Green house farming technology installation in Kenya

A greenhouse is a structure that allows control of environmental factors to some extent such as temperature, humidity,lighting,air movement and pest/diseases. 

Types of Greenhouses

1.     Post and Rafter Greenhouse

2.     Quonset

3.     Gothic

4.     A-frame

Material options for greenhouse Framework

Aluminium, Steel, plastic,wood, combination 

Site selection for the technology

• Flat to Gently sloping
• Adequate lighting from the sun
• Accessible and reliable water source
• Well drained site
• Stable and workable soils/use tubes where the situation is not practical
• Safe from lines of strong winds
• Access to source of heat in the temperate zones
• Proximity to storage/processing area

Greenhouse design Considerations

• Accessibility to cost effective materials
• Ability to achieve optimum temperatures
• Structural stability-shape,height, length, width,footing and wind,
• Roof drainage- slant slope 22-28 degrees
• Air circulation-10% of wall area is left for netting
• Desired flexibility in crops to be grown
• Expected level of mechanization

Materials for Greenhouse Covers

1.     Plastic films-clear or green/yellow

2.     Glass

3.     Fibre glass

4.     Rigid double wall plastics

Note:The polythene covers scatter light(diffuse)which is beneficial to the upper leaves .The polythene cover is also cost effective to the small scale farmer compared to all other covers for the technology.

Suppliers of Greenhouse Technology Materials in Kenya

1.     Amiran (K ) Ltd

2.     Agro-irrigation Ltd

3.     Hort-Pro/Irrico Ltd

4.     Agro-Tunnel International

5.     G-North & Son Ltd

6.     African Hydroponics

7.     Irritec & Siplast-Unifresh

8.     Charles gerald Ld

9.     Belbar Engineers

Green House Farming Technology

This technology is widely practiced in Israel, due to scarcity of water and land  aiming at increasing the incomes of rural households. In most African countries adoption of Greenhouse farming is in the initial stages, and it is increasingly becoming popular. This technology has several benefits as below:-

• The system increases agricultural output
• Economizes on space 
• Saves irrigation water
• Improves farming income
• Improves food security
• The technology reduces crop pest and diseases incidences
•  Allows growing of crops not suited to the region due to climate modification.

Strawberry in a Greenhouse

When operated correctly a greenhouse can give fresh produce throughout the year regardless of the season. The capacity to carefully control the temperature and humidity are important advantages of this farming system. Greenhouse system enables the use of modern technology such as hydroponics which involves growing plants in soil-less media, in a liquid which can be water infused with specialized nutrient mixes. This allows plants to grow larger and faster than normal, helping to maximize efficiency. The main disadvantage of greenhouse farming is high cost of buildings construction and maintenance, which in Africa and developing countries can be addressed by organizing smallholders into green house farming groups, in order to pool resources.

                       

While this technology offers numerous advantages, proper techniques are necessary to avoid  the  pitfalls of the technology. If you manage your project well all the year round, you'll need to prepare for the hazards of each season. In hot season cross-ventilation system is required. Passive ventilation with exhaust openings cut both high and low on the walls may provide sufficient air circulation for small structures. However, some greenhouses require a system of fans to keep the air circulating during the hot season due to high temperatures. 

In cool weather the circulation will be unnecessary in most cases. Soil fertility management practices are vital and they include crop rotation, regular application of compost, mulching, leaving the soil fallow to improve and maintain fertility. Apply fertilizers according to the soil requirements and the crops to be grown following soil analysis report. Fumigation or entire change of soil may be required before planting to clear crop pests and diseases. Fumigation involves saturating the greenhouse soil with pesticides like Dioxysan which releases fumes of Chlorine dioxide, (CL2) to control soil pest and diseases. In conclusion this is a farming technology whose time is ripe in Kenya.

 Our Products and Services 
We offer the following products and services at affordable fees.

