NATURAL OILS AND THEIR USES:PART 1

Different types of oil.

Oil crops have been used as far as history records can be traced. Their is use is numerous including for beauty purposes ,medicinal, cooking and lubrication.

Milking the bucks !

Cattle keeping is one of the most common form of animal husbandry in Kenya and all around the world. In Kenya it is practiced in arid and semiarid areas in form of pastoralism and ranching .It is also carried out in high and medium potential areas in closed housing structures.
Establishing a cattle farm can be costly . This is because the farmer has to take into account the cost of buying the animals, feeds, housing structures, vaccination, land and labour costs. The good news is that there is much for a farmer to gain after investing all that cash. The following will elaborate further.

Milk production.

Academic courses in Agriculture

Source:education.com

Are you just from high school and wondering what is the next field of academics to pursue ? Well Agriculture has become quite a competitive field . This is why:

     The next breed of multi-millionaires will come from Agriculture.

The 4 most common cattle dairy breeds in Kenya

Thinking of starting a dairy farm? One of the things in your mind is probably which breed of dairy cattle to keep.The following are the most common breeds of dairy cows kept in Kenya

Friesian

Originated from Europe.

It is white and black.

Can also be red and white in colour.

Mulching

Source:en.wikimedia.org

Trends in Agriculture worth watching out for !

 As a farmer one is always looking for techniques to improve their productivity . The following are trends which a farmer should look into investing in:

  Chemigation- This is the injection of chemicals such as nitrogen and phosphorus that is fertilisers and soil amendments  into irrigation water. It can also be referred to as fertigation.

Source:en.wikipedia.org

Source:answers.com

Methods of Asexual Propagation

The are various ways used in propagating plants  depending on the plant species. They include:

Cuttings 

 This is done by rooting several pieces of the parent material e.g in sugarcane.

Source:en.wikipedia.org

Sexual vs Asexual propagation

Propagation is the method of multiplying plant species .There two ways of doing it, either by seed or vegetative propagation.As an Agribusiness, a farmer would want a method that bears the most economic benefits of  one that yields high quality produce.

Source:grow.spogagafa.com

Rainwater Harvesting systems

A while ago I wrote on rainwater harvesting and its benefits especially on conservation of water. I would like to discuss the different rain water systems one can implement on the farm. The systems include:
 

source:flickr.com

Mobile Apps and your farm.

source drivelayer.com

ICT has become integrated into our lifestyles and almost every adult in the world owns a phone. Some of the most common phone apps are social media apps such as Facebook mobile app.They have changed the way people communicate, share information and market products. It has become a way of life. Applications too can be used to manage the farm. The apps enable a farmer to process information and provide invaluable information about market activities.Some of the farming apps include: 

Integrated Pest Management

There are various ways of eliminating pests in a farm. The common one being the use of  pesticides which are considered reliable. The problem with pesticide use is that they cause pollution to the environment as most are non-biodegradable.The residual effect of some pesticides may also be too harmful for human consumption. This is where IPM comes in.

The leather in thy skin

source:flickr.com

$30000. That is the value of the most expensive leather shoe in the world. A House of Testoni design. A while ago I wrote a blog post on business ideas on which sale of hides and skins is listed.leather is a finished product of hides and skins. The hide will undergo several processes through tanning to become leather.In the University of Nairobi, a course on leather technology is offered. This came about due to the need of professionals in value addition of  skins and hides in Kenya.

Climate change and Agriculture

source:pixabay.com

Global warming is the rise of earth temperatures due to increase of green houses gases such as carbon dioxide in the ozone layers. The greenhouse gases are mainly as a result of human activities such as industralisation .The ozone layer-a shield that surrounds the earth- is destroyed, therefore ultra-violet rays can reach the earth surface .Climate change is a major concern among farmers. This is because of unpredictable weather changes and increase in temperatures. Climate change is a major threat to food security.

HOW TO START A FARM: TIPS AND REQUIREMENTS

There are key features that are important in the prosperity of a farm as they help in running the farm activities. Some of these features are observable in a typical farm. this very items are important for a first-time farmer. If you already farming you may consider some items for addition in the farm.

Managing fertilizer and pesticide waste

Once one is done with applying fertilisers and pesticides on the farm at least one can relax. But wait. What about the empty pesticide containers and packaging that is waste. These containers pose a risk to people, animals and the environment. They cannot just be thrown anywhere and anyhow.There are various ways of doing away with these waste.

Rainwater Harvesting(RWH)

Water has been a  source of joy yet so much conflict among many communities. Fresh water is becoming a scarce resource by the day. While water saving projects can be implemented rainwater harvesting systems can go a long way in increasing water content in the household and farm.

Let it Drip

                                                                        

Drip irrigation also known as trickle irrigation is a relatively new technology in Kenya. Irrigation is a process of mechanically putting water in the farm. There are different types of irrigation such as flood, sprinkler and basin irrigation. Drip irrigation is the most effective type of all irrigations yet. This is because water is applied directly to the plant. It can be on the soil surface and subsurface.

Agriculture:the all-time frontier

                                                     

A ranch in Kenya

Agriculture originates from a Latin Agri+cultura meaning  field and cultivation. Historians have various theories on the start of agriculture but the most commonly accepted are the independent theory and one area theory.