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NEWS & CURRENT AFFAIRS

Digital News

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George Mbakaya

Four ways to clear off moles from your farm

Moles are insectivores, and the reason they invade your farm is to get the worms, grubs and other soft insect larvae

By George Mbakaya 4 years ago

Four ways to clear off moles from your farm

7 common mistakes tomato farmers make

7 common mistakes tomato farmers make

By George Mbakaya 4 years ago

Trap crop: Smart bait for water melon flies

Trap crop: Smart bait for water melon flies

By George Mbakaya 6 years ago

When your plants try to deliver a message

When your plants try to deliver a message

By George Mbakaya 6 years ago

Just like you, soil too needs a change in diet

Crop rotation isn’t a new concept but if done right, it is the best bet to improved yields.

By George Mbakaya 6 years ago

Just like you, soil too needs a change in diet

Try bamboo and forget about pests, poor rains

All you need to start a bamboo farm is land and right information. What is more encouraging is that this amazing grass-like plant grows anywhere.

By George Mbakaya 6 years ago

Try bamboo and forget about pests, poor rains

Flame as a weed control method

Weeding under this method is done by generat¬ing intense heat through torch that scorches the leaves of the weeds.

By GEORGE MBAKAYA 6 years ago

Flame as a weed control method

Oh yes! You can rear fish on your balcony

Aquaponics allows fish and plants to be produced nearly anywhere, including warehouses, roof tops, basements and balconies

By George Mbakaya 6 years ago

Oh yes! You can rear fish on your balcony

Yes, basil has a rich international market

The herb has received a lot of attention from farmers due to burgeoning market demand from Europe and United Arab Emirates.

By George Mbakaya 6 years ago

Yes, basil has a rich international market

No space? You can grow crops in buckets

With this technology, farmers will maximise crop yields and use resources like water and land economically

By George Mbakaya 6 years ago

No space? You can grow crops in buckets

Forget chemicals! Here are safe ways to ripen fruits

When I was growing up in the village, I used to see my grandmother store bananas by covering them with dry banana leaves. Sometimes, she would keep the bananas in a room near the cooking place where fire was lit regularly. She did this to hasten ripening.

By George Mbakaya 7 years ago

Forget chemicals! Here are safe ways to ripen fruits

Fret not when your maize fails, french beans will do!

As the outcry against the ravaging fall army pest in maize continues, farmers should not lose hope. This is because they can on rotational basis grow French beans.

By George Mbakaya 7 years ago

Fret not when your maize fails, french beans will do!

Yes, it is possible to grow big juicy water melons

Is there a ‘secret’ to growing water melons? This is the question one reader asked me recently.

By George Mbakaya 7 years ago

Yes, it is possible to grow big juicy water melons

Why your passion fruits may not be fruity and juicy

Over the last few weeks passion fruit farmers have been asking questions about their crop. Why are the flowers of my crop falling over?

By George Mbakaya 7 years ago

Why your passion fruits may not be fruity and juicy

A to Z of growing big and healthy onions

Last week, I got an e-mail from Tony, a regular Smart Harvest reader. Tony wanted to know how to grow big bulb onions.

By George Mbakaya 7 years ago

A to Z of growing big and healthy onions

Watch out for late blight during this wet weather

For the last three weeks, tomato and potato farmers have had crazy weather. Heavy rains come with lots of problems.

By George Mbakaya 7 years ago

Watch out for late blight during this wet weather

The ABCD of strawberry growing

All you need to ensure is that the growing bag or container should have good drainage holes at the bottom or multiple holes throughout the container.

By George Mbakaya 7 years ago

The ABCD of strawberry growing

Growing tomatoes with no soil, no weeds, less water

Tired of soil borne diseases that have been ruining their tomato yields, some farmers are adopting the soil-less farming technology.

By George Mbakaya 7 years ago

Growing tomatoes with no soil, no weeds, less water

Simple ways to contain deadly fallarmy worm

“We have never seen anything like this. The moth eats the crop so fast we have been unable to contain it,” a farmer in Soy complained.