1. Agribusiness plans preparation
2. Agribusiness information e-manuals

AGRIBUSINESS PLANS PREPARATION

An Agribusiness Plan is the road-map to success in any farming business. An Agribusiness Plan preparation is therefore crucial for success of any farming business. This is the document which will support your agribusiness to grow, seek funding from financial institutions and/or donors, and monitor performance over a period of time for continuous improvement. Agribusiness plan is a management tool which will help you to avoid expensive mistakes in your farming business. FAILURE TO PLAN IS PLANNING TO FAIL. MAKE SURE YOU PREPARE AN AGRIBUSINESS PLAN BEFORE STARTING YOUR FARMING BUSINESS.The second important milestone is to get the right technical information.
 

AGRIBUSINESS INFORMATION E-MANUALS

a)       Watermelon farming e-manual 

b)       Dairy Farming e-manual

c)       Passion fruit farming e-manual

d)      Strawberry farming e-manual

g)      Tomatoes farming e-manual

h)      Capsicum farming e-manual

i)       Greenhouse farming e-manual

j)       Oyster mushroom Farming e-manual

k)      Tissue culture Bananas farming e-manual

l)       Upland arrowroot, Cassava, Sweet potatoes and yams e-manual

m)    Poultry Broilers, layers and improved indigenous/ Kienyeji e-manual

n)    Value addition and Agro-processing e-manual:The e-manual contains Manufacture of Fruit juices, yogurt, Fruit Jam, Small scale ice-cream making ,Tomato sauce processing, bread baking & cakes baking, cake decoration, vegetable solar drying,  Banana crisps and flour processing, cassava fermenting and flour processing, Soya milk and peanut butter processing.    

Email yagrein@gmail.com for more information

Read-http://yagrein.blogspot.com/2012/05/hydroponics-aquaponics-aeroponics.html

Spruce Up Shiitake and Make a Mushroom Streusel!

Written by Mary Ellen

A typical winter scene at F&FP

It’s winter and I recently staggered out the back door with our spruce tree turned tannenbaum as I feel I must do after Epiphany in January. The tree was still gorgeous and fully needled (at least on one side, coming from a crowded row of white spruce), but because we usually don’t get around to cutting our tree until a week before Christmas, I was sad to drag away the once dazzling, fragrant tree. I similarly feel sad (but also relieved) about the decline of wonderful holiday food. 

Our daughter Phoebe was home from college for the holidays and thanks to feed-yourself- apartment living, she has taken the great leap from cookie baking queen to vegetable diva. This is nice because while it's only January 15, I already start to feel the tedium of  post-holiday austerity, and I am thrilled to find Phoebe slice and crumble her way into a January meal with a Shiitake dish that is a little apart from the same old same old. It’s a new dish that I will be making whenever I want something a little special and healthy as a salad topping, a side dish or crunchiness to eat straight from the pan. I will always be satisfied with the memory of Shiitake Streusel making, a random winter night sparkling with creativity, accomplishment and mushroom cookery beautifully handed down to the next generation. 

Phoebe's recent streusel creation.

Shiitake Streusel 

Phoebe’s apartment kitchen is minimally equipped, so all of her recipes are approximate. She gives us visual tips to let us know how much is enough. 

Ingredients:

1 to 1 ½ lbs fresh Shiitake
1- 2 T oil

Feta cheese, best quality - 4 oz. crumbled

1/4  to ½ c chopped toasted pecans or an amount to taste

Balsamic vinegar, about 1/2 to 1  T

A rimmed, oiled or parchment lined baking sheet

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F)

Trim stems from Shiitake. Slice caps into ½ inch pieces.

In a large bowl, toss caps with the oil until the sides of the bowl and mushrooms are glossy. Season well with salt and pepper. Spread mushroom slices out in a single layer on the tray and put them in the hot oven,  turning the mushrooms with a spatula after the first 10 minutes. Let both sides approach golden brown and chewy.

Remove Shiitake and combine with cheese and pecans. Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar to taste. Serve warm or room temperature as a side dish, salad topping, steamed vegetable or casserole topping, wrap or omelet filling, etc.

Make these delicious buttermilk breakfast biscuits by brushing the tops with beaten egg and pressing shiitake streusel (substitute feta with smoked gouda) on top just before putting them in the oven.

Make these delicious buttermilk breakfast biscuits by brushing the tops with beaten egg and pressing shiitake streusel (substitute feta with smoked gouda) on top just before putting them in the oven.