Support young people start income generating activities at the constituency level
Do you believe in any group in Kenya? Are you looking for funding? Check out the opportunities below offered by YEDF.
The Youth Enterprise Development Fund provides the following loans to groups and individuals at the constituency level:
1. RAUSHA
Rausha is a group loan for startup businesses or other income generating activities. Loan amount is Kshs. 100,000. Rausha loan has a three-month grace period. Repayment will be made in twelve (12) equal monthly instalments.
2. INUA
Inua is a business expansion loan for groups. It is advanced to groups with running businesses. Groups which have fully repaid Rausha or loans from other institutions can apply for Inua. Loan amount starts from Kshs. 200,000 and groups can progressively graduate up to Kshs. 1,000,000.
LOAN DETAILS
1 st loan: Maximum Kshs. 200,000
Payable in 18 months
2 nd Loan: Maximum Kshs. 400,000
Payable in 24 months
3 rd Loan: Maximum Kshs. 600, 000
Payable in 30 months
4 th Loan: Maximum Kshs. 800, 000
Payable in 36 months
5 th Loan: Maximum Kshs. 1,000,000
Payable in 36 months
The first Inua loan has a one month grace period. No grace periods for subsequent loans. Loan amounts for up to Kshs. 500,000 will be secured using chattels while conventional securities will be required for loans above Kshs. 500,000.
3. SPECIAL
Special is available only to groups running business projects that generate money on periodical or pre-determinable irregular periods. It will be available for:
Agricultural production-horticulture
Livestock trading or fattening
Fish farming
Poultry (broiler) projects
Supplies (specific)
LOAN DETAILS
1 st loan: Maximum Kshs. 100,000
Payable in 12 months
2 nd Loan: Maximum Kshs. 200,000
Payable in 18 months
3 rd Loan: Maximum Kshs. 400, 000
Payable in 24 months
3 rd Loan: Maximum Kshs. 500, 000
Payable in 36 months
4. SMART
Smart is available to individuals belonging to a group that has benefitted from YEDF and repaid its loan. It graduates group members to individual borrowers.The borrower could be a startup or for expansion.
Conditions:
Be a member of a group and be recommended by 75% members of the group
Minutes of the group indicating authority to borrow and guarantee the loan must be attached as part of the application documentation to the YEDF head office.
A maximum of 80% of the group members shall borrow at the first instance. Subsequent funding to the next batch of members (20% of the members not previously financed) shall be after two installments on the first loans have been paid.
5. SWIFT
Swift is for groups that are new consumers of YEDFB products
Loan Amount and repayment period:
The maximum loan amount will be graduated as a repayment incentive as follows;
Start-ups (Grace period of 3 months)
1st loan to member
Kshs. 25,000 maximum for 9 months
2nd loan to member
Kshs. 50,000 maximum for 12 months
3rd loan to member
Kshs 100,000 maximum for 18 months
4th & final loan
Kshs 200,000 maximum for 24 months
2. Existing businesses (No grace period)
1st loan to memberwithout bank statement
kshs 50,000
12 Months
Ksh 35,000
9 Months
2nd loan to member
Ksh 100,000
18 months
3rd loan to member
Ksh 150,000
24 months
4th loan to member
Ksh 200,000
24 months
Security:Group members shall sign a guarantee/undertaking to repay the loan should the individual member default
Every loan shall be insured by taking an appropriate life insurance cover of the borrower.
A sworn affidavit for the items provided as security for the loan. The borrower should provide his/her items as security, but in cases where s/he does not own any, a close relative e.g. parent should guarantee the loan with their items
Loans above Sh100,000 will require registered Chattel Mortgage to be attached to the application
For group loans the following documents should be provided at application:
Copy of certified valid group registration certificate and list of membership
Copies of IDs for ALL the members
A signed undertaking by the group to pay loans guaranteed to its members
Group minutes nominating/authorising an applicant to a particular round of the loan
A Summit uniquely designed to expose you to buyers of your produce, access credible information and guidance from successful investors in the agribusiness sector and network with like minded investors to expand your vision and influence.
