Ngong Field Day: Farming is a Business

By eCentury Reporter
It was a farmers’ field day like no other. Farmers from Matasia, Bulbul and Ngong as well as students from Oloolua Primary School and Baptist Calvary Academy and other stakeholders thronged Ngong Agricultural Training Centre for a successful field day. It was organized and sponsored by the Stakeholders Forum and Agricultural Training Centre.

The chief guest was North Kajiado DO1 Mr. Kaume Kashuru who was taken through the stands by Dorothy Mwaniki the principal of Ngong Agricultural Training Centre. The theme of the day was farming is a business.

Among the exhibitors were Kajiado North Ministry of Agriculture, the hosts Ngong Agricultural Training Centre, agro-manufacturers and service providers. They included Arysta Life Science [K] Ltd manufacturers of insecticides, fungicides and herbicides; NAWACOM Investment Cooperative Society Ltd, the manufacturer of Mazingira Organic Fertilizer, Irrico International Ltd, an irrigation and greenhouse ware provider, Farm Feeds manufacturers of livestock feeds. Others were financial institutions namely Equity Bank and Faulu.

The Ministry of Agriculture stand particularly the Home Economics section was a crowd puller. The juice, soap, jik, crisps and jiko-making, technologies appealed to many participants. Rachel Kwoma one of the specialists at the stand explained to the participants how bread and cakes are made using an energy-saving sawdust powered oven. She further revealed they train women groups on entrepreneurship; how to start and manage businesses.

The Ngong Agricultural Training Centre was the main attraction. Her horticultural farm was a master piece. The expansive horticultural farm teeming with healthy and well-tended vegetables, fruits and fodder offered a great opportunity for the farmers. Experts were available to explain to the farmers every aspect of horticulture. The training centre was a complete encyclopedia of practical agriculture. The participants practically were taken through every aspect of farming. From rabbit keeping, beekeeping, silkworm rearing, goat rearing to zero grazing.

The green house was thronged by many who wanted to learn every aspect of green house establishment.

Notable companies included Arysta Life Science the manufacturers of Kalach 480 SL, the latest non-selective systemic herbicide in the market. According to Martin Aubanton the Eastern Africa Technical and Marketing manager, Kalach is an effective herbicide for the control of grasses, sedges and broad-leaved weeds in tea, coffee, wheat and other crops. The other herbicide Sigma Combi a selective herbicide for maize was another herbicide by Arysta Science .

The other attraction was an organic fertilizer manufactured by Mazingira Cooperative Society of Nakuru. The fertilizer made from compost manure has nitrogen, phosphate and potassium. The fertilizer was developed through technical support from Egerton University with administrative and financial support from Practical East Africa. The fertilizer is said to increase crop production through mineralization of the soil and soil structure.

The field day offered a rare opportunity for farmers and other stakeholders to interact and share notes.

The ministry of agriculture showcased the latest dairy goat zero grazing structure where a small portion of an urban space may be utilized for dairy goat rearing. On appropriate technology was a case of a manual bale-maker within the purchasing power of small scale farmers. Kajiado being a drought prone area the idea of a manual bale maker was good news.

Everyone left the field day energized and booster to make farming a business enterprise like any business. That profit making be the guiding principle.