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Best Practices for Post-Harvest Maize Management

POST HARVEST MANAGEMENT “What can farmers do to increase the shelf life and maintain the quality and add value to maize grains after harvest?” By Eunice Sakong FOOD THAT IS lost means all resources (water, land, energy, labour and capital) that were used to produce that food are wasted. Disposal of food in landfills leads […]

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How to Effectively Raise Day Old Chicks

“As a farmer ensure you get quality vaccinated day old chicks from reputable farmer or well established hatchery” By Vivian Machanury RAISING DAY OLD chicks is a challenge to many farmers. Day old chicks are very delicate and require utmost care for them to survive. As a farmer ensure you get quality vaccinated day-old chicks

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Preserve Your Vegetables by Blanching

By Pamela Otieno VEGETABLE PRESERVATION BLANCHING IS A process of scalding vegetables in boiling water or steam from boiling water for a short time, after which they are immersed in cold water to stop further cooking. Blanching inactivates enzymes which cause loss of flavour, colour and texture. To cool them off, rinse under cold running

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Farmer Supplements Poultry Feed And Earns Some Income From Azolla Farming

By Miriam Makato POULTRY FARMING HAS gained popularity in Kenya due to the ease in management and fast returns, as compared to other livestock enterprises such as dairy cattle keeping. However, this sector has faced a major challenge-an increase in feed prices, which has caused small scale farmers to reduce the number of birds kept

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Nurturing Nature’s Gold: Jackson Chalo’s Journey in Malkia Pawpaw Farming

By Keziah Otieno In the sun-scorched area of Machakos County’s Mbuuni, where the earth often seems reluctant to yield, Jackson Chalo has orchestrated a remarkable agricultural journey. His journey into pawpaw farming, particularly with the resilient Malkia variety, is not just a tale of cultivation but a testament to perseverance, innovation, and a deep-rooted commitment

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Top Fodder Legumes for Boosting Dairy Cattle Productivity

By David Njenga Fodder legumes play an important role in the smallholder farmers’ dairy farming system as they improve soil fertility through Nitrogen fixation and have high Crude Protein (CP) in leaves and foliage and they can replace commercial supplements. Crude Protein range for legumes is 15-35%, compared to grasses whose CP ranges between 5

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RESIDUE RETENTION: ENRICHING YOUR SOIL FOR THE NEXT PLANTING SEASON

There are various agricultural residues that are produced in both small- and large-scale farms. In Kenya, most of the farm left overs includes; rice straw, rice husks, maize copes (corn stover) and wheat straws. The residues in many farms are used as fodder for animals, landfill or others will end up being burnt during land

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TOF Magazine Issue 221 August- September 2024 Edition

Here comes the harvesting season, when farmers are expected to reap from their hard work. Despite extreme weather in previous seasons, we are optimistic of good yields. This edition focuses on harvesting and storage techniques for staple foods such as maize and vegetables. We highlight good practice in harvesting maize, new technologies that make threshing

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Forage grasses to grow for your dairy cattle

Forage grasses to grow for your dairy cattle By David Njenga Cultivating forage crops on the farm is a cost-effective approach for feeding dairy cattle as feeding cost constitute about 70-80% of the cost of production. There are different varieties of fodder crops and this article focuses on grasses that farmers can grow highlighting optimal

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Use the Right Beans & Maize Seed Variety for Better Yields

                                    Maize and Beans are the two most common crops in the country, in this issue we feature some of the Maize and Beans Variety suitable for the short rain season. The key to realizing better yields starts with the selection of the right seed for your region as the quality of seeds determines

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