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Hello everyone! 2020 has so far been a special year in many ways. It has definitely jolted us out of our comfort zone. It has also taught us that we have within us, the resilience to adapt and even thrive when thrown into unpredictable circumstances. Many have turned to farming during this time and discovered a passion (and income) they never knew existed. We encourage you to turn your gardening space into an organic paradise. Enjoy gathering ideas for your kitchen garden from this issue amongst the other great stories. We enjoy hearing from you. Send us your thoughts and comments on natureandorganics@gmail.com Enjoy the read. Anne Mukoma Nature and Organics is a publication of Simple Vision Africa Ltd All rights reserved
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Editor’s note
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The farmer who found fortune in the magical tea tree
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Kitchen gardening techniques that use less water
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Silkworms farming
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Farm machinery, technology
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Avocado waste oers better fruits
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Care for organic foods
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A farming wonder
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Are you practising these 4 principles.
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Lecturer by day, organic farmer by night
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Editor’s I Note
n 2018, Kenya celebrated the ďŹ rst Organic Food Festival, which turned out to be one of the most memorable events in the sector. During the event, the best of organic farming came out, from farm practices to food, regulations and the experts
involved. In short, one got all they wanted to know in the sector under one roof. That event marked a major milestone that many continue to celebrate to date and key developments have come out of it. These include an increase in number of farmers who are growing their crops and keeping livestock organically. There are dozens of them spread across the country, thanks to increased awareness about the beneďŹ ts of organic farming. It is these farmers that we are celebrating in this issue of Nature & Organics. Charles Mwiti, a farmer in Gakawa ward on the outskirts of Nanyuki, is for instance growing tea trees that he supplies to an exporter for good cash. The crop that is drought-tolerant and pest-resistant is used for oil production, offering the farmer good returns that he would otherwise not get if he was doing any other. Joyce Thairu, a lecturer at a public university in Nairobi, does organic gardening as a hobby, which she grew during the Covid-19 pandemic that she has now picked enough lessons that would enable her go commercial.
On her organic farm, she rears dairy goats, free-range chicken, geese and rabbits and grows maize, beans, potatoes, pumpkins, fruits, vegetables and herbs. She harvests more than enough from her farm that she sells the surplus in an inspiring story that brings out the power of organic farming. Going organic, either as a consumer or a farmer should not be a matter of if, but when. As lifestyle diseases rise, the climate changes and the earth yearns for greater care, we have no choice but to be conscious of what we eat and how it is grown. Be smart and conscious, go organic.
Project Head:
Anne Mukoma Head of Design:
Euticus Githinji Editor in chief:
Richard Mengo Natures and Organics | 4
Project Writers:
Caroline Wambui Leo Opondo Brian Okoth Richard Mutua Isaac Kimani
Head of Marketing:
Susan Njathi
QUICK FACTS Global organic farming hectares
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ome 70 million hectares of land across the world are under organic production, most of them in America and
Europe as the practice spreads. This is an increase from 30.47 million hectares in 2006.
Quality vs quantity
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he strength of organic farming is in the intrinsic quality of the food produced and not the yield per
hectare inorganic farmers look for at all costs. Through use of crop rotation, organic matter and techniques like mulching, one grows foods in an environment friendly way.
Organic food safety
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hildren who eat an organic diet have lower pesticide residues
in their urine, with studies showing infants are most susceptible to pesticide exposure. Meat produced organically provides a reduced risk of exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
How to use beer to get Rid of snails in your garden
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nails and slugs can be a real headache. These small, slimy creatures reproduce quickly and love to feed on the leaves and roots of your plants. Fortunately, getting rid of garden snails with beer is quick and easy. Just ďŹ ll a small container with beer and let the snails climb in and drown.
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The farmer who found fortune in magical
Tea Tree Most of my crops would wilt leading to heavy losses after spending so much on fertilisers and chemicals. This drained me financially that I was almost quitting farming.
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bumpy road leads us to Charles Mwiti’s farm located on the outskirts of Nanyuki Town in Gakawa ward.
The farm is lush green despite dry conditions in the region, an indication of the kind of farming taking place there. A jovial Mwiti welcomes us to the one-acre farm where he grows tea tree, a drought-tolerant and pest-resistant crop that is used in oil production. “I switched to tea tree after struggling growing various food crops like maize and beans because of the dry conditions,” Mwiti says after exchanging pleasantries. The farmer explains that for years, he tried his hand in ‘normal farming’ but failed due to effects of climate change that include lack of rains or increased pests and diseases. “Most of my crops would wilt leading to heavy losses after spending so much on fertilisers and chemicals. This drained me financially that I was almost quitting farming.”
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Tea tree is grown mainly organically and is used in making highly-valued natural oil with a quarter acre offering up to six tonnes By Caroline Wambui He was introduced to tea tree by a non-state organisation operating in the region and took it up soon-after as it was resilient to droughts and pests and diseases. “To me tea tree farming was like a saviour as it was not only cost and labour effective, but also not being attacked by domestic animals,” he says. Mwiti grows the crop organically, and according to him, it is easy and does not entail the use of any chemical fertilisers or pesticides.
