Herdsman Farm Stories

  Poultry farming is a lucrative agricultural enterprise whose scope includes a wide range of birds, including turkey, chicken, quails, ducks, geese, and guinea fowls. In Kenya, chicken farming is the most common form of poultry production involving egg or meat production. It is a very fulfilling venture if done right, but agri-preneures must understand the following basic requirements before venturing in the poultry production business.   1. Thorough market research and analysis The most important aspect of market research any farmer must consider is the demand that needs to be met in a given market segment. What is a given market demanding at any given time? Is there a high demand for eggs,  kienyeji  meat, or broiler meat? Many aspiring farmers have fallen to rich quick schemes by copy-pasting what neighbors or friends are doing, or the massaged television stories on smart farmers, remember the scam that was quails? Take time to talk to clients, do a market survey in eateries,

  Agriculture is a constantly evolving industry that keeps changing and growing to meet the ever-increasing nutritional demands for the human population. While the food requirements keep on ballooning each day, the space resources and time available for food production keep reducing, bringing up the need for new innovative ways that are less dependent on natural factors as rain, soil, and temperature to produce. Let's look at a few examples of innovations that we can practice in minimal input requirements: 1. Modern Storey- gardens Storey farming is an innovation that targets to utilize vertical space in the production of vegetable crops and herbs. Some common crops suitable for storey farms include; Coriander, Capsicum, Tomatoes, Okra, Amarantha, and kales. The method is a very cost-effective model that helps in water conservation, disease control, weed control, and can utilize locally available materials to construct. These materials could be; old sacks, plastic containers, and

    To run the enterprise on a positive balance sheet, there are several tips that Murimi would have utilized and which all of us who are aspiring or practising farm enthusiasts can benefit from. 1. Draw a Farm plan and SWOT Analysis Farming is a business and more so dairy farming. Therefore developing a detailed business plan and an Analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats of the program and the resources at your disposal, is the first and most critical step to a successful farming project. It should include aspects like; how many animals to work with, where to market your product, the number and skills of employees to work with, your financial requirements after the business obligations are met. The business plan should also factor a cash flow analysis to monitor costs of production, thus help you rationalize your expectations. 2. Work with Experts in the Dairy sector It would have helped Mr Murimi to consult experts in animal production in the designing

  Technology is the employment of scientific knowledge for practical applications to achieve defined purposes in our everyday life. It can be said to be the force behind innovation in service delivery including automated voicemail service, ATM service, fax machines, and internet connectivity, weather forecasting, market research, and biosecurity control in crop and animal production. intelligent drones spraying agrochemicals in a farm: photo courtesy   High efficiency- technology in the agricultural delivery chain increases efficiency and effectiveness when performing tasks, while at the same time eliminating errors. An example is the use of Mobile phone Apps that can relay real-time weather forecast to farmers using Gps, temperature sensors, and many others, thus arming them with intelligence on crops to plant or biosecurity measures to undertake to control Pathological challenges in the farming process. Faster turnaround time- use of technology also eliminates the delays associated w