Innovations that stole the show at trade fair

Kisii University Solar Specialist Ibrahimu Nyamweya( c ) explains to show goers how Solar Conductor drier is used to dry vegetables without distorting nutritional value at their stand during the 2017 Agriculture Innovation ASK show on 05/10/2017 (photo:Jenipher Wachie)

When farmers attend agricultural trade fairs, they are drawn to stands where the action is from cutting edge technology to new promising breeds of cattle and crops. And so it was at the ongoing ASK Nairobi International Trade Fair Jamhuri Park; farmers were flowing in stands that had sizzling agricultural stuff that promised to turn around their ventures.

Smart Harvest team was at the show to sample for our readers technology that stood out.

At Kisii University stand one of the highlights that attracted curious farmers was the Solar Conduction Drier, a machine that dries produce without losing its freshness and nutritive value.

To demonstrate how it works, the university had various kinds of vegetables and one of its team leaders took the visitors through the process, how each fresh produce is dried using the machine.

“Depending on the type of vegetables, it may take four to six hours to get them out of the drier,” Ibrahim Nyamweya, Processing and Marketing Chairman, Nyamira county explained as he responded to questions.

According to Nyamweya, for a farmer, having a machine that preserves fresh produce for a length of time, is important as one is able to store the food stuff during seasons of plenty which will come in handy during dry seasons.

Cost cutting

He explained that the filter glass on the drier ensures that blocks the UV rays from the vegetables and ensures that the produce retains its original colour and taste.

Keen to improve on last year’s ‘cricket for animal and human feeds discovery’, the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) researchers revealed that they are now working on grasshoppers to prepare sustainable sources for proteins.

“The insects can either be roasted and chewed or dried, ground and licked in powder form. They can also be prepared as a drinking paste, just as we prepare crickets,” Joyce Muniu a Research Associate at JKUAT said.

To start rearing grasshoppers what a farmer needs, according to the JKUAT researcher is a cage made of wood or a trough stuck with trays or any dark places where the grasshoppers can hide and drinkers. The grasshoppers can be fed on kales.

It is also mandatory to have plastic plates stuffed with moist cotton wool where the grasshoppers can lay eggs. The insect lays up to 300 eggs in its lifetime, which is 14 days.

The University of Nairobi’s stand also attracted traffic as show goers made their way to see the impressive innovations on offer.

One of the researchers Lorine Nanjala, showcased a cheap way to control pests on farms. It is worth noting that pests are one of the headaches that give farmers sleepless nights because they if not controlled on time, they can wipe away an entire crop.

That explains why a number of farmers wanted to hear what Nanjala had on offer to tame these destructive creatures.

“Mine is a simple technique that uses readily available bacteria to make a component that destroys pests. I simply collect bacteria that is readily available in the soil, multiply them in the fields and voila,” Ms Nanjala said.

Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (Kephis), the government parastatal tasked with the responsibility to ensure the quality of agricultural inputs, was also an attraction with farmers.

Stellamaris Mulika, a seed inspector at the organisation talked to eager farmers about an innovative sticker put on seed packets to differentiate between fake and certified seeds. “For us, this innovation is timely given that there is a case we are currently handling in court of a quack seed seller,” Ms Mulika explained to guests.

She said when scratched, the sticker reveals a digit which if sent to the code 1393, a free SMS service, it delivers correct details about the seed sold. Also on display at the Kephis stand, were various varieties of potato tubers the organisation had imported from the Netherlands in April this year.

When it comes to practical and relevant agricultural research, Kenya Livestock and Research Organisation (KALRO), the State research body, never disappoints.

KALRO’s ICT specialist Simon Mulwa demonstrated three mobile applications they had developed in partnership with the European Union.

Mr Mulwa said the applications, which had been developed in April this year were available to famers who, on accessing the internet, were now able to interact and benchmark on activities of each other.

The apps include ‘Indigenous KALRO Chicken App’, KALRO Drylands Crops App and Range Pasture Seed Production and are all available on the Google Playstore on smartphones and other internet-enabled devices.

Josephine Sianda, a research assistant at KALRO spoke about a pigeon pea variety which is bigger, disease resistant and  high yielding.

Stands that displayed farming machines also attracted heavy human traffic. Magrow Company demonstrated how their spraying innovation reduces wastage of chemicals during spraying.

“The manifolds improve the quality of the liquid into finer droplets that fall close to the target. In the past, farmers have wasted a lot of liquid by spraying a larger droplet which easily slides off the leaf without having maximum impact on the plant,” Nelson Osana, Technical Manager at Magrow said.

The dairy section also attracted crowds as dairy keepers sampled new breeds of cows and goats that promise good milk yields.

The trade fair ends this Sunday.