Early bird registration (before 31st January 2018): Ksh. 5,000
Late Registration 6,000
Marketplace Trader Fee: Ksh. 7,500
Key Areas of Focus:
Apiculture
Dairy Farming
Meat Production
Fruits and Vegetables
Herbs
Cereals and Pulses
Aquaculture
To register as a market place trader or attendee in the bootcamp, please write to the bootcamp coordinators on:
Veronica on vmuniu@strathmore.edu or 0729 089308
John on Jmuriithi@strathmore.edu or 0713 355 261
StartUpAfrica in conjunction with its sponsor, Ms. Nancy Mwirotsi, a Nandi County Diaspora member based in the USA, is proud to announce the 1st Annual StartUpAfrica Nandi County Pitch Competition for Nandi County-based startup entrepreneurs to identify innovative solutions for the agriculture sector in Nandi. Entrants gain practical insights about starting and growing a business, while using the comprehensive small business resources available at the County and National level.
The expected outcome of the Pitch is to select winning solutions that can lead to new products, programs, projects and processes by youth Agripreneurs that can be implemented in the County.
PITCH AREAS OF FOCUS:
This call for proposals is open to individuals or teams who wish to submit innovative ideas in any of the following 2 areas of Agribusiness:
Innovations in ICT for Agriculture and Agri-business
Agricultural production, storage, processing and distribution solutions
ELIGIBILITY:
The StartUpAfrica Pitch Competition is open to all Kenyan youth between the ages of 18 – 35.
A short-list of 25 agripreneurs will be selected from the online submissions and will be invited to a pre-Forum boot camp for coaching and pitching on January 19, 2018 in Nandi County.
Staff from partner organizations are excluded from submitting business concept proposals.
REGISTRATION AND SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Proposals should not exceed 1000 Words.
The submission must be in Times New Roman, 12 pt. font.
All cited information must be referenced.
The submission should be in PDF or Microsoft Word format in English.
STRUCTURE OF PROPOSALS
Title Page – Name (s) of contributors, Title of the proposal
Problem formulation – which challenges, existing gaps, existing opportunities is the proposal addressing?
Description of the solution.
Unique positioning of the solution vis a vis similar solutions. What is the added value?
Potential risks and challenges.
Additional information.
SUBMISSION OF THE PROPOSAL
Register your team (minimum 2 and maximum 4 members) by
Submit your concepts/proposals via email to pitch@startupafrica.org.
Use the following format for your submission <TEAMNAME_CONCEPT TITLE>.
Deadline for Submission: January 26, 2018 at midnight EAT.
TIMELINERegistration: Teams Complete online registrationJanuary 20, 2018
Teams must consist of a minimum of 2 and maximum of 4 people and register before 5p.m. EATSubmission of Concepts: Concepts Received by emailJanuary 26, 2018, 5p.m. EATNotification of Selection and Invitation to Boot CampFebruary 2, 2018
Successful applicants will be notified of the short-listing of their concepts and invited to a pre-Forum boot-camp in Nandi County.
Pre-Pitch Bootcamp (tentative)February 18, 2018
Coaching, pitching and awards in Nandi County.
StartUpAfrica Nandi Pitch Competition & AwardsFebruary 19, 2018
Successful applicants will be notified on February 2, 2018 about the selection of their proposals.
One of the biggest problems facing Kenyan farmers in fertile productive agricultural areas is land fragmentation. With smaller land parcels, experts call for a rethink on how to use the land. Some locals are already changing their agricultural practices.
On an eighth of an acre, Zacheaus Kubasu is earning more than his peers and has even managed to build an enviable house in the village – a house befitting tycoon of sorts. On the piece of land he has a variety of indigenous vegetable species like cowpeas, amaranth, African Nightshade (managu), jute mallow (mrenda) and pumpkins.
