the changing technological advances.

Pests and diseases;pests and diseases have been contributing to increased losses by farmers and this is a result of lack of information from the extension officers who are supposed to advise farmers on the best farming practices and the best control measures for the diseases and pests to avert major losses.

Application of inputs;kenyan farmers lack the appropriate information on the types of inputs such as fertilizer application and they are costly to the small scale farmers hence the farmers have been ignoring to use the inputs and hence leading to poor yields.

Poor infrastructure;lack of good feeder roads from the remote areas and bad roads and general transport network have been a big problem in Kenya.perishable horticultural crops like flowers get spoilt due to bad infrastructure.this means that the farmers will incur more costs to transport their produce to the factories hence low pofit margins.

 

 

 

 

Overfishing

Many fishermen are venturing into the business making the number to increase at a more faster rate. The outcome is that it has made the place to have few number of fish species due to overfishing. The fishermen cannot give time for the available fish to multiply and grow in number rather they go ahead to endangered the species by fishing in not only large numbers but also in huge amounts.

Growth of water Hyacinth

The plant species is really making the work of fishermen in the lake to be more difficult and sound hardest. The growth of the plants in the huge water body has not only hindered fishing but also transport on the lake has become difficult. The government has been reluctant to get measures of eradicating the plant species out of the area. It is important that measures be laid down on how to help the fish farmers.

Lack of fishing Equipments and facilities

Many fishermen in the area access the lake with boats that are poorly constructed making it hard for them to go to the interior regions that the number of fish is plenty in supply. Furthermore lack of facilities such as fridges that can be used in storing caught fish is a problem that is continually growing in the area. Most fishermen farmers lack the basic tools that can make fishing an easy task.

Lack of Capital

The problem is also a major one around the lake. Capital is needed for the expansion of the fish farming industry and little efforts have been made by the Kenyan government. Roads heading to the lake side are poorly constructed and the communication system is also poor. The minister or country representatives should advocate for a better fishing industry in the area around the lakeside.

Fertiliser application mainly involves the use of artificial fertilisers.Phosphatic fertilisers are applied during the planting period while nitrogenous will always be applied upon the emergence of a particular crop.Applying fertilisers after crops have emerged is generally reffered to as topdressing.The following are some of the major ways of applying fertilisers.

Broadcasting

Involves the random  scattering of seeds on the ground for the purpose of being used by plants in general.The method is more applicable when using nitrogenous and potassic fertilisers.The soil being applied to mus be generally moist.It is either done manually or by the use of machines.

Placement method

Involves applyinnng the fertilisers in the planting holes of the seeds.The fertiliser should however be mixed with the soil before applying the respectve seeds.Most suitable when usng phosphatic fertilisers.

Side dressing

Includes placing the fertiliser at the side of the crop being topdressed.A good example for the above will be the perenial crops coffee being the main one.It can be either done by band or ring application method.

Foliar Spraying

Application of specifially formulated fertiliser solution onto the foliage of the crop.The respective fertilisers will then be directly absorbed by the leaves of the plants that are applied to.It is more suitable when the conditions dont favor the farmer to apply the fertiliser to the soil.

Drip

The fertiliser is dissolved and applied to individual plantsthrough perforated pipes.It is an economical method and is commonly used in horticultural crop fields.

Goat farming is very common in Kenya especially in the rural areas. People keep goats for wool, milk and meat. Goats are very hardy and some breeds can withstand adverse weather conditions. The choice that people make for their goat breeds depends on their location and the weather conditions. For example people in north eastern keep a different goat breed than people from the highlands. The three main breeds in Kenya include Saanen, Alpines and Toggenburg.