“I don’t bother about chemical fertilisers in my farming. The only thing I do is to use some animal manure and mulch the crop to increase moisture retention,” he says.
One is also supposed to erect a fence (barrier) around the crop to keep it safe and ensure that there is little infiltration from outside.
To grow the crop, one plants tree seedlings that Mwiti buys from a dealer at Sh3.50 each. “After planting, I apply organic manure from animals to enrich the soils. The trees take 12 to 15 months to mature before they are harvested,” explains Mwiti. At harvesting, one cuts the whole stem some 15cm-20cm above the ground at an angle using bending saw. The central stem is then removed and branches and leaves are then sold for oil extraction. After every harvest, new shoots emerge from where the tree was cut, continuing the cycle where another harvesting taking place after six months. Tea trees are expected to be highly productive for 25 years under good management, with the farmer spending so little on them but earns handsomely.
On average, Mwiti who started the venture in 2009 harvests about 1,500kg of produce from his acre per harvest, which he does after every six months. He sells a kilo at Sh21, which translates to about Sh30,000 per harvest. Mwiti is confident that he will even make more money in the coming harvests as the produce increases with time. From a quarter acre, a farmer can even end up with 3,000 stems as the tree continues to grow and the harvest can be up to six tonnes. “Tea tree has a ready market with buyers like Earth Oil Extracts coming for it from my farm. It’s oil has numerous medicinal uses that include being used to treat stings, burns, wounds and skin infections and is also believed to poses antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties,” he offers.
Esther Wambui, an agronomist in Laikipia County, says organic farming is sustainable, contributes to better environmental and human health due to no use of chemicals while guaranteeing steady income.
Uses of tea tree oil
- The chemicals in tea tree oil kill bacteria and fungus, and reduce allergic skin reactions. Applying 5 per cent of tea tree oil gel appears is effective for treating acne.
- The oil is used as antiseptic for minor cuts and scrapes. - Tea tree oil may help keep pesky insects away. - In addition to preventing infection in cuts and abrasions, tea tree oil may also encourage wound healing. - Fungal nail infections are quite common and although not dangerous, they can be unsightly. Te tree oil helps eliminate them.
- Tea tree oil makes an ideal natural hand sanitiser with studies showing it kills several common bacteria and viruses responsible for causing illness, including E. coli, S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae - Tea tree oil's antibacterial effects may help control underarm odour.
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Lovely Kitchen Garden
KITCHEN GARDENING TECHNIQUES THAT USE LESS WATER
From using used bottles to irrigate your fruit trees or flowers to making sunken beds and keyhole gardens, we discuss the simple ways you can farm amid scarce water, By Isaiah Kimani
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s the rains become unreliable, farmers must embrace new ways to grow crops to keep the country food secure. These methods must be climate-smart, in that, one uses less water, less or no inorganic fertilisers and chemicals but ends up with high harvest. Permaculture agriculture fits well in the above description, with the method described as working with the natural ecosystem to grow food in a resilient way. The term permaculture was coined by David Holmgren and Professor Bill Mollison in 1978. They noted that it is a practical method of developing ecologically harmonious, efficient and productive systems that can be used by anyone in any part of the globe.
Here is a list of permaculture farming methods that you can readily employ on your farm:
Used water bottles irrigation This method allows you to grow trees or fruits using very little water especially in periods of dry spell or in places where rains are scarce. For each seedling or tree, all you need is a one-litre plastic bottle of water. You don’t need to buy new bottles but recycle them. Once you plant the seedling, make a small hole at the base of the stem where you will place the bottle for irrigation. Before you use the bottle, make a small hole on the lid which will release the water for irrigation, then fill the bottle with water and place it at the base of the stem. Three quarters of the bottle should be buried in the soil, with the hole directed to the roots of the plant. The bottle should be refilled once every week. Farmers, especially in dry land areas of Ukambani, are using this method to grow mangoes and citrus fruit, but this can be employed in any part of the country.
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Sunken beds Sunken or basin gardening is a permaculture technique where topsoil is dug and set aside, then deeper clay soil is dug and used to create hills in between the rows. The topsoil is then returned to the trench along with soil amendments such as compost, mulch and peat. Plants are grown in the trench while the hills in between shelter the rows. You can also put a polythene liner at the base of the garden basin to minimise water loss.
Wicking garden This technology was invented by Colin Austin, an Australian and it involves creating a water reservoir at the base of the bed to enable it self-irrigate. One thus must prevent water from leaving the bottom of the bed with a waterproof liner or layer. The water thus wicks up into the soil from below, ensuring it is always moist. The wicking beds are water-efďŹ cient making them an excellent option for dry areas or dry times of the year. The following are the steps to make the wicking garden. 1. Build raised box container, ensuring that it has a water container and the place where small pebles sit. 2. Cover the water container/pipe with a liner which will let water pass through to reach the plants. 3. Test for leaks and 4, add soil and plant your crops.