“I plant all these for the market as well as for domestic consumption,” says Kubasu who lives in Kanjala Area in Butula, Busia County. The name Kanjala in itself is a term used to mean hunger or famine in the local dialect. Kubasu says that it is a name that was coined when crops failed and there was a widespread famine in the past. Currently, the size of land does not allow locals to harvest as much maize as they would like to. Most end up buying foodstuff like vegetables even as the land remains idle after the harvesting of maize waiting for the next rainy season before locals can plant again. Kubasu confesses that engaging in vegetable farming saves him about Ksh 3,000 each month since the essential vegetables that he needs he can get from his own farm. Each month, Kubasu makes an average of Ksh70,000. He decided to go into farming in 2011. He says that he decided to go into planting of indigenous vegetables because of their nutritious value, going against the grain of common practice in the area where most people plant maize and wait for nature to takes its course.
“I have planted maize in the past and it has not earned me much because the land size is small which forced me to look for an alternative form of agriculture,” he reveals. When maize failed to satisfy his needs, Kubasu decided to try sukuma wiki which also failed due to attacks by pests. It was then that he realized that he could put the parcel of land into better use in any case he was spending about Sh100 per day on vegetables each day to feed his family which includes his wife and two children. Right now his clients include hotels in his home county and neighbours who come to him for the vegetables. He has also opened a shop from the income. One of the areas which Kubasu has invested in is water supply which he says is key in the production of vegetables.
“I sank a borehole which enables me to have water throughout the year,” says Kubasu. And Kubasu says he is not stopping at vegetables but also investing in fruit farming to tap into the fruit factories that have come up in neighbouring counties like Siaya.
“I am now planning to go into fruit farming by planting passion fruits, avocadoes, pawpaw and bananas on the same piece of land,” he says. Research has shown that there is strong link between agriculture and nutrition. Where agriculture thrives, proper nutrition is not a challenge. This is coupled with the fact that a high percentage of the Kenyan population consumes food that has been produced at a personal level. To get better produce, Kubasu gets approved quality seeds which he plants for increased harvest. But to ensure that his small garden is safe, he fenced it to keep off livestock and people who might steal from the farm. Some of the challenges that he has encountered includes pests and diseases that attack the vegetables especially amaranth but he says he uses traditional methods like sprinkling ashes to keep them at bay. Only minimally resorting to pesticides in extreme cases which he says are not very common. Because he does not just produce for his own consumption, Kubasu says he has received a lot of training on how to handle and store produce but he mainly gets it fresh for the consumers straight from the farm.
“Most of the hotels that we supply are in Busia which is just about 15km away which eliminates need for a lot of storage space,” he says. Violet Wandera, a nutrition specialist with KAVES says that the programme was meant to ensure that proper nutrition was among issues farmers factored into in their practices. Wandera says, “We encouraged farmers to plant a variety of nutritious crops in their parcels of land other than just maize or any other crop because this helps in maximisation of space for income.” Whatever they plant is not only for income generation but also for their own consumption as a way of improving nutritional values. She says that in the area, 17 farmers went through training by USAID KAVES, among them ten ladies and seven men. These farmers are acting as model farmers for other locals. Wandera points out that some of the challenges include the difficulty in convincing people to change their mindset from the traditional crops that have been planted perennially like maize. ALSO READ: Agriculture best bet for Kisumu County A horticulturist, Irene Musumba says that the shift from maize is a welcome because of the ever diminishing returns from the small farms despite the fact that it is not easy. Musumba says, “Small farms pose a challenge because most farmers can only harvest about five bags of maize from an acre.” She further says that despite reliable rain that the area receives, it is notable that lack of enough food is common because of poor returns from the fragmented farms which call for a mind-set shift.
Every farmer in Kenya will understand the difficulty of keeping their land secure. It’s very hard sometimes to patrol and secure every section of your farm and keep trespassers out. More often than not, trespassers have no malicious intent at all. It’s easy to stumble onto farmland (especially large farms) without realizing. However, occasionally, thieves or even protestors will find their way onto your property. Here’s some good advice to help eliminate this.
Signs
As we mentioned before, most trespassers won’t do so maliciously. The most common visitor on your farm will be hikers who are cutting across your land. Often they won’t even realize where they are. A simple way to restrict this is with signs around the perimeter of your land. A simple ‘trespassing prohibited’ sign will be more than enough to ward off most walkers.
