Organic Farming
Nr. 50 July 2009
Climbing beans, double yields
A lot of beans on a small place: This is the benefit of climbing beans. And they are easy to harvest!
The Organic Farmer A large section of the Kenyan population is unable to afford high protein food with adequate proteins, such as meat and eggs. This is where beans play a very important part; they are a cheap source of proteins. Unfortunately, the production of beans in most parts of the country is declining. The problem is the lack of good seeds . A survey by The Organic Farmer at the beginning of March this year indicated that most of the seed companies did not have any of the popular bean seeds. One reason for this could be that many farmers rely on their farm-stored beans for seed and hardly buy certified ones. What most of the farmers forget is that such beans pick up disease-causing bacteria, viruses and pests while in the shamba. These diseases are consequently spread in new fields when the same beans are replanted. Due to the shrinking land sizes due to subdivision, farmers can no longer be able to produce enough beans to
feed the rapildy growing population. Researchers are therefore developing high-yielding varieties of beans that only need a small area to grow. In this issue we look at climbing beans – a variety that climbs and spreads on sticks and produce double the yield of local varieties. See Page 5
Farmers, use these telephone numbers
Many farmers are calling and sending SMS through our Tel. 0721 541 590; this is to inform you that this number is now out of service. Farmers should use the following numbers if they want to reach us: SMS: All SMS should be sent to Tel. 0715 916 136 Calls All calls should be directed to Tel. 0717 551 129 or 0738 390 715. Our landline Tel 020 445 03 98 remains unchanged. Email E-mails are welcome, please address them to: info@ organickenya.org.
in this issue
Animal health 3 Small problems such as bloat and foot rot need attention. Parasites 4 An animal’s health
Climbing beans, double yields
A lot of beans on a small place: This is the benefit of climbing beans. And they are easy to harvest!
The Organic Farmer A large section of the Kenyan population is unable to afford high protein food with adequate proteins, such as meat and eggs. This is where beans play a very important part; they are a cheap source of proteins. Unfortunately, the production of beans in most parts of the country is declining. The problem is the lack of good seeds . A survey by The Organic Farmer at the beginning of March this year indicated that most of the seed companies did not have any of the popular bean seeds. One reason for this could be that many farmers rely on their farm-stored beans for seed and hardly buy certified ones. What most of the farmers forget is that such beans pick up disease-causing bacteria, viruses and pests while in the shamba. These diseases are consequently spread in new fields when the same beans are replanted. Due to the shrinking land sizes due to subdivision, farmers can no longer be able to produce enough beans to
feed the rapildy growing population. Researchers are therefore developing high-yielding varieties of beans that only need a small area to grow. In this issue we look at climbing beans – a variety that climbs and spreads on sticks and produce double the yield of local varieties. See Page 5
Farmers, use these telephone numbers
Many farmers are calling and sending SMS through our Tel. 0721 541 590; this is to inform you that this number is now out of service. Farmers should use the following numbers if they want to reach us: SMS: All SMS should be sent to Tel. 0715 916 136 Calls All calls should be directed to Tel. 0717 551 129 or 0738 390 715. Our landline Tel 020 445 03 98 remains unchanged. Email E-mails are welcome, please address them to: info@ organickenya.org.
in this issue
Animal health 3 Small problems such as bloat and foot rot need attention. Parasites 4 An animal’s health