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Sack gardening These are sacks filled with soil from which plants grow. This concept for a small,
Over 1,000 refugee households in Kalobeyei are using the techniques to
portable garden is good for areas where the gardener may have to continually
produce enough vegetables for domestic consumption and income
relocate, as well as for areas where there is little or no healthy soil. Due to their
generation, making it clear that with little water and appropriate technology,
vertical nature, sack gardens are also fairly efficient in terms of using water.
it is possible to produce food amid little rains.
The main advantages of sack gardens are that they are portable, are small in size,
Lilian Cherotich, the head teacher of Kalobeyei Settlement Primary School,
low cost and efficient. This type of gardening is gaining popularity in many
said students have already started generating income from the vegetables
urban areas especially in slums or apartment residences where space is
grown using the water-efficient techniques.
limited. One of the places where these gardening
“If someone wants to buy the vegetables from any of the students, we allow
methods have been employed efficiently is at Kalobeyei Settlement Primary School, north-west of Kakuma Refugee Camp in
them to sell, and use the money appropriately with guidance of their parents. But generally, we encourage
the drought-hit Turkana County. The gardens have turned part of their land into a green haven where fresh vegetables and fruits grow in abundance. “These are the best approaches to farming as rains become scarce. In our case, we are assisting refugees to start growing their own food for nutritional purposes and as well income generation,” said Zippy Mbati, the Programme Policy Officer at the UN World Food Programme.
them to pick the vegetables and take them home for their parents to cook, given that green vegetables are extremely rare in this part of the country,” said Cherotich. She noted the gardening techniques can help improve livelihoods of in different parts of the country and not necessarily at refugee camps as land sizes get smaller and rains become scrace.
Keyhole garden As the name suggests, this garden resembles a key hole and it originated in Africa, but has spread across the world with families in dry and hot climate using it to grow food and even grow flowers. To a make a keyhole garden, start by creating a raised garden bed, which should be surrounded by ply wood, piece of cloth or even bricks or wood, to hold the soil. Then a basket to hold compost manure is placed at the centre and a notch is made into the bed for easy access to the bed and the manure bank. Manure is normally added in the compost bank as the plants grow ensuring that they have enough nutrients. In many Africa communities, the keyhole garden is made next to the kitchen for easy supply of vegetables like sukuma wiki, lettuce and spinach, as well as herbs, onions, garlic, carrots and strawberries. The gardens normally need little water as the layers used to make it soak up moisture. The gardens require less labour in terms of weeding.
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Did You
KNOW Swarm of locusts contains up to 80 million insects A swarm of desert locusts can cover up 460 square miles (1,100km squared) and contains 40-80 million insects, which can consume in a single day food for 35,000 people. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, locusts are the most dangerous migratory pests because of their capacity to decimate crops in hours.
Each locust eats its own weight in a day Each locust measures 0.5 to 3 inches and weighs 0.07 ounces (8.5g), the weight in plants it can eat in a day. Thus, a swarm of locust would devour 423 million pounds of plants every day.
More food by 2050 If the current food production level remains, by 2050, most people may not have food. Therefore, farmers have to increase production by at least 70 percent to feed the world’s fast growing population by 2050.
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Spinning fun and cash from silk worms Silk worms may not be your typical agribusiness, but for mutugi, this unique form of farming is what he was looking for as it is affordable, the insects mature faster and the cocoons fetch better prices By Caroline Wambui
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itijiwe is like any other small village in South Imenti, Meru County, but its fame is slowly
spreading across the country thanks to a unique farming that is happening there. Residents are slowly taking up silkworm farming and Timothy Mutugi is one of them. His three-quarter-acre farm is located some seven kilometers from Nkubu Town and is clean, well-maintained and hosts a well-ventilated structure measuring 24 by 14ft. The structure is conspicuously right in the middle of the farm and catches attention immediately one strolls in. “This is where I rear my silkworms,” Mutugi says as he opens the house. “This is my agribusiness dream because it is affordable and the worms mature faster producing cocoon that I sell.” In the rearing house, the silkworms can be seen gnawing on the mulberry and castor leaves producing sounds similar to that made by hailstones when they heat a glass window. Mutugi, 37, rears two types of silkworms, that is, Mulberry and Eri silkworms. The former feeds purely on mulberry leaves while the later on castor leaves. To rear the silkworms, Mutugi incubates their eggs for 10 days before they get to the larva stage, which goes through four stages. In the first instar, the young worms are only fed with young tender leaves for up to four days. “Feeding is done twice a day, that is, in the morning and in late afternoon. It should be done moderately with leaves being placed lightly so as not to overburden and kill the worms,” Mutugi explains. After the fourth day, the worms go into moulting or the sleeping stage for a day where they shed off the skin and enter into the second instar, where they are fed on third and fourth young glossy leaves for four days again after which they go for moulting for the second time ready for third instar.