Make your employees aware
On large farms in Kenya, you’ll have a variety of employees tending to your land. It’s really important to make them aware of potential intruders and security hazards. Make sure that it is part of their job to report any suspicious activity or trespassing. This could also mean reporting any vandalism to property or equipment.
Physical barriers – Although signs are useful, they aren’t always visible. One easy way to remedy this is to implement physical barriers. This could be fences or barbed wire if you are feeling particularly preventative. In some cases, planting hedges will be more than enough to deter intruders. More importantly, it will conceal your land and hide potential thievery targets.
Alarms, Floodlights and motion sensors
Motion sensors around your perimeter are a fantastic way to raise awareness. Of course, you’ll often pick up the odd walker by accident. So place the majority of your motion sensors closer to your property or expensive equipment. Alarms and CCTV cameras are another great deterrent. Sometimes just a visible camera will be enough to fend off thieves. Using floodlights lights up your farm and provides visibility if an intruder is close by.
Tag your vehicles
Sometimes, despite all of your best efforts, equipment and machinery will be stolen. If this happens, it’s really important to ensure that you can locate the stolen goods. When it comes to equipment and vehicles, you can easily fit them with security tags. They will relay their GPS signal and you can hunt down the missing equipment and the perpetrators.
Guard Dogs
No farm is complete without a dogs anyway! They will be your best friend, your farm hand and your personal security guard. A dog’s bark often carries a strong warning to potential intruders. Sometimes that’s all you need.
Conclusion
Farms are a high target for thieves. There is plenty of expensive equipment and crops to be had. It’s important that you take steps to protect your land. Follow these tips and you’ll stay safe and secure.
Investing in a greenhouse in Kenya is ideal in order to protect plants from extreme weather conditions. One can either build one or invest in a ready-made one.
A small greenhouse or shadehouse in the garden is very useful to have, especially if you want to grow plants that need the extra protection from the sun, wind and rain or if you are just looking to increase the daily temperatures and humidity for the plants.
If you live in the cooler climates, above 2,000 metres altitude in Kenya, there is even more need for a greenhouse. Rain, not that we ever have much of it nowadays, would cause a problem when rooting cuttings of succulents, so they would be better protected in a greenhouse.
We see more small scale farmers in Kenya today are using greenhouses in which they can provide better protection for growing their crops of tomatoes, courgettes and some cut flowers.
Where Should I Construct My Greenhouse?
Level ground in a sunny position would be ideal. In a greenhouse it is easy to control shade, but in a shady location it is very difficult to increase the amount of light. A location where there is dappled light for part of the day would be alright but avoid deep shade under trees.
Gently sloping ground would be alright but steeply sloping ground would need the roof and the floor inside the greenhouse to be stepped, which just adds problems.
Also consider the direction of the prevailing wind so that the roof structures openings face away from the wind to give good ventilation and avoids the rain beating in during times of a downpour.
Advantages of Greenhouses
Little space needed
You need as little space as the one in your backyard. I put two of the green houses in the compound of my fenced-off house. This space is normally left idle in many homes.
Controls Pests & Diseases
Greenhouse farming curbs most pests and diseases. It is difficult for pests to invade greenhouses because scientifically, most pests move with either water or direct sunshine, but since the structure does not receive any of this directly, pests are kept at bay. My own experience shows that although I planted the tomatoes 10 weeks ago, they have not been affected by disease.
High production rate
Your crops can yield 100 times more than those grown under open or ‘normal’ conditions. While tomatoes grown in the open yield 40 tomatoes, green house tomatoes can yield up to 200 tomatoes of an average 120g.
Yields anytime
Since crops grown in green houses depend on irrigated water, you can harvest the commodity at any time of the year. In other words, you can turn it into a full-time job.
Hygiene
Crops grown in green houses are much cleaner compared to those grown in the open that have scratches, hence lowering their market value.
Multiple harvest times
Tomatoes grown in greenhouses can be harvested three times longer. For instance, I will harvest tomatoes for the next 10 months.
