You have to agree with me that success in today’s dairy industry in Kenya is volatile and somewhat evanescent. With the give way of the Kenya Cooperative Creameries K.C.C, which was the colossal monopoly in the late 1990’s, there have been efforts to refurbish the dairy sector in Kenya. This was attributed to mismanagement of the sector in Kenya. The government of Kenya, however, reclaimed the assets of this company and made it a parastatal and it is now renamed New K.C.C. The farmers in Kenya believe in the privatization.

Domestically, the dairy farmers in Kenya are competing in virtually all aspects of the production process. Though there have been headlines that portend the demise or an incoming storm in this very vital industry, new companies in Kenya continue to come up. People in Kenya continue to consume dairy products due to the dietary benefits that one derives. However others, especially the poor, forego this nutrient packed product due to the high prices of the dairy products in Kenya. Farmers in Kenya are not remunerated as they ought to be. There’s legitimate cause for concern.

There are countless organizations in Kenya which intended to coordinate the small scale dairy industry in Kenya, and to make use of the milk rich areas in the country. The value chain contains key players namely the input suppliers (farmers), the feed manufacturers in Kenya who on this case provide the feeds and mineral supplements. They are registered an umbrella body called the Feed Manufacturers Association in Kenya. Next on the value chain is the cooperative unions in Kenya which consolidate all the milk collected from the farmers into one central point. They then sell their milk to processors like K.C.C or Brookside dairy’s in Kenya who are registered under the Dairy Processors Association. Their core purpose is to offer large scale storage amenities. They are also involved in packaging the milk and processing it into finished products namely cheese, yogurt, packed milk, milk powder, ghee among others in Kenya.

Our main concern is that all these key players in the value chain in Kenya have come together to form strong unions, but the farmers haven’t. We should call all the key players into question. Most of these farmers in Kenya depend on dairy farming as their main source of income. Due to the market mechanisms and forces of demand and supply within Kenya, the processors come up with their own prices that are communicated to the farmer. This price is a take-it-or-leave-it price. The farmer in Kenya has to comply or else he has no option but to pour his milk for the day. Due to the perishable nature of milk this will hurt the Kenyan small scale farmer’s pockets. There are severe irrationalities in the pricing policies and practices of the dairy products, and these have become a constraint to the farmers in Kenya.

Think about a situation where farmers in a certain county in Kenya, for example, consolidate all their milk in a central point. These farmers have one voice as a union in Kenya. These farmers can have an ask/offer price of say 45shillings per litre in Kenya. If Brookside dairy or New K.C.C has a bid price of 40kshs per litre, the farmers in Kenya can negotiate with them. They can also handle the issues of the wet season surpluses in Kenya and drought deficits in the production. With these two key players being active in the pricing practices, the wavering of the prices will decline, and the consumer can buy the dairy products at the equilibrium prices in Kenya.

The dairy farmers in Kenya need to know that they are the stakeholders and without them there will be no milk, so they call the tune. They need to be invincible. The farmers need to be the price setters in Kenya. The farmers need to shield themselves from inevitable price fluctuations in Kenya that bring in great losses. Together they have a voice and thus, they can harness Kenya\’s great potential in dairy farming.

Ice creams are frozen desserts made from dairy products mainly milk and cream and are usually mixed with fruits and other ingredients to add flavor. Since Nairobi county is the most populated county in Kenya, it is has many consumers of various products and ice cream is one of these products. Although ladies are the consumers of ice creams, men also take ice creams especially when they are together with their ladies or girlfriends.

Parlours are special rooms used to make ice creams. There are many ice creams Parlours in Nairobi and therefore if you are a fan of ice creams, then you should the location of these Parlours. They include:

Sno Cream Parlours Limited

This parlour is located in the ground floor of Kenya House along Koinange Street. Can be contacted by address P.O. Box 48161 – 00100, Nairobi, Kenya.

Harvest Ice cream

This parlour is located in the first floor of Nakumatt Lifestyle along Monrovi Street. It can be contacted by postal address P.O. Box 43372 – 00100, Nairobi, Kenya.