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In the third instar, worms are fed for three days with leaves harvested from the green part of the stem/shoot, after which the silkworms go into moulting for the third time ready for the fourth Instar. In the fourth instar, the worms feed on whole shoots for six days before going into moulting and ready for the fifth stage where they are fed on whole shoots for seven to eight days with the farmer avoiding yellow and diseased leaves. During this time, the worms cease to feed and crawl about restlessly in search of a corner to attach themselves for spinning. Mutugi improvises dry banana leaves for easy spinning, noting that they are not only cheaper and affordable but are also quite effective and efficient in spinning. The spinning process takes seven to eight days and as the worm spins, it produces saliva which forms the cocoons. The cocoons are then harvested for three to four days. After harvesting, the farmer selects good quality cocoons allowing the moth to emerge. The moths are then allowed to mate in about 24 hours and each lays between 300- 400 eggs.
The remaining cocoons are then taken for reeling and farmers weigh them in terms of kios. The cocoons are graded depending on the quality and a kilo can fetch between Sh600-Sh1,500, with the buyers including individuals, International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Thika Sericulture Centre and Rivatex East Africa Limited among others. During rearing, temperatures and humidity vary in the instars from, 21 -28 °C, which is considered ideal. Humidity is also of essence and should be above 70 per cent. Silkworms are very sensitive to hygiene therefore as they mature, the cleaning frequency should increase, according to Mutugi, from once per day to four times. The same case applies to feeding from twice per day to five times a day as the worms move from one instar to the other. Mutugi says challenges include diseases like Beauveria bassiana, a fungus that destroys the entire silkworm body, which appears when the worms are raised under cold conditions with high humidity. Though the disease is not genetic, the infected silkworms cannot survive to the moth stage. The other diseases, which are viral, include Grasserie/milky or hanging disease and Pebrine that is caused by a parasitic microsporidian, Nosema bombycis Nageli. Affected larvae have slow growth, are undersized, pale and have flaccid bodies and eat less. Tiny black spots appear on larval integument. A farmer can easily detect disease by observing the behaviour of silkworms and the size of the cocoons. Pests are also another great challenge to silkworm farmers, and they include rats, birds, safari and black ants, snakes, lizards and cockroaches. Access to quality certified silkworm eggs is also another challenge and hindrance to silkworm farming as most farmers are not in a position to access quality eggs and or experts known as entomologists for advice.
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FARM MACHINERY, TECHNOLOGY AND NEED TO BOOST PRODUCTION
Any modern farmer worth his salt requires farm machineries but high cost of the gadgets remains one of the biggest hindrances to acquisition. But companies are coming with smart ways out of the situation to encourage increased usage of machines, writes Brian Okoth
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echanisation or use of farm machineries is
crucial in improving efficiency and productivity on the farm, whether small or big. Many small farmers, however, see farm machines as not their domain because of the tiny sizes of their farms. Well, this view does not stand, because these days, manufacturers have come up with machines that fit all kinds of farmers, big or small. Let’s see how farm machineries are important to farmers. To slice your fodder into tiny pieces, you need a chaff cutter.
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To milk your cows with precision, you need a milking machine that will enable your animals produce more and in a hygienic manner. To transport your produce from the farm to the store or market, you would need a pick-up truck, wheelbarrow or a tractor drawn trailer of 4 – 8 tonnes for a small to medium scale farm. In fact, an average tractor in the range of 40 – 80Hp will offer you more than you will bargain farm.
This machine will till the land, harrow it, plant the seeds, weed the crops and harvest as long as you have the necessary implements.
Tractors, therefore, are meaningless without the correct implements. Farm machinery specialists advice that a medium-scale farmer needs at least four implements for every tractor. This will help in the full utilisation of the machine, including by hiring out some of the gadgets for more cash. Over the past years, there have been great efforts in promoting mechanization and there are still many opportunities to push it under the Big Four Agenda’s food security target. But as climate change bites, there is great urgency in embracing modern ways of farming, which certainly involve use of machines. These methods include minimum tillage, which does not allow digging deeper into the soil or turning it inside out.
There are precision farming implements that are attached to the tractor, which do the work excellently well. And they include sub-soilers, rotary cultivators, combination cultivators, inter row sprayers and harvesters. These machines not only help in soil management to maximise nutrients but also in moisture retention during land preparation, planting, weeding and harvesting enabling the farmer to get higher yields from farmers. But one may argue that land sizes are getting smaller and smaller making mechanisation a little bit harder. Well, manufacturers are taking care of
Gone are the days when farmers used to calculate inputs manually against the expected harvest. With the right machinery, you will be able to perform the job without much hustle. Well, the major hindrance to acquisition of farm machinery remains the high costs but using technology, there are better ways out. There are apps that enable you access a host of farm machinery services like chiselling, no-till planting, ploughing, harrowing, planting, spraying, harvesting and lawn mowing easily. One creates an account, indicates their preferred service, location and the size
this reality as they churn out machines that are more compact and versatile in application. The machines are not only fuel efďŹ cient but also environment and technologically friendly. In the era of smartphone, who would not want to run their machines on their cell phones? All modern agricultural machines are today made with digital technology in mind. The technology does not only help in using the machine but also to analyse the running costs of the tractor, for instance, per acre, the fuel used, seeds planted and the expected harvest.
of land to be worked on; the tractor is then dispatched to do the task. Using the Uber-like services, farmers don’t need to incur high costs to access a tractor since the machine is shared among ten others reducing the costs as one only pays for the number of acres worked on. All said, ease in access of farm machineries will certainly increase area of land under cultivation, reduce production costs, increase food production boosting food security and the economy.