Farm Anywhere
You can farm anywhere because their growth does not depend on the surrounding environment.
Requirements
Use local materials, especially for the basic role of holding the special polythene sheeting together.
I use eucalyptus poles to construct the main frame, on which I have covered the special polythene setting.
In simple terms, a 15x8 metre shelter costs not more than KES 70,000, including labour and an irrigation system.
However, the cost may increase to at least KES 80,000 if you include the seeds, fertilizers and pesticides. Also, look out for seeds specifically created for green houses.
It is Cost-Effective
People generally think greenhouse farming is too expensive. However, what actually seems expensive is the initial investment in buying the materials for the structure. However, these expenses are easily offset by the high yields that a farmer makes from the investment. For example, in 10 months, a farmer will averagely harvest 10 tonnes of tomatoes from a 15x8 piece of land. At the current price, a kilogram goes for KES 50.
If the initial investment was KES 70,000 including the drip irrigation system, with his yield, a farmer has recovered the investment in a year and got good profits. The materials that make the shelter have a lifespan of at least three years.
Are you an investor in the agribusiness sector looking to venture into the export markets?
How can you leverage on the opportunities in the international markets to reap the highest returns on your agribusiness investment?
For you to succeed in the export business, you must:
Know how to establish credible international relationships to avoid being conned
Understand the existing financial products and models suitable for you as an exporter
Maintain global quality standards, quantity and consistency to compete effectively in the international markets
Develop a strong brand that gives you a competitive edge in the export market
Identify the most effective route to market that is best suited for your export oriented product
How do you as an investor leverage on the opportunities in the export markets to reap the highest returns from your agribusiness investments? How do you go about setting up a successful export business?
Strathmore Business School invites you to a Exploring International Markets - Breakfast Roundtable
on Thursday, November 30th 2017 from 7:15am to 11:30am, where we will discuss why the right product, the right partnerships and high standards are critical in enabling you make the best investment decisions for your export business.
Please see the invite below and feel free to share with your friends who might be interested in agribusiness and in export markets.
Being a beginner farmer in Kenya is hard! There are hundreds of success stories on farming in the media that really confuses most aspiring farmers to think that they can generate fat incomes overnight. This has led to many people giving up on farming all together.
We all hit points when it seems like going on is next to impossible. When you’re already overwhelmed, it’s easy to talk yourself into giving up on farming. But giving up too soon could cause you to miss out on success. You never know how soon you might start seeing progress if you hang in there and give it a little more time. Here are six good reasons you should keep farming just a little longer.
It takes many iterations for one success.
“If birds can glide for long periods of time, then… why can’t I?” -Orville Wright
Many successful farmers in Kenya right now, chances are, this isn’t their first agribusiness venture. Most successful farmers in Kenya whom I know are people who have tried, failed, tried, failed, and tried again...often many tries later…and eventually succeeded.
They didn’t call each iteration a failure. They called it a way to improve, because each test, each trial, gave them new information which influenced and improved the next model.
Not getting it right the first time, or the 100th time, is not a sign that you should quit. It’s simply a way for you to keep learning how to do it better next time.
Instant success is a myth
“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.” -Michael Jordan
We’ve all heard stories of the overnight rise to richness. But the truth is that what looks like an instant or overnight success is always preceded by years of struggle and work.
There’s a long, hard road to success, but when success hits we only focus on the last mile or so. It looks so easy, and makes for such a great story, that we ignore the miles and miles of obscurity, difficulty, and perseverance required to get to that hill top of glory.
Those stories make us feel that if we haven’t achieved a high level of success in a matter of days or months, we must be doing something wrong. And we are: we’re listening to make-believe stories as if they were guidelines to how life actually works.
The most worthwhile things are not easy
“Action is the foundational key to all success.” -Pablo Picasso
We like easy, comfortable, familiar things. That’s because we tend to be lazy, and we don’t want to put forth the effort required to do difficult things. Because we shirk from the effort, we go to great lengths to convince ourselves that we don’t need that goal… whatever it is. We pretend that we’re satisfied with the easy things, but we know the truth.