Crystal Ice Cream and Cafeteria limited

It is located in Highbrigde Shopping Centre along Masari Road. They address is P.O. Box 46229 – 00100, Nairobi, Kenya.

Razco Limited

This parlour is located Ruaraka part of Nairobi along Baba Dogo road. Their address is P.O. Box 42646 – 00100, Nairobi, Kenya.

Angel Delite Two Thousand Ltd

This parlour is located in Parklands area of Nairobi along Baba Dogo road. It can be contacted by the postal address P.O. Box 39422 – 00100, Nairobi, Kenya.

Arlecchino Limited

This is another parlour found in Nairobi, Village Market along Limuru Road. They can be contacted by postal address P.O. Box 628 – 00621, Village Market, Nairobi – Kenya.

Bulbils

They comprise of tiny sisal plants produced in the inflorescence almost at the end of the growth cycle of a particular plant type. They resemble the mother plant in most cases except to the fact that they are small in size. They are produced by the major branches of the sisal pole.

Splits

Plantlets that have been divided from the mother plant with complete leaves and rooting system. They are mostly used in the propagation most pasture grasses and pyrethrum materials. They are firstly raised in the nursery that is later transplanted in the main field.

Crowns and Slips

Used in the propagation of pineapple species. They are born on the top of the fruits that is later broken off and prepared well for the planting session. They are used by farmers as they give more uniform growth making the entire process to be simple and good.

Suckers

They comprise of small plants growing from the base of the main stem of plants. Have mostly adventitious roots that will often grow quickly when planted to for a new plant. Used in the propagation of banana plants.

Tubers

Comprise of underground food storage organs that are short and thick. They sprout and produce roots for growth hence preferred for propagation. Tubers are of two main recognized categories including the root and stem tubers.

Vines

Are softwood cuttings that produce roots easily upon planting to give rise to new varieties of plants? Cut from the mother plant and then directly planted in the field.

 

Kenya Agricultural Research Institute is a center for research on various agricultural fields in kenya including crops, livestock and forestry and the effects of the climate change on crops, and livestock as well as the environment. This research center is located in the outskirts of Kakamega town opposite Golf club play ground. It is the largest agricultural research institute that serves western region of Kenya.

The main mission of this research center is to carry out research on the various crops and livestock species. It employs technology in its operations so as to achieve high production as well as training and educating the farmers on the best methods and the type of crops and livestock to invest in while at the same time advocating for conservation of the environment; through re-afforestation, and conservation of the endangered tree species such as, podo, Meru oak etc.

The Kenya Agricultural research Institute at Kakamega is an important asset to both farmer and other businessmen in the western and rift valley regions. It provides agricultural advice to farmers on various methods of farming including the best species of crops and livestock to be grown and kept respectively. Farmers also benefit from free High yield seeds using given out during the institute exhibitions day as well as the best methods to practice in order to conserve the environment. Some of the commonly research researched crops in this center are: cassava, maize, banana, avocado, millet, sweet potatoes, pawpaw, onions and beans. In addition to these, dairy cattle farming form part of the most important research that takes place in the center.

KARI Kakamega is one of the resourceful institutions in western region where researchers and students gain skills, knowledge as well as experience. Most students from various institutions of learning get attached to this center for the purpose of gaining extra skills and experience in their profession. The center provides a conducive environment for learning as far as practical are concerned. In addition, researchers are given opportunity to work on their projects on various areas in agriculture with the aim of discovering new methods of farming as well new species of crops and livestock that will not only give high yields but also be able to thrive in the ever changing climatic conditions and the newly emerged crop and livestock diseases. The research center is a big employer in the region. Many people are employed in this research center, comprising both professionals and casual workers.

 

 

Certificate and Diploma Courses Offered at Bukura Agricultural College- Department of Basic and Applied Science.

