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Kenya: Malindi Farmers Shortly to Reap Fruits of Three Years Wait
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The Nation (Nairobi)
21 March 2008
Posted to the web 20 March 2008
Daniel Nyassy
Nairobi
Small-scale farmers in Malindi might soon be smiling all the way to the bank, thanks to a new agricultural initiative.
Ugandan vanilla expert Umran Kaggwa demonstrates to farmers how the manual pollination of the plant is done. Photo/DANIEL NYASSY
While farmers in other parts of the country slash their vines, the Malindi farmers are poised to make a killing from them in a few months.
In fact, they could be earning thousands of shillings before the end of the year; thanks to the vanilla pods they have been pollinating, just in time for the long rains.
"We have planted vanilla since 2005 in this region and very soon we will be making money out of it, says Mr Nathaniel Kubuni of Vitendo group, one of the more than 5,000 Coast smallholders receiving technical assistance from USAid-Kenya Horticultural Development Programme (KHDP).
USAid-KHDP and other partners introduced vanilla to the region three years ago, to increase the incomes of smallholders, who previously relied on subsistence production of maize and beans. The vanilla vines have now matured and will produce mature beans in eight months.
Unique character
The most unique characteristic thing about the crop is that pollination has to be done manually before the rains.
A Ugandan expert caused excitement among the farmers attending a training as he manually demonstrated how pollination is done for each plant at the flowering stage.
In addition to vanilla, the smallholders have also been introduced to other crops such as sweet potatoes and mchicha, which provide for their short term food requirements and a cash crop ABE chilli, for export.
"We never miss some money for our daily requirements, thanks to ABE chilli and the sweet potatoes," says another smallholder, Ms Rose Mwatela.
"KHDP wanted to introduce vanilla at the Coast due to its favourable climate, but also wanted vanilla to fit within the smallholder's lifestyle.
"Hence the introduction of short term crops that would earn the farmer some income as they wait for vanilla to mature," says Ms Beatrice Gambo, KHDP manager, Coast region.
Vanilla is a tropical crop that needs high night and day temperatures and heavy rainfall. The best places to grow vanilla in Kenya are the Coast and Lake Victoria basin.
Vanilla needs 50 per cent shade to grow well and this can be provided from mature bananas or tall trees.
Since vanilla is a climbing plant, which grows up the trunk of a tree, it is essential to have suitable support trees on the farm. This has made vanilla ideal for the Coast, whose weather supports a wide range of trees such as the neem, mango and jatropha.
It also discourages deforestation, since growers see the commercial sense to keep the trees.
"Vanilla failed in Central region due to unfavourable climatic conditions," says Mr Umran Kaggwa, a vanilla expert from Uganda.
Mr Kaggwa is asking farmers to be careful before planting vanilla because "vanilla has its high and low times. At market peaks, farmers can make as much as Sh4,000 a kilogramme and at the low times, as little as Sh150 a kg. Vanilla requires proper planning in order to maximise the profits".
The first vanilla harvest takes place after three years and on average, a farmer can make 3-4kgs annually from a plant. Harvesting can continue for as long as 15 years with proper management.
There is a great demand for vanilla from local hotels and food companies. Markets are also available in the US and Europe.
KHDP and its partners are working with more than 300 smallholders in Malindi, assisting them with production of vanilla, ABE chilli and sweet potatoes.
Add value
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Currently, KHDP and its partners are exploring ways to add value to the vanilla pods before export.
From the excitement among farmers during a recent field day in Msabaha, Malindi, it was apparent that they have embraced the programme.
In Molo, potato farmers will breathe a sigh of relief following the revival of the cold storage and the setting up of a seed multiplication facilities at a cost of Sh40 million.
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