Mkulima TV Program Update

Posted on February 20, 2012 by rpe

The Mkulima TV Program coordinating team is already in the field recording programs for this year 2012. So far we have been able to air 20 programs since late last year. The enthusiasm from farmers is very high based on the many questions and comments we are receiving from viewers.

People are simply hungry for agricultural knowledge and information! Dr. Kagima, the JKUAT coordinator for the program and also the Director, Extension & Technology Transfer is busy with his team trying to solicit for funding to grow this important dissemination tool. “Donors, we are looking for funding and partnerships.”

Catch the Episodes on Sundays 4:30 pm

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CHE Exhibition – Embu – 2012

Posted on February 20, 2012 by rpe

The 2012 Commission for Higher Education Exhibition will take place at the Government Training Institute (GTI) Embu from Thursday 15th to Saturday 17th March 2012. The Theme for the 10th exhibition is; “The role of universities in advancing national cohesion and integration.”

According to Dr. Kagima, Chairman CHE Organizing Committee, JKUAT is planning to send 35 exhibitors from the Academic Programs, 28 exhibitors for technology & innovations, and 9 students from the JKUAT Tech Expo. This exhibition greatly helps prospective young scholars to know JKUAT.

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JKUAT/Kansas State University Collaboration

Posted on February 20, 2012 by rpe

Following Kansas State University team visit to JKUAT in July of 2011, the faculty of Kansas State University has continued discussions of how best to nurture the relationship between Kansas State University and JKUAT. The two institutions are focussing on youth development, community outreach, horticulture, and food science among others. To further develop this partnership, four members of JKUAT will be hosted by K-State for two weeks to continue discussions on collaborative efforts.

The team will travel to Kansas in April 2012 through the Academic Excellence grant from K-State. The visit would be comprised of several guest lectures on campus (in classrooms and larger forums,) tours of campus facilities, and strategic planning meetings to explore the future of a JKUAT and K-State partnership. (JKUAT team = Dr. Kagima – Extension & Technology Transfer, Dr. Maina – Food Science, Dr. Mwaura – Business, Dr. Mukundi – Horticulture).

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Penn State Visit

Posted on July 5, 2011 by rpe

Penn State team of 7 ladies guided by Fran Alloway visited JKUAT on June 7th, 2011. The group of seven included Cooperative Extension County Educators from the 2nd oldest State in United State of America. The extension educators provide community education in food, nutrition, health, budgeting, 4-H Youth Program, and family resiliency. Conversations have been going on between Ms. Fran Alloway and Dr. D. Kagima regarding extension work in both our countries. Continue reading →

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Mkulima TV Program to premier on Saturday July 9th 2011 on KBC TV

Posted on July 5, 2011 by rpe

The shooting of Mkulima TV Program episodes on JKUAT innovations commenced in March 2011. So far 17 complete shows/episodes have been shot and ready to be aired on KBC Television. Already 10 scholars have answered frequently asked questions that will be aired at the same time. The program shooting and interviews will resume from mid-July 2011. Make a date to watch the first episode on Saturday July 9th 2011 just before 7pm News for 25 minutes and other subsequent Saturdays from then on.

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FVR helps a family to stand tall in the community

Posted on July 5, 2011 by rpe

Mr. and Mrs. Gichomo on their farm

Lucy and Bernard Gichomo, small -scale farmers from Central Kenya, have benefitted in multiple ways from implementing various agricultural practices that they learned about on Farmer Voice Radio (FVR) programming.