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Beatrice Macharia, an agronomist from Growth Point, noted that grafting produces best seedlings because one ends up with a quality product. “Through grafting, you get the best from the two plants, one that makes the scion and the other the rootstock. That farmers are using what is considered waste to create quality seedlings that produces globally accepted fruits is commendable,” she said. She noted that by using the waste, the farmers are making the environment cleaner in two ways, first by avoiding the seedlings from littering the environment and second, growers would not need to use more chemicals to grow the fruits. Kenya exports up to 50,000 tonnes of Hass avocados annually mainly to Europe, but the tonnage is set to increase after the country signed a deal with China in 2019. Avocado is the main fruit exported from the east African nation.
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How farmers recycle avocado seeds to end up with better export fruits By N&O Team
To many people, these seeds are a waste that is why they are dumped but to me they are what keeps my business going; they are gold,
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nce every month, Simon Kariuki, a fruit seedlings farmer in Kirinyaga, central Kenya, heads to open air markets in the county and collects avocado seeds that traders keep for him. The seeds stored in sacks at the market by the traders are normally collected from a dumpsite where they end up after consumers eat the fruits. Kariuki usually buys sacks of the avocado seeds waste at Sh300 (3 U.S. dollars) each and then takes them to his farm where he uses them in propagation of seedlings. “To many people, these seeds are a waste that is why they are dumped but to me they are what keeps my business going; they are gold,” he said in a recent interview.
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The seeds are from indigenous avocado varieties and the farmer uses them in grafting to end up with quality trees. “We use them because the indigenous avocado varieties are adapted to the local environment and are resistant to pests and diseases. They thus give the best rootstock during grafting,” he explained. Once he gets the indigenous seeds, he plants them in small plastic bags and waits for them to germinate and be ready for grafting in two months’ time. The farmer then takes the rootstock and grafts it with a Hass avocado variety scion to end up with a tree that offers the best produce, which farmers from across the east African nation export. “The Hass avocado is the best because of its nutritional benefits but it cannot thrive well in these climatic conditions on its own. So if grafted with the local variety, it does well,” he said. An indigenous avocado tree produces some 600 fruits in a year at its peak but the Hass avocado offers double or even more, according to Kariuki.
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hould you really eat them? We have seen it being used, usually next to the word GMO. So what is this organic fuss all about and
should you pay any attention? Luckily, for many of us in Kenya and Africa, organic is a way of life. At least it used to be. Our forefathers planted maize, harvested and got seeds for the next crop from the harvest. This they planted, it grew and was harvested, and so the cycle went on. They used manure from sheep, goat and cows as fertiliser and used various herbs and plants as pesticides. Neem (mwarobaini) for example is lauded for being an effective and natural pesticide for many bugs. But times have changed. We now have seedless grapes, oranges and varieties of crops that cannot be grown from harvested seeds. But, that’s a story for another day. Today let’s talk about why you should be consuming organic food. Now, purely organic food can be pricier depending on where you buy it. So first let’s understand what organic farming is all about. Here is an overview of the seven general principles required for organic food production: 1. It should protect the environment and promote positive health thus use of composts, natural or botanical pesticides. 2. Maintain long-term soil fertility thus crop rotation. 3. Increase food production and alleviate scarcity, therefore, promote kitchen gardening and botanical pest and disease control is essential. 4. Recycle materials and organic matter, thus, use of compost and composting, use of farm manure and other organic fertilisers. 5. Conserve resources, thus soil and water conservation through mulching, water harvesting and planting of trees. 6. Promote good health of livestock: Can be through balanced feeds, herbal treatment and keeping animals according to their nature 7. Rely on renewable resources and technology: Can be localised through DIY technologies that make the farmer more self-sufficient.
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EATING ORGANIC FOODS IS EATING HEALTHY a) To avoid chemicals And this is a big one. Chemical pesticides can be safe or unsafe based on what they contain and how they are used. Take the example of a tomato farmer who uses chemical pesticides on his shamba. Pesticides have a cut off time after which they should not be used on a crop, primarily based on how close to harvest the crop is. If a farmer either due to ignorance or impunity decides to disregard these guidelines and sprays his tomato produce too near harvest, there’s a high likelihood that it will find its ways to someone’s dinner table still laced with dangerous chemical. And the consumer would be none the wiser.