The best things, the things that matter most, are the most difficult.
A great relationship, a career you can be proud of, a family, serving, innovating, helping others? All of those require deep thought, self-control, self-sacrifice, and a willingness to put in a lot of effort over a long amount of time.
But what could be better than the results you get from such an effort?
You might not have tried the right thing yet
“If I have done the public any service, it is due to my patient thought.” -Isaac Newton
If you’re trying and failing, perhaps you just haven’t tried the right thing, crop or activity yet. Don’t judge yourself and quit on life and on your goals because you’ve failed in one area, or even several. Every time you try and fail, you learn something about yourself, about life, and you gain experience that can help you to do better next time.
So press on. Try something different, and don’t let past failure keep you from future success.
Tenacity matters more than talent
“To succeed in life, you need two things: ignorance and confidence.” -Mark Twain
If you feel like you aren’t good enough, or talented enough, remember this: there are plenty of supremely talented people out there working at dead-end jobs, not using their talents.
Talent is great, but without tenacity, talent won’t get you very far.
I know, I know: the overnight success stories. Right. But there’s a backstory to those, remember? And the backstory is the tenacity that kept that talented person pushing forward, long before success “hit.” Success doesn’t hit, or happen. Success is something you reach by hard work and determination.
So hang in there, and stay tenacious.
Your past does not determine your future
“In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.” -Bill Cosby
Many great successes were once known as big, sad, sorry failures.
Every famous writer was once a wanna be writer.
Every amazing entrepreneur was once a shaky little start-up.
Every great farm was once a small plot.
And 99.9 percent of the time, their first attempts were not their best. But they didn’t quit. They pushed through one bad draft after another, one business flop after another, until they learned enough and tried enough that they succeeded.
Each failure teaches you. Each attempt can give you valuable insight into how to do better next time.
You’re not doomed to repeat the past. You’re given an invaluable gift: the ability to think about and learn from your past. That past may be the very thing that give you the future you want.
Don’t quit. Success is ahead.
-Life Hack
Viticulture is a Latin word for vine. It’s the science, production, and study of grapes.
It deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. Viticulture has been practiced all over the world especially in developed countries with majority of production being for wineries.
Central Valley Vineyard
Grape Varieties
There are very two main grape varieties being Table variety and Wine variety. The grapes are either seedless or seeded. There are over 1300 species of grapes depending on country origin and cultivar propagation.
The cultivars can either be Red grapes, White grapes, Rose grapes and Purple/Pink grapes that can either be propagated for table or wine production.
Major Wine varieties are:
Cabernet Sauvignon
Chardonnay
Pinot Noir
Sauvignon Blanc Major Red Table varieties are:
Flame Seedless
Swenson Red
Red Globe
Ruby Seedless
Christmas Rose
Emperor
Crimson Seedless
Major White Grapes varieties:
Thompson Seedless
Perlette
Sugraone
Niagara
Cabernet Franc
Pinot Gris
Shiraz
Chenin Blanc
Tudor Premium Red
Scarlet Royal
Cardinal
Delaware
Ruby Roman
Vintage Red
Muscat of Alexandria
Italia
Autumn King
Princess
Cotton Candy
Other varieties – Blue/Black/Purple Grapes:
Beauty Seedless
Concord
Muscat of Hamburg
Muscat of Alexandria
Autumn Royal
Fantasy Seedless
Climatic Conditions
Alphonse
Marroo
Niabell
Summer Royal
Pione
Kenya’s diverse climate from tropical coastal equatorial climate to arid and semi- arid climate and highland climate makes it ideal for Grapes. The presence of adequate sun, heat and water makes it ideal for viticulture. These factors are all vital to ensure healthy growth and development of grapevines during the growing season.
Additionally, continuing research has shed more light on the influence of dormancy that occurs after harvest when the grapevine essentially shuts down and reserves its energy for the beginning of the next year's growing cycle. In general, grapevines thrive in temperate climates which grant the vines long, warm periods during the crucial flowering, fruit set and ripening periods.
The physiological processes of a lot of grapevines begin when temperatures reach around 10 °C.