Bernard (a retired chief in the area) and his wife, Lucy, first became interested in FVR programming after Lucy shared what she had heard on Coro FM, about treating and recycling waste water from the kitchen, and clothes washing, with her husband. The agricultural tip (AgTip) promoted the proper use of waste water from washing and kitchen sinks, treated with wood ash from the fireplace, to supplement fresh water, used in home vegetable gardens. Wood ash neutralizes acidic soils as well as improves nutrient content of the soil. The Gichomos implemented this practice and with adequate and appropriate application methods, applying “gray water” on the soil below the plant, were able to produce sukuma wiki (kale) vegetable in their kitchen garden throughout the dry season. Continue reading →

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A change to crop rotation practice helps Agnes reap more from maize farming

Posted on July 5, 2011 by rpe

Agnes Khisa working with her husband on their banana farm

Over the years, Agnes Khisa from Bungoma, Western Kenya, grew maize on her two- acre plot with the same yields. Then she listened to a Farmer Voice Radio program on crop rotation, broadcast on radio Idhaa (Kenya Broadcasting Corporation’s Kiswahili service). “After the introduction of the program, I listened keenly since it was almost planting season”, said Agnes. The program gave her information on the importance of crop rotation and using certified seeds. “I have [traditionally] been planting maize and beans in the same hole,” she says “but the expert emphasized the need for planting [in] separate holes”.

Agnes decided that she would put into practice what she heard, as it came at the right time and season for planting. In the past, she had used the same number of bags on the same plot of land and had experienced low yields, despite adding fertilizer every season. “[This season], I decided to plant maize where I have been planting sweet potatoes and separated the rows for maize and beans”, she reports. Continue reading →

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FVR listener club moves from listening to action

Posted on July 5, 2011 by rpe

Mr. Kimindu’s fingerling fish pond

Kathuiria Poverty Reduction Group, a Farmer Voice Radio (FVR) Listener Club based in the Central Province of Kenya, has enthusiastically followed FVR broadcasts on Coro FM since they first heard them. Members of the group have taken up the challenge of putting FVR radio agricultural information into practice. For example, FVR programs on upland growing of arrowroot, a popular staple food in the region that traditionally grows in marshy grounds, have inspired a number of the group members to adopt this new practice.

One member of the group, Mr. Zablon Kimindu, was so inspired by a program on fish farming that he has developed a small fish pond on his one-acre piece of land. “After listening to a successful fish farmer from Sagana talk about the benefit he has derived from fish farming on radio, I realized that the government was not the only source of agricultural information and that farmers could learn from one another,” says Mr. Kimindu. After the broad¬cast, Mr. Kimindu obtained the telephone number of the fish farmer from the radio station and made arrangements to visit him. “I came to know about ornamental fish whose market is apparently very huge both locally and internationally,” he reports. Continue reading →

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FVR Radio Farmer shares his knowledge

Posted on July 5, 2011 by rpe

Mr. Kanyingi explains a point about bee keeping at his farm in Machakos

Sospeter Kanyingi, an FVR Radio Farmer from Machakos, Kenya, has been keeping bees for the past five years. He received training from the National Bee Keeping Institute in Nairobi, where he received expert information about bees that helped him to improve the way he operates his enterprise. In October 2010, Mr. Kanyingi was interviewed by a University Radio Intern attached to FVR and the recording was broadcast on the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation’s (KBC) Kiswahili service. He talked about the benefits of bee keeping and various bee products.

Mr. Kanyingi’s interview was broadcast on KBC prior to the setup of FVR Research Desks. Even so, the Radio Station received questions from farmers to which they responded by repeating the program and answering specific questions during a follow-up expert interview. Mr Kanyingi also gave out his contact details during the program. From the time the program went on air, he started receiving calls from farmers across the country. He estimates that he received over 60 calls within three months of the first broadcast, with some listeners making repeat calls to get further information. Two farmer groups in Western and Northern Kenya invited him to teach them about bee keeping, even offering to meet the costs for his travel. Continue reading →

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Handing over of Kutus piece of land by the Kutus County Council

Posted on June 14, 2011 by sarah

The official handing over of a Kutus piece of land by the Kutus County Council to erect a shed happened in May 2011. The project will help advertize eco-block making in partnership with Mr. Gitari who recently purchased two eco-block making machines form JKUAT. The client has manufactured over 50,000 bricks in only a few months and sells each brick at sh. 30. This program will extend to the youth in this area of Embu and other parts of the country. Continue reading →

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