A lot of the produce that finds its way to various food markets is not well tested for chemicals. Since organic farms are largely if not entirely chemical-free, eating organic would reduce the challenge of harmful chemical pesticides finding their way into your food. I am a big proponent of kitchen, balcony and backyard gardens. Here you are able to control how you grow your food and you can do so healthily. b) For Livestock, less antibiotics and synthetic hormones A lot of people prefer kuku kienyeji to broiler chicken. The Kienyeji one was most likely running around happily and feeding in its natural environment. It grew organically and hasn’t been injected any growth hormones. This goes for grass-fed cows, sheep and goats as well. Many Nairobians flock to Kajiado County over the weekend for a taste of organic, grass-fed goat-choma. That is, before the Covid-19 pandemic showed up.
These animals reared in their natural environment are more resistant to diseases, therefore, require less support in terms of antibiotics or hormones. This is turn makes it healthier for you to consume their meat or milk. Organic meats also contain a higher Omega 3 content. Kienyeji eggs are also preferred and are pricier than the broiler eggs. c) Nutritional value The jury is still out there whether organic food is healthier than non-organic. However, organic foods tend to have more beneficial nutrients, such as antioxidants. Also, people with allergies to foods, chemicals or preservatives often find their symptoms lessened or they completely disappear when they eat only organically grown foods. What about those huge-leafed sukuma wiki plants or spinach? Those ones are not usually found in open vegetable markets. They look so appetisingly green, neat and big. Picture perfect almost. Well, here’s something to consider while buying picture perfect food. If a bug wouldn’t eat it, why should you?
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A FARMING WONDER Daniel Gitau grows strawberry in storey gardens on quarter acre, with the innovative farming method helping him get plenty of harvest that earns him handsomely By RICHARD MUTUA
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t takes us some 30 minutes of driving from Kiambu Town to arrive at Kimunyi village, where Daniel Gitau farms strawberries. The former Kenya Railways electrician grows the Chandler variety on quarter-acre in a thriving venture that involves an innovative gardening
system in which he uses storey gardens. "I went fully into strawberry farming in 2013 to be self-reliant. My aim was to show residents that strawberries not only do well in this region but are also a popular delicacy with ready market in Kiambu and the neighbouring Nairobi,” says Gitau, whose farm is known as Farming Wonder. The farmer recounts that he resorted to strawberries after doing market research and getting some knowledge on the crop.
“The Chandler variety does best in alkaline soils with a pH of between 5.5 and 6.5. It has a lifespan of four years before one replaces it,” offers Gitau, who initially was farming sukuma wiki, onions, spinach and indigenous vegetables. According to him, strawberry shoots are called runners or splits (seedlings), which can be cut and planted to form new plants that thrive to maturity. Before planting the runners, the soil should be prepared early enough by adding well-rooted compost manure.
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“Strawberries take three to four months for splits (seedlings) to mature. Planting is done at any time of the year provided that water is readily available.” The seedlings are sowed to a depth of about 0.6mm and the soil should moist
The farmer applies goat manure that he readily gets from farmers in Kiambu near the stem, without covering the leaves. Gitau uses over 13 buckets of goat manure per year, which should be mixed well with the soil during weeding.
during the planting but not wet.
"Spacing is crucial when cultivating strawberry. One should leave a feet from
According to him, the chandler variety requires a lot of water, and once the splits are placed in the soil, they should
and nutrients.”
be watered regularly and organic manure applied.
one plant to another so that the forested heap of leaves do not compete for space
Once the plant starts to fruit, it must get good sunlight which helps to speed up the ripening process, Gitau explains. “Good planting of the fruit should take place to enable it start fruiting between December and March when there is sufficient amount of sunshine.” Apart from employing casual labourers during planting and harvesting, his wife and son helps him to take care of the farm. Gitau owns some 32,400 plants grown in the storey gardens, with each stalk carrying up to 40 fruits in a good season. "When the sunlight is good, the strawberries ripen faster and we can harvest up to three times a week and package the produce for distribution to supermarkets, groceries and customers who make orders.” A single stalk of strawberry plant can produce up to a kilo of fruits per week, which are packaged in 250g pennets that go for 150 each. Sometimes the market is flooded and Gitau is forced to hawk the produce to vegetable sellers and homes to avoid making losses. "Strawberries are packed in punnets and are appealing to the eyes and delicious. They should always be clean because customers are ever ready to buy clean and eat.” According to him, the enemies of the plants is cold weather or coldness resulting from the soil when it rains. He uses both biological and chemical measures to curb pests and diseases. He applies ash in small quantities on the leaves, during the early stages of development and supplements with foliar pesticides. "Sometimes the pests become resistant the reason why we use both chemical and biological control methods.”
He applies an insect repellent that keeps ants away from the plants, which he says is environmental friendly and non-toxic to the fruits. According to him, common black spots on the leaves of strawberry plants are caused by fungus, which in most cases are blown by the wind. “They can also be spread by splashing water but once this is noted earlier, it can be cured using fungicides.”