Below this temperature, the vines are usually in a period of dormancy. Vines can be damaged by frost if temperatures go below 0 °C. Kenya’s average temperatures range between 17 and 20 °C which enables the vines to start flowering. When temperatures rise to 27 °C (80 °F) many of the vine's physiological processes are in full stride as grape clusters begin to ripen.
One of the characteristics that differentiates the various climate categories from one another is the occurrence and length of time that these optimal temperatures appear during the growing season.
Other climate factors such as wind, humidity, atmospheric pressure, sunlight can also have pronounced influences on the viticulture of an area.
Grapes Maturity Period
This topic covers duration of maturity from propagation/planting to the first harvest.
Grapes are majorly propagated using cuttings and by grafting which is preferred because they produce vines identical to the parent in characteristics.
However, the maturity period is highly dependent on management practices since planting. These include, pruning, fertilizer/manure application, watering, disease & pest control, environmental factors and soil drainage.
Planting & Spacing
This topic covers spacing requirements and how spacing affect production and management practices in the vineyard.
For table grapes and wine grapes require different spacing.
Soil Type, Soil PH & Topography
Grapes grow in a wide array of soils, they best perform on deep and well drained soils with soil depth of 1-2 meters.
In viticulture, one should avoid heavy clay soils, the soils must not have a high concentration of salts, and should also avoid very shallow and poorly drained soils.
This topic covers the required PH levels for grapes, and why topography is important for prevention of diseases and other related factors that affect production.
Soil Fertility
Both fertilizers and organic matter are fine depending on the nutrient requirement and their dissolution rate.
Grapes do not have a lot of fertilizer requirements. This topic will cover only the necessary components that are required at what stage and in what quantities.
Grapevine Management
Disease & Pest Control
There are two serious fungal diseases that affect grapes, and this topic will discuss them and any other likely diseases that can affect grapes.
Powdery Mildew Causes
This will topic will explain the causal factors of Powdery mildew and how to spot it in the vineyard.
Control & Prevention
This topic will discuss how to control and prevent the disease including the pre- infection and post-infection fungicides to use for both scenarios.
Downy Mildew Causes
This will topic will explain the causal factors of Powdery mildew and how to spot it in the vineyard.
Control & Prevention
This topic will discuss how to control and prevent the disease including the pre- infection and post-infection fungicides to use for both scenarios.
It will also discuss the recommended fungicides since some have a certain post- harvest Interval (PHI) that should be met
Botrytis Bunch Rot (Gray Mold)
Botrytis bunch rot also known as Gray mold of grape, is one of the most important diseases of grapes in the world, which can cause serious losses in grape yields.
Symptoms
What are the symptoms to look out for, for Botrytis and what are the conditions that favor the growth of this fungus.
Control & Prevention
This topic will cover how to prevent and control it both for the current crop and for future crops.
Pests
Grapes do not have many pests that affect them, however if the vineyard is next or near untrimmed and tall hedges and bushes, this may attract certain pests that can destroy your vines and fruits.
It will cover how to keep them away and protect your vineyard.
Watering/Irrigation
This topic will cover water requirement in terms of quantity and frequency and the factors that will determine the irrigation methods and types to use.
It will also cover water requirements at different stages of growth of the vines.
Pruning & Training
The Grapevine is a true vine that requires some form of support to keep it off the ground.
This is perhaps the most important management practice for grapes that determine the yield per season.
Pruning can be defined as the removal of plant parts to obtain horticultural objectives. This will cover the objectives of pruning.
Training can be defined as the arrangement of plant parts spatially. Why is it done and which are the training systems to use?
Vine Morphology
It details the structure of the vines at each growth stages in the lifecycle of a vineyard.
How the vine should be managed during:
First Year Training options
First Dormant pruning
Second Year Training options
Second Dormant pruning
Third Year growing season
Training & Trellis
Training systems
There are two types of training systems, Low Cordon and High Cordon training systems. Which should be used for which variety and why?
Low Cordon (Upward growth)
This system is suitable for which cultivars?