Bukura is a middle level college that offer training majorly on Agricultural education and other related fields. The institution is located a few kilometers from Butere along Butere-Kakamega road. The college is set an approximately 580 acres of land. The institution is dedicated to train students on agricultural sciences. It provides high quality training programmes for its students by giving them the hand-on skills in various programmes offered.

There are various departments at Bukura Agricultural College, department of basic and Applied Sciences being one of them. Various certificate and diploma courses are offered at the different departments. The following is a list of courses offered at the department of Basic and Applied Sciences. Basic and Applied Sciences courses are usually taught during the first semester so as to give the learners basic skills before embarking on subsequent applied courses. Certificate courses are offered in the semester whereas diploma courses are taught in the first year of the course.

Certificate Courses

            i.            Mathematics

          ii.            Physical science

       iii.            Genetics of crops and livestock improvement

       iv.            Microbiology and Plant pathology

          v.            Zoology

       vi.            Botany

     vii.            Information and communication technology

  viii.            Ecology and Environmental science

 

Diploma Courses

       i.            Mathematics

     ii.            Statistics

  iii.            Chemistry

  iv.            Applied Physics

     v.            Principle of genetics

  vi.            Botany

• Zoology
• Biochemistry

  ix.            General Microbiology and plant pathology

     x.            Plant physiology

  xi.            Cell and Molecular Biology

• Environmental Sciences
• Human Anatomy and Physiology
• Fundamentals of Computing

The department also offers the following short courses:

a)     Information Technology certificate course

b)    Bridging course in Mathematics and Chemistry

c)     Mushroom production course.

 

For more information contact:

P.O Box 23-50105, Bukura

Tel: 020-3505479

Email: [email protected]

 

 

 

Coffee farming is gaining a lot of popularity in the country making it crucial for farmers that wish to make profit from farming to invest in the business. It has been noted that for quite a long period of time, some factors need to be considered before one venturing into the business of planting and distributing coffee to factories.

Demand

A good farmer should plant crops that have huge demand by majority of people in the country. When demand is high, farmers can go ahead to venture into the business so as to be in good position to sale more coffee hence making much money from it and improving their lively hoods. Furthermore demand should be consistent and one needs to take a closer look into the issue.

Availability of substitutes

These particular types of products are crucial in helping farmers to know what sources of new entrances are crucial in ensuring that they lose their market. The particular types of products offer a suitable alternative hence farmers need to be aware of such before taking the risk of producing coffee at a large scale manner.

Weather conditions

Some areas in the country have very poor conditions of weather such that they cannot support the growth of coffee. Furthermore, some places have unstable prediction of weather patterns hence they are not suitable for farmers to grow and cultivate more coffee in them. Good weather conditions are needed to ensure that coffee does well and continues to be of great importance to the farmers.

Availability of labor

Farmers should not venture into the coffee business when their market prices are not stable and the kind of labor being provided is not good enough. One should get plenty supply of labor as it is the one that is needed by farmers to obtain produce from the farm and other farm practices such as cultivating.

 

Agriculture is Kenya`s main contributor to GDP (gross domestic product) in Kenya. This means Agriculture is the backbone of Kenya`s economy, due to its significance in economic growth. Farmers in Kenya are involved in both small and large-scale farming of crops and livestock. For many farmers in Kenya, other than cash crops such as coffee, fruits seem to a better economic activity due to demand and high profits in Kenyan Market.

One of the common fruits in Kenya is bananas. Banana fruits in Kenya are extensively cultivated as a staple food and also as an income generating activity by many local communities. However the main problem with banana farming in Kenya is that bananas in Kenya are easily prone to diseases that affect the yield and lead to profit loss and sustenance for the farmer. The pests and diseases that affect banana farming in Kenya are such as nematodes and weevils, fungal diseases like Sigatoka and Fusarium Wilt, and bacterial diseases in Kenya such as the Bacterial Xanthomonas Wilt (BXW). Banana farming in Kenya also is affected by viruses that cause diseases such as the banana bunchy top disease and banana streak.

