User talk:GrandeurAfrica

Hydroponics in Kenya
Hydroponics in Kenya has been on the rise in Kenya and one could say that it bridges on the point of euphoria in the country.

Hydroponics is a technology used to grow crops without the use of soil thus speeding up the plants’ growth rate and limit the number of diseases that the plant may be exposed to. Many farmers are adopting the technology due to the harsh weather conditions in Kenya and the ever rising cost of animal feeds in the country. The price of animal feeds in Kenya took a sharp rise in late 2013 as the current government slapped a 16% VAT on all commercial animal feeds. Due to this more and more farmers are becoming increasingly interested in hydroponics leading to a surge in the use of this technology in the country.

Despite the urgent need of this technology by farmers in Kenya, not many had the technical know-how of how to implement the technology. Grandeur Africa, a company based in Nairobi Kenya has taken the initiative to train livestock farmers on simple techniques that can be implemented by any farmer with limited training in the field. Their approach to this has been to build the hydroponic systems purely from materials that are available in any hardware store. The campaign has got to a terrific start with the company have already built 25 hydroponic shelter in different counties in Kenya.

The shelters are used to grow fodder from malt barley which is relatively available in Kenya, has an impressive protein content of 23% and grows to 12kg of fodder from 2kg of seed in just 7 days. The hydroponic systems built by Grandeur Africa work purely on organic principles as no chemicals or fertilizers are used in growing the fodder.

The system has been greatly helpful to small scale farmers as many of them average just 2 acres of land. Hydroponics is a system of vertical farming and Grandeur Africa have managed to design a 5m by 3m by 3m structure that has the potential output to produce enough fodder to feed 50 pig or 15 cows all year round. The system is also water efficient as 1.2L of water is used to produce 1kg of fodder. This has a staggering difference when compared to water used in conventional agriculture practiced in soil where up to 88L of water is used to produce just 1kg of fodder.

The technology has been adopted by farmers who rear pigs, cattle, poultry and even goats. Hydroponic barley fodder has been seen in Kenya to improve the general health of livestock, improve their productivity and has been shown to cut livestock feeding expenses by up to 67%.

Grandeur Africa is a limited liability company founded in 2013 by Samuel Mbugua and Wachira Mwangi. The company focuses mainly in the fields of agriculture, green energy, manufacturing and food processing. Agriculture is their main product as they have been deeply involved in the development of hydroponics in Kenya.

The company has been making stride in fostering hydroponics in Kenya. At their demonstration farm in Mwiki Kasarani they train farmers and any interested parties in the techniques of hydroponics. The response has been overwhelming as the farm is almost always buzzing with visitors who are keen to practice hydroponics in Kenya.

In Mwiki Kasarani farmers are taught on what is needed to develop hydroponics in Kenya. They are shown how to grow the fodder and how much of it is used to feed the different types of livestock. The trainings are ongoing at the demonstrative farm and the company has commenced on using peat to grow tomatoes through hydroponics.

The farmers interested in Hydroponic farming can contact Grandeur Africa on +254722522168 OR +254724526976. You can also email at grandeurafrica@gmail.com or browse the website: www.grandeurafrica.com