Horticultural News January - February issue

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Most Kenyans would not even be able to find Walda on the map of our own country, but when we gave what we could to support the important ‘Kenyans for Kenya’ initiative, this is the kind of place we were supporting. When you arrive in Walda, either after a two hour flight from nairobi, passing Mt Kenya on the way and then flying over what seems like an endless sea of desert, or by driving for almost two days through some of the roughest roads in Kenya, one thing is for sure, you will remember the taste of the dust. It is un-escapable, this is desert country and the dust is everywhere. as far as the eye can see all that can be seen is dry land. Camels walk for hours to find water, people do what they must to live. Vegetables are brought in from nyeri and they are expensive. The people of Walda, in Moyale, are not as bad off as those in Turkana, but they feel the heat growing from year to year and are learning to constantly live with less water. But for the last few months the people of Walda have a reason to be optimistic. There is green in Walda now courtesy of abbas Gullet, Secretary General of the Kenya red Cross Society who less than six months ago, tasked amiran Kenya to install eight amiran Farmer’s Kits, the ones that have been sprouting up all over Kenya, with the drip 14 amiran Farmers Kit; a ray of hope for africa Part of the produce grown at the Red Cross doated AFK in Walda irrigation systems. abbas Gullet has repeatedly said that as he continues to give emergency food to the hungry and the starving, he is equally interested in giving sustainable food security. The red Cross has placed an agronomist trained by amiran to lead the project, which has seen dozens in the area trained in drip irrigation, greenhouse farming, proper seed selection, proper fertigation techniques, correct and safe use of agro-chemicals, marketing, and agricultural record keeping. amiran’s regional agronomist works together with the red Cross team and the result H O R T I C U LT U R A L N E W S I j a n u a r y - F E B r u a r y 2 0 1 2 is produce worth over 2 million shillings being grown in a season which should last eight months. agriculturally it has been noted to the pleasant surprise of those involved that because the land is unused for agriculture the crops are yielding faster and the produce is very sweet and ripe. Thousands of amiran Farmers throughout the country are already supplying much of the quality produce to the major supermarket chains, markets and the restaurant and hotel industries on Kenya’s Coast and in nairobi. The need for horticultural produce could provide a steady business for over one hundred thousand Kenyan farmers who could each be making half a million shilling in a season comfortably. Many Kenyan farmers would be surprised to learn that Kenya imports much of its horticultural produce from neighboring uganda and from as far as South africa and no doubt our neighbors are grateful. The produce provided by these so called ‘next generation farmers’ or ‘facebook farmers’ has also been shown to have a longer shelf life than what has been seen before in the country, extended even more using one of the company’s post harvest solutions called an active bag.
An Amiran agronomist shares a light moment with children from Walda in an Amiran Farmers Kit (AFK) This is also the first time that this kind of horticultural produce ‘GrOWn In KEnya’ is of European standards of production and has met with the approval of European Supermarket Chains. Interestingly however, it is not only tomatoes that have caught the attention of the European market, Capsicums (better known to us as Pili Pili ho ho) Sweet Melons all being grown in shambas all over Kenya just like in Israel. using plots no bigger than one eighth of an acre or 500 square meters and anywhere from 400 to 600 liters of water a day, farmers are growing higher yields and better quality that ever seen in Kenya before. Those who have been around agriculture in Kenya for many years know well of amiran’s contribution to the flower sector and the large scale horticulture sector in the country. It is no surprise that this company, which has been with us since independence, brought us the first greenhouses and the first drip irrigation, is also the company where the world’s first complete small scale agribusiness unit was born. Many of you know about Kenya’s contribution to the world of cellular money transfer, MPesa, which has broken so many misconceptions and has changed the way we live our lives, was born here in Kenya and is now being copied across the world. Though based on Israeli technology and invented by yariv Kedar, amiran’s Head of agro Division and an Israeli working and living in Kenya, the amiran Farmers Kit or aFK as many call it, is as Kenyan as can be. according to Kedar, the aFK was born here in amiran Kenya, a Kenyan company, and developed by an Israeli-Kenyan team of managers and staff among them Christopher nzuki, amiran’s Integrated Projects Manager, an Egerton agriculture alumni, a BSC, MSC, who is now persuing a PHD courtesy of amiran Kenya. nzuki, a Kenyan, designed the aFK training and is responsible for the massive extension service, what amiran calls ‘agro-Support’, which guides and teaches thousands of amiran Farmers in every corner of the country. The entire operation implemented H O R T I C U LT U R A L N E W S I j a n u a r y - F E B r u a r y 2 0 1 2 15
Page 1 and 2: NO. 20 JAN/FEB 2012 Ksh 300, US$5 H
Page 3 and 4: H O R T I C U LT U R A L N E W S I
Page 5 and 6: seasonal credit for food security Y
Page 7 and 8: GODOWNS FOR SALE/TO LET SAKU BUSINE
Page 11 and 12: ONIONS Onions are important horticu
Page 13: Wins Second MDG Award Eradicating E
Page 17 and 18: secondary schools in the water scar
Page 19 and 20: HIGH CONCENTRATION POTASSIUM SOLUTI
Page 21 and 22: For over 30 years farmers have trus
Page 23 and 24: Chrysal Africa now offers — Pre-t
Page 29 and 30: 40-50 % PA Fund job creation for on
Page 31 and 32: Sources of seed Farmers should use
Page 33 and 34: Anti-counterfeits committee chairma
Page 35 and 36: Harakisha....wapi page za AAK? you
Page 43 and 44: Jos Hansen (EA) Ltd, a pump supplie
Page 45 and 46: Belspray range Bellspray High N: NP
Page 47 and 48: Good neigbours traditional sugarcan
Page 51 and 52: Soil sampling using Trimble GPS now
Page 53 and 54: HORTICULTURAL CROPS DEVELOPMENT AUT
Page 55 and 56: HORTICULTURAL CROPS DEVELOPMENT AUT
Page 57 and 58: Between June and November 2
Page 59 and 60: Market overview sales volume
Page 61 and 62:   Self‐service Sales volume
Page 63 and 64: June  Flowers  9,324,582  3,2

Horticultural News January - February issue

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