In order to advance in agriculture and economic development in Kenya, one has to adopt farming technologies in Kenya that give advantage to farmers by providing planting materials free of disease, mature fast, better yield and safe for human consumption. One of the ways is through farming tissue culture bananas in Kenya which grow faster and give increased yields compared to the traditional species of bananas in Kenya.

Tissue culture in Kenya is a technique of generating plants from roots, leaves or stems in sterilized conditions and can be produced in abundant numbers. Tissue Culture is available for distribution to farmers in Kenya at household and commercial levels. Tissue culture in Kenya is also beneficial in helping plants such as Bananas in Kenya which do not produce seeds to reproduce.

Due to prevalent viral diseases affecting farming in Kenya, tissue culture has been used by Kenyan researchers to yield disease resistant growing materials. The cultured plants in Kenya are uniform genetically, free from disease and high yielding. This contributes to improved economic benefits per unit area of land through use of tissue cultured plants for farming in Kenya.

How Tissue cultured bananas are developed in Kenya

After generating under sterile conditions, new banana plantlets shoot; they are reared in a laboratory for some weeks before being transferred hardening in a green house. Two months after and at a height of several cintimetres, the banana plantlets in Kenya are ready for the farm. In comparison with the predictable use of banana suckers in Kenya, tissue culture in Kenya speeds up the multiplication process dramatically. In Kenya, about 2,000 healthy banana plantlets are produced from a single shoot of tissue culture practice compared to ten suckers from a single banana plant in Kenya within six months. Tissue culture banana in Kenya produces faster and fruits within 340 days compared to 420 days for conventional bananas in Kenya.

How to grow tissue culture bananas in Kenya

Ensure your farm in Kenya has the right climatic conditions for growth of bananas. Bananas in Kenya grow well in a wide range of climate humid conditions from sea level up to 1800M and atleast minimum rainfall of 1000 mm per year which is very important during flowering. Therefore, for those in low rainfall growing areas ensure the banana farming is done through irrigation in Kenya. The soils for banana farming in Kenya should be well drained and fertile, as they cannot withstand water logging.

Obtain the banana Plantlets from your local Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) nursery or any other research nursery in Kenya. 15 days before planting prepare pits measuring 1M× 1M× 1M then separate top and subsoil, then mix the top soil with kg of well-rotted manure per planting hole, 15 g of nematicide, 200g fertilizer. Fill the banana hole with the mixture and plant the banana plantlets 30cm deep into the mixture then firm up the soil. For irrigated crop at planting time, use 40 liters of water, thereafter 20 liters 3 times weekly. Use dry grass mulches for moisture retention during banana farming in Kenya. For stems with heavy banana bunches should be supported to avoid breakages. For good growth of bananas in Kenya, one should deleaf to ensure good growth and remove old diseased leaves. Afterwards the first harvest begins 15-18 months after planting the bananas in Kenya. When the banana fruit is light green in color and has a shiny appearance, this means its mature and ready for harvest. When harvesting bananas in Kenya, one should be careful to avoid bruising.

For temporary storage of bananas in Kenya, keep bunches in a cool dry place and when transporting them to local markets you should carefully wrap in grass or bananas leaves to avoid bruising. For the export market of bananas in Kenya, one my be required to do de-clustering, wash using disinfectant, dehandle, package and brand the bananas.

Quail farming in Kenya has been the recent most profitable investment by Kenyans. Quail farming has been started recently in East Africa and hence most farmers in Kenya are starting to learn the market of quail meat and quail eggs in Kenya and beyond Kenya. Exporting quail eggs from Kenya is more profitable than selling within Kenya, though there are added expenses. The demand for quail products in Kenya and in East Africa is high and hence people are looking for the quail suppliers in Kenya.