Julius Omuka, an agronomist at Kimunju Farm in Nakuru, says that strawberries are the best fruits because apart from being sold raw, value addition can be done to make jams, jellies, juices and preservatives.
“Strawberries do well in a variety of soils, but perform better in deep well-drained fertile loam soils rich in organic matter. Waterlogging on the farm should be avoided,” he says. He adds that strawberries do well with mulching, which helps to conserve soil moisture and protect the plants against frost, that comes from morning dew.
23. | Natures and Organics
ARE YOU PRACTISING THESE 4 PRINCIPLES Health, ecology, fairness and care are the key principles of organic farming. We tell you how they work. By Brian Okoth s organic farming gains traction in many parts of the country, it is becoming one of the customary agricultural practices. Many are going into organic farming after finding out that a majority of consumers are now favouring organically grown food
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because it is chemical-free. Organic farming not only offers healthy and better quality farm food produce but also helps in the conservation of the environment through the minimal crop sprayings involved, and non-use of synthetic fertilisers and heavy-metal chemicals. The sustainable farming model uses techniques such as crop rotation, application of animal and crop manure, and biological pest control methods to during production. In organic farming, farmers strive to build soil fertility, minimise pollution and damage to the environment as well as emphasise on the use of renewable resources. The farming model has become a movement in Kenya with stakeholders running organic markets and belongs to organic farming networks.
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The global umbrella organisation for organic agriculture, which campaigns for promotion, adoption and application of the farming model across the world, is the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), and it has put in place a set of principles and regulations that govern the movement’s operations. In addition to these set principles, regions and countries practicing organic agriculture have their unique standards and regulations that they conform to. These include the East African Organic Products Standard, for East Africa countries and the Pacific Regional Organic Standards for Pacific region, among others. So what are the main principles of organic farming? There are four broader principles, which are health, ecology, fairness and care. John Wanjau Njoroge, the director of the Kenya Institute of Organic Farming (KIOF), notes that breaching of any of these principles results in a farmer’s exclusion from the organic farming movement and being barred from trading their produce as organic.
This means one’s produce loses the premium price tag that organic products are usually given. “The principle of health dictates that organic agriculture should sustain and enhance the health of the soil, the plants, livestock, the human consumers and the environment. This principle holds that the health of individuals cannot be detached from the health of ecosystems as healthy soils produce healthy crops that lead to better health of animals and consumers,” he says. The role of organic agriculture, according to him, is to sustain and enhance the health of ecosystems and organisms from the smallest in the soil to the biggest – human being. “This is why it shuns the use of synthetic fertilisers, pesticides, animal drugs and food additives that may have adverse health effects,” he explains. In the principle of ecology, Njoroge points out that the organic practice should be founded on the sustenance of biodiversity and the existing biological systems and cycles, and be able to work with them – by matching and building them.
“Productivity should be looked into based on conservation practices involving
Fairness further necessitates that the structures of production, distribution and retailing of the produce
recycling and reusing. The structures involved should also be fitting for ecologi-
are open, even-handed and account for environmental and social costs.
cal balance. Organic management should, therefore, be adapted to the farm environ-
Karanja explains that the premise of fairness eliminates the place of middlemen in the value-chain
ment’s natural conditions, bionetwork, patterns and spectrum,” he says.
ensuring that the farmer and the employees solely benefit from the organic farming they do.
Farm inputs should be reused, recycled and efficient management of materials and
The principle of care, on the other hand, though loosely linked to that of fairness has more to do with
energy be used to maintain improved environmental prominence and resource
provision of reasonable and suitable conditions especially for livestock and plants. Since animal
conservation. The principle of fairness, according to
welfare is at the core of the system, a wholly unconfined life for the livestock is a prerequisite.
David Karanja, the coordinator of Organic Agriculture Centre of Kenya (OACK), is characterised by parity, respect, and integrity of all the parties involved in the organic production value-chain. Fairness, he notes, should be observed from farmers and labourers, processors, suppliers, vendors to consumers. “The principle maintains that livestock, for instance, should be provided with the conditions that afford them their natural behaviours and physiological wellbeing. It also ensures that even the workers on the farm relish their work environment. This is why organic produce is usually sold at premium prices to cater for the processes involved and the welfare of those involved in the practices,” he maintains.
“Animals hardly complain even when they are not well-treated and their living conditions are poor. But the farmer will still expect to get quality beef, eggs, or milk from these livestock despite the depriving living conditions,” says Karanja. The farmer should, therefore, be caring enough to appreciate that while he expects the livestock to give back produce, the cattle, goats, chicken or pigs should also be well-cared for in return. These principles, according to the two experts, are collectively meant to ensure that in the long run, farmers guarantee production of healthy produce in line with what the organic farming movement stands for. “There are usually random inspections conducted by inspectors and representatives of IFOAM to confirm that these principles are adhered to by farmers. They just visit the farm, inspect it and present their findings to the regulatory bodies which in turn mete the necessary action based on the findings,” says Njoroge. Karanja indicates that alternatively, organic farmers, especially those hailing from the same locality, can organise themselves into Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) and check on each other’s practices to ensure they all conform to the regulations of the organic movement. In this case, when the inspectors – usually from certification bodies working with Kenya Organic Agricultural Network (KOAN) or the Participatory Ecological Land Use Management Association (PELUM), which are the governing representatives of IFOAM in the country –visit their farms, they will be found to be in conformity with the movement’s protocols.