By George Mbakaya 7 years ago

Simple ways to contain deadly fallarmy worm

Want to supply mbogas to the supermarkets? Prepare to impress

Buying fresh vegetables and fruits in supermarkets is now the trend. Love them or hate them the supermarkets are taking over the fresh produce markets.

By George Mbakaya 7 years ago

Want to supply mbogas to the supermarkets? Prepare to impress

Watch out for these diseases during the wet season

When rains come, farmers rejoice because it is a good thing. But even with this blessing called rains, there’s a downside. Excessive moisture can cause a number of problems for gardeners — crop diseases.

By George Mbakaya 7 years ago

Watch out for these diseases during the wet season

Wait a minute! Are those seeds fake or genuine?

The planting season is fast approaching and seed sellers are at it again — deceiving unsuspecting farmers. Season after season farmers have been complaining about the quality of seeds on sale.

By George Mbakaya 7 years ago

Wait a minute! Are those seeds fake or genuine?

Careful, there’s more to fertiliser application than just digging it in

Following last week’s article on ‘how ready are you for the planting season?’ Several farmers asked me to go deeper on soil enrichment.

By George Mbakaya 7 years ago

Careful, there’s more to fertiliser application than just digging it in

If you value your customers, stop ripening fruits using chemicals

Calcium carbide is a strong reactive chemical, with carcinogenic properties. Being cheap and easily available, it is indiscriminately being used in preference to other recommended practices by inducing ripening in fruits.

By George Mbakaya 8 years ago

If you value your customers, stop ripening fruits using chemicals

The secret to low post-harvest losses while growing vegetables

Fresh vegetables are extremely perishable and have relatively short shelf lives. Being able to maintain a level of freshness from the field to the dinner table presents many challenges.

By George Mbakaya 8 years ago

The secret to low post-harvest losses while growing vegetables

Palm oil farming is a juicy business if you get basics right

In my work as an extension services expert, of late I have noticed many farmers asking about production of palm oil having heard there is a solid demand.

By George Mbakaya 8 years ago

Palm oil farming is a juicy business if you get basics right

Bamboo: Is this the next big thing in farming?

Bamboo a “wonder plant” that is inimitably blessed. Agronomists believe it can restore degraded landscapes while economists think it is a potential “green gold,” and a silver bullet for design and architecture that is already attracting a global market.

By George Mbakaya 8 years ago

Bamboo: Is this the next big thing in farming?

Marketing 101: How to sell your farm yield

Selling your crops successfully starts with making sure your products are fresh and healthy. No matter where you sell, customers want high quality.

By George Mbakaya 8 years ago

Marketing 101: How to sell your farm yield

How to apply little fertiliser, and still harvest more

Minute amounts of fertiliser are regularly metered into the irrigation lines and distributed along with the irrigation water through the sprinkler heads.

By GEORGE MBAKAYA 8 years ago

How to apply little fertiliser, and still harvest more

Tomato ‘Ebola’ alert! Are your crops safe?

As the outcry against the ravaging Tuta absoluta disease of tomato continues to resonate in West Africa (Nigeria), farmers locally need to take precaution to avoid losses due to this menace.

By GEORGE MBAKAYA 8 years ago

Tomato ‘Ebola’ alert! Are your crops safe?

Super food that is easy to grow and tend

What is spirulina? How can I grow it? What are its nutritional value? Most of our readers have been asking.

By GEORGE MBAKAYA 8 years ago

Super food that is easy to grow and tend

Top four crops an aspiring farmer can bet on this year

Fruits and vegetables are profitable options for those looking for alternative crops or people seeking sources of extra income.

By GEORGE MBAKAYA 8 years ago

Top four crops an aspiring farmer can bet on this year

Top New Year resolutions for smart farmers

World over, the New Year is often viewed as an opportunity for a fresh start. We make commitments to break old habits and resolutions to hit certain targets.

By GEORGE MBAKAYA 8 years ago

Top New Year resolutions for smart farmers

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