There are many quail farmers in Kenya who engaged in the quail farming business in Kenya recently and are now advertising the sale of quail eggs in Kenya. Mavuno Food Company in Kenya is a Quail farming organization which sells quail eggs. Mavuno Food Quail Farmers in Kenya provide quail eggs for sale in Kenya and in the whole East Africa. Mavuno Food Quail Farming Company in Kenya sells a crate of quail eggs in Kenya at Ksh 2,100. The offer of Ksh 2,100 per quail eggs crate is the cheapest price of quail eggs as per now in Kenya. The Mavuno Food Quail Sellers in Kenya sells Ksh 87.50 per quail egg. The Mavuno Food Quail eggs suppliers in Nairobi deliver quail eggs crates ordered freely in Kenya and in East Africa. To order quail eggs in Kenya today, you can call the Mavuno Food in Kenya contact person, Marion at 0703214852.

For the Cheapest price of quail eggs in Nairobi for purposes of resale or usage of the quail eggs in Kenya, you should contact Mavuno Food Quail Eggs Dealers in Kenya. The Mavuno Food dealers produce up to 140 quail eggs per day and hence can easily meet the orders made in Kenya and in East Africa at large. Did you know that quail eggs health benefits in Kenya include; curing anaemia, asthma, diabetes, TB, liver stones and improve immune system such that children who consume quail eggs perday rarely get infectious diseases? Well, now you know.

To place orders with Mavuno Food Quail eggs distributors in Kenya, you need to do so in advance to give the quail eggs sellers to provide the eggs on time. You can contact Mavuno Food Quail sellers in Kenya via email address [email protected]  and/or call the contact person, Marion at 0703214852.

The media industry is continually growing and winning the attention of many viewers. However, each kind of person has there favorite programmes and the following are among the best in the industry.

CHURCHILL LIVE

The show is the most popular in the industry due to hosting various comedians that make Kenyans laugh. Apart from jut comedy, the show invites popular personnel in various fields making it enjoyable to watch. Churchill show is done at the carnivore and it is ranked as the best comedy show in east and central Africa.

TUSKER PROJECT FAME

The show is hosted by citizen and its loved by many Kenyans .Artistes from various countries come to showcase their talents and the winner walks away with huge amounts of money. The talents displayed makes many Kenyans want to watch more and statistics show that the programme is going to be the most watched TV show.

SAKATA

Aired on citizen the show attracts the attention of many Kenyan youths more especially because they love dancing. It’s a good and entertaining show that makes one feel relived and relaxed. Participants are well rewarded and hence they are more excited when they watch the show.The show includes dancers from all over the country.

PAPA SHIRANDULA

The show is hosted by citizen TV and many Kenyans love the people in the show. Apart from just being entertaining, the show is educative and teaches how people approach the various issues that are happening in the society. It is nice to watch.

THE COUPLES SHOW

Hosted by K24, the show is not only entertaining but also shows how various couples relate and how deep they know one another. The show is well rewarding for the winner and that makes it be watched by many Kenyans. It is suitable for married couples that always wish

The population of Kenya is rapidly increasing and so should be the rate of food production to enable a stable food supply. However, the amount of land that is fertile and support crop growth is shrinking due to the growing population. This has left Kenyans with no option other than reclaiming the arid land and putting it under crop production. Not all crops will survive the adverse conditions experienced in these semi-arid areas, and this is the reason for the establishment of the Dry Seed Limited (DSL) in 2004. The company produces and sells crop seeds that thrive in dry parts of Kenya.

Dry Seed Limited in cooperation with Kenya agricultural Research institute (KARI) develops the seeds which are then certified by the Kenya Plant Health Inspection Services (KEPHIS). Dry Land Seed Company, located in Machakos, is mandated to establish superior dry land crop varieties that meet the farmers’ needs. The crop seeds produced by the Dry seed Limited are mainly indigenous crops that able to survive in low and medium altitude arid and semi-arid areas and include: pigeon peas, maize, beans, green grams, sorghum and cowpeas.

The followiBeansng crop varieties are grown in arid and semi-arid areas in Kenya:

• – KatB1, KatB9 and Kat x56

• Maize- KH500-21A, KDV1, KDV2 and KDV4

• Sorghum- Kari Mtama1, Seredo and Gadam.

• Cowpeas- K80 and M66.

• Green Grams-N26

• Pigeon Peas- Kat 60-8 and Mbaazi 1