25. | Natures and Organics
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LECTURER BY DAY, ORGANIC FARMER BY NIGHT Joyce Thairu has turned her farm into a hub of organic farming produce as she grows crops and keeps livestock for her own consumption and sale By N&O Correspondent
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y name is Joyce Thairu and I work as a lecturer at a public university in Nairobi.
Gardening is one of my hobbies. Life has taught me that I should pay attention to what stirs the heart and makes me connect with God’s creation. One such a thing is gardening. I love tending to plants and animals on my garden. It brings joy besides producing more than 70 per cent of the family nutritional requirements all the year round and cash from the sale of extra produce. I acknowledge the importance of conserving the environment in this pursuit. I am also informed of the dangers of overusing chemical farm inputs as they affect the environment and the users of the products. This made me embrace organic gardening. To build my capacity in this field, I attended a training sessions at A Rocha Kenya, a non-governmental organisation that trains small-scale farmers on sustainable agriculture. My garden is integrated, in that, the crops grown and animals reared are highly interlinked. Organic farming practices are used all the time in the garden ensuring that the farm products are free of chemical residues. I rear dairy goats, free-range chicken, geese and rabbits, which provide highly nutritious milk, eggs, urine (a key organic fertiliser and pesticide) and offer security. The plants form part of the feed for the animals whereas animal droppings are utilised in the compost for soil improvement. We are currently piloting a new farming technique known as God’s way farming, no tillage - for posterity.
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The main plants grown are maize, beans, potatoes, pumpkins, fruits, vegetables and herbs. The fruits include avocados, passion, papaya, tree tomato, strawberries, mulberries, raspberries, lemons, pomegranates and pepino melons. Our unique vegetables include chaya, chayote, fennel, parsley, celery, cucumber, courgettes, red eggplants and managu. The herbs grown are rosemary, thyme, mint, tarragon, oregano, lemon grass, marjoram, chives and aloe vera. These herbs are mainly used to garnish food and in herbal teas. Two towering Warburgia ugandensis trees planted on the farm are the epicentre of the family herbal treatment. The leaves, stem, bark and roots are used to treat a number of ailments ranging from bacterial to fungal infections. Gardening offered me a lifeline during the Covid-19 pandemic because I was fully engaged. I researched a lot about the plants and animals and I am always looking for efficient and effective ways of gardening.
The super plants you should know, have on plate: • Eggplant is a great source of vitamins and minerals and improves digestion and bone health. • Rosemary tea is rich in antioxidants that fight free radicals in the body. It is a great memory and concentration enhancing agent while improving digestion. Its strong aroma repels flies, mosquitoes and snakes. • Strawberries are excellent source of Vitamin C, potassium, folic acid and fibre. They help regulate blood sugar and reduce the risk of heart disease. • Aloe vera has a range of therapeutic properties in humans and animals. We use it in treating wounds and preventing illnesses in chicken. It helps regulate blood sugar by enhancing insulin sensitivity. • Warbugia ugandensis is useful in treating many disorders including cough, sore throat, fever, malaria and dental issues owing to its antifungal, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. The leaves, stem, bark and roots are all useful in therapy.
• Bitter gourd is very instrumental in regulation of blood sugar and pressure. The fruit is juiced for these purposes with great results. • Chaya/Mexican spinach is a wonder vegetable that is endowed with a lot of properties, which include improved vision while enhancing blood circulation and digestion. • Mulberry tea and fruits are very beneficial in regulating blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure. • Raspberry fruits, juice and tea are beneficial for hormonal imbalance in women thereby controlling the effects of fibroids. It also regulates effectively postmenopausal diabetes, which arises as a result of low estrogen levels. • Fennel is very helpful in improving eyesight while regulating blood pressure. The vegetable and the seeds are used. • Celery is highly alkaline and is utilised in broths for mitigating against high acidic levels in the body. It has high calcium levels and hence it is good for the bones.
29. | Natures and Organics
Do brown cows produce chocolate milk? The answer seems obvious to many people, but a survey by Innovation Centre for U.S. Dairy shows that approximately 7 per cent of adults in the country (and other parts of the world) believes brown cows produce chocolate milk.
6,000 varieties of apples Across the world, there are more than 6,000 different kinds of apples farmed, with the biggest producer being China, followed by the United States, Iran, Turkey, Russia, Italy, and India. In farming the crop, the tallest, biggest trees or bushes do not always yield the most fruit, thus, control the height.
Climate change menace At least 800 million people or 11 per cent of the world’s population is currently ravaged by climate change impacts such as droughts, oods, heat waves, extreme weather events and sea-level rise.
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