This is a white goat.it is fairly small and it has black spots on the udders, nose and the skin is black and spotted. This goat has the neutral colors. These goats do not have horns. They have pointed ears and their ears face the front. This breed is different from the others. The weight of the male goats is about 75kgs and the females weigh 65kgs on average. This is a very hardy breed and during crossbreeding, people upgrade the local breeds. It produces around 100litres of milk in 50 days. This translates to 3.9 liters per day. The milk has a high butter fat content of around 45. This is the amount of oil in the milk. Oil from milk is butter. The more the oil the higher the butter fat content. However this goat breed has a few problems. First it gets skin cancer when it is exposed to strong sunlight. It is also sensitive to high temperatures and it cannot survive in arid areas like north Eastern Kenya. This goat breed has many hermaphrodites and the prevalence of the kids having the same sexes is common.

Another breed of goat is the alpine which easily adapts to the arid areas. This goat breed is very hardy and it adapts to the tropics too. It is better than the Saaneen breed. The colour of this goat varies from white and black to grey. The weight of this goat is like the Saneen. The female goats are 60kgs. The male goats weigh 65kgs. The butter fat content is 3.6%. This is the amount of fat in the milk.  Thirdly, the Toggenburg breed is not very successful and many farmers do not prefer it. These breeds have white legs. They also have a white stripe from their nose to their eyes. These goats also have a white triangle in the back. This is a common characteristics with all the goats form this breed. This goat breed is different in that the females weigh 45kgs while the males weigh 65kgs. Their milk production is about three litres every day and the world record 2613 kg/lactation or 12.5 kg/day. This breed can milk for a long time if not served and are good for upgrading local breeds. These breeds are also hardy and they can adapt to cold and warm areas in Kenya. A farmer wishing to keep goats in Kenya should choose any of these three breeds because they are hardy and they can survive extreme weather. However the Alpine and the Saaneen are not as hardy as the toggenburg.

A farmer can earn profits from these breeds because they provide, meat, milk and wool and they are easy to care for.

 

Dairy Farming in Kenya type of livestock farming whereby cattle are kept for milk production with sole purpose of selling the milk to the consumer. There are two types of dairy farming in Kenya, namely:  Commercial dairy farming.    Domestic dairy farming.

Commercial dairy farming in Kenya is practiced in both small and large scale farms. There are two types of commercial dairying in Kenya, namely:

Highland commercial dairy farming

Highland commercial dairy farming is practiced in the Kenya highlands.The major highland dairying areas .

Lowland Commercial Farming 

This is carried out in some parts of the Coast Province. Lowland dairy farms are at Marakwet and Kikambala in Kilifi and Matuga in Kwale produce high dairy yields.

Domestic Dairy Farming

This is a traditional practice which is common among many Kenyan communities.It involves keeping traditional cattle for domestic milk. The milk is consumed by the members of the family. However, several changes have taken place recently. Many domestic cattle keepers in Kenya are now selling their milk to the local markets.

Types of Dairy Cattle Kept in Kenya include;

Friesian Cow

This is a black and white dairy cow which originated from the Netherlands, where it is also known as Holstein. It has soft and fine hair. It accounts for most of the dairy cattle in Kenya.

The Channel Island Cows

These are from Western Europe around the English Channel and are found in several breeds. The main breeds include the Jersey, Guemsey and Alderney. They are commonly reffered to as the Channel Island cows because their origin is around the English channel in Western Europe.

Jersey

The Jersey cow has colours ranging from white to dark brown. It has a “mealy” ring of light hair on the muzzle. It is an exotic breed which came from Jersey and South England in Britain. The animal is more adaptable to extremes of heat and cold. Jersey are therefore the most numerous and widespread dairy breed in the world. 

Guernsey

A Guernsey is brown in colour with white dots or pale patches. It is an exotic breed from France. The cow is very docile and gives a good yield of rich creamy milk. As a result, th’e breed has become very popular.

Ayrshire Cow

This is an exotic breed from Scotland. It has white and brown patches and smaller than Friesian in size. It can fit in a wide range of climates. The breed gives high milk yields.

The Sakiwal Cow

This is the most suitable breed in the tropical land. It originated from India. It is common in the Government farm in Naivasha. Sahiwal bulls are useful in cross-breeding with traditional cattle.