Low Cordon (Downward growth)
This system is suitable for which cultivars?
Installation of Trellis Support System
This phase is one of the most resource intensive exercise. It involves installation of support for the vines.
This topic will cover the specifications for a good trellis system
When should the vines be trained
Why and when should the vines be trained, and how does this affect production.
Canopy Management
Canopy Management is the balance between Clusters available and vegetative growth required to mature the clusters. Why is the balance important?
Shoot Positioning
Why is shoot positioning important and how does it affect production?
Shoot Trimming
Why is shoot trimming important and how does it affect production?
Grapevine Production
Fruiting & Harvesting
Cluster Thinning
Cluster thinning is one of the most important cultural practices early in flowering. Why is done and what are the factors that affect cluster thinning?
Checking for Ripening
How do you check for veraison or ripening? Different varieties are checked differently and show different signs.
Production
What should be the average production per acre? This figure however is largely dependent on many factors including, cultural management practices, watering, variety planted, vine spacing, climatic conditions, protection of fruit, etc.
One ton of grapes yields about 60 cases or 720 bottles of wine.
Storage and Packaging
While harvesting, it’s advisable to have crates as the temporary collection and storage equipment.
Crates ensure that grape clusters do not press hard against each other which may lead to destruction of the quality of the end product.
The crates should then be transported carefully to the selection or winery for processing.
If the end product is Table grape, packaging can be done in punnets that are used for retailing the fruits. The punnets can then be packaged into cartons for transportation.
Other Vineyard Management Practices
During fruiting and as the clusters continue to mature, this is one of the best moments as one can see the fruits of their hard work.
However, all is not rosy as there are others eyeing your juicy grapes as they ripen and turn color. One of the major enemies of grapes is birds. Birds should be controlled by all means as they can significantly reduce your grape yields by eating the fruits. There are many ways of scaring birds away such as scare crows, bird netting, physical deterrence, propane shoots, etc.
Market for Grapes
The demand for locally grown fresh grapes is far from being met both for table and wine. Over 99% of table grapes consumed locally are imported from South Africa and Egypt mainly. These countries have many hectares under vineyard due to their established wine production. Kenya is therefore very ripe for growing and producing grapes locally to meet the demand and make the fruits and wines affordable.
A lot of imported wine is very expensive and beyond the reach of many Kenyans who are wine lovers. A kilo of imported Grapes in the local retail market goes for between Ksh 500 and 800. Kenya has the capacity to set up vineyards for production of table and wine grapes. Some farmers in Dodoma, Tanzania have been growing grapes for wine production and the wine is consumed in Tanzania.
There are currently only two commercial wineries in Kenya that produce wine for consumption. One of them imports fresh grapes for making wine since they are unable to produce enough grapes to meet their demand for wine.
In conclusion, the demand is very high and the local supply is almost zero, someone must start filling in the gap and the benefits are outright.
There is very little or no competition at all among farmers since few grow the crop.
Labor Requirements
A Vineyard requires careful, constant and present monitoring due to high susceptibility of the vines to the diseases discussed earlier.
Therefore, having workers on site permanently is not an option.
From a few vines to several acres, the vineyard must be tended to nearly daily. Some of the activities frequently done include:
Spraying
Weeding/hedge trimming
Supporting/trellising
Fruit protection
Watering
Pruning and Training
Canopy management
All these activities require human labor or machinery to carry out, and therefore reliable and present labor must be provided.
Challenges
Like any other farming activity, grapes farming has its own challenges, some unique and others common. Some of the challenges one might encounter include:
Disease control and
Abrupt change of weather affects grapes and this can encourage
Water availability must be
Workers must be willing to stay on site
Since few farmers grow grapes, some of the challenges encountered might be unique and therefore getting help might be a
The government through KARI/KARLO has not invested well in grapes and therefore there are no extension
After harvesting, the fruits must be refrigerated to preserve them if they are for table
Vineyard establishment is expensive due to all the inputs required, both capital and
Finally, not many farmers are willing to wait for over 1.5 years since planting till the first harvest it takes patience.
For more information contact Central Valley Vineyards
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