Over 100 exhibitors are expected to participate in this year’s Kilimo Biashara Expo, at the Kenya Agricultural Research and Livestock organization (KALRO) Seed Centre in Thika.

The Two-Day Expo to be held, Thursday March 14 and Friday 15, is expected to attract 5,000 participants from Kiambu, Murang’a as well as other counties, together with researchers, business peoples, farmers and students.

Speaking during a media brief on the seed expo, Director KALRO Seed’s Training Centre, Robert Musyoki, said the initiative that was started three years ago has been gaining interest, as more and more players, especially the farmers demand for the annual expos, to be held as they learn a lot.

‘The first expo, we started with only 35 exhibitors. Last year we had 74 and this year over 100, different players will be exhibiting agricultural products, from seeds to different industrial crop demos, but also mechanization,’ said Musyoki.

He added that organizers have already laid down both local and industrial crops and loo
king forward for county governments to participate and pick technologies, which they feel are suitable for their counties to develop, grow through farmers,’ Musyoki said

When it comes to mechanization, the Director noted that manufacturers have come-up with products or equipment that could be used by small scale farmers who own between two and five acres of land.

‘Of importance this year, are the bean thresher and bean planters that would be displayed during the Expo. We know bean production in this County has been getting low due to unavailable labour and when it is there, it is expensive. We used to thresh our beans using sticks and this is no longer attainable,’ Musyoki noted.

There are also some simple equipment that are motor driven and could be used by having minimum tillage, where one does not disturb the soil and can be done in half an acre per day.

The Director said KALRO would be expected to take the lead and not only showcase the technology through demonstration and the innovation that they hav
e developed, but also what new varieties they have come-up with, to uplift the production of food at farm level.

Musyoki confirmed that KALRO is collaborating with other partners such as Seed Trade Association of Kenya (STAK), Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) programme, Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI), Co-operatives among others, who have developed various types of varieties of seeds that are adaptable and suitable in the various agro-ecological zones in the country.

‘We are working with the partners and want them to come on board, so that we can continue to develop new technologies. Currently, utilization of certified seeds by the farmers, is at 80 to 90 percent and thus the reason for this Expo,’ he said.

He, however, confirmed that farmers were yet to fully adopt the number of high yielding varieties, giving an example of beans uptake of the certified seeds, which was at between three and five percent and the Expo would, therefore, display the new v
arieties that they have for farmers to take-up.

‘We still have a section of farmers who still have reservations on adopting the new technologies, but now with the climate changes being here with us and also affecting the world, the government is working hard to ensure that the varieties that are being produced are climate smart, hence able to combat the environmental changes,’ Musyoki noted.

‘During the expo, we will be taking people round the demonstration plots where various crops such as sorghum, cow peas, maize, traditional vegetables among others while the industrial demos will see cotton, sunflower and even pyrethrum that have been planted for not only farmers but also other participants to come and see for themselves the various technologies,’ he added.

Musyoki said that KALRO has also developed digital technologies to ensure that the farmers get the right information at the right time and that currently, a lot has been documented and the farmers have the technologies on their phones.

Besides this,
they are working and empowering the extension staff with the new technologies, new innovations that could benefit farmers by organizing events where farmers come together and train.

The Chairperson of Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI), Murang’a Chapter, Dr. Naomi Kagone, said public private partnership is very key and that through the Expo, they would support the commercialization of the upcoming innovations in terms of solving the current challenges affecting farmers.

‘We are looking forward to have the farmers participating and attending this Kilimo Biashara Expo, whereby, they will come to learn the new innovations, the new technologies and apply in their farms,’ she said

SAKATA Seeds East Africa representative James Opere said ‘Let us support the development and growth of the food sector, and by bringing in most of the varieties that got better tolerance for disease and heat tolerance’.

‘Traditionally we used to say that cabbages are mainly grown in high altitude areas and basica
lly plastic cycle cabbages are bred for high altitude areas like Molo, Kinango, Meru and related areas. But as we speak now, we have come up with some of the key varieties that have got a better tolerance and heat tolerance and this means that here are some of the varieties that farmers can grow across in most of the region,’ noted Opere.

The theme for the Kilimo Biashara Expo 2024 is ‘Linking farmers to Agricultural innovation for increased food and nutrition security’.

KALRO has for the last one month been holding open days for farmers and citizenry around the country to see the technologies that they have come up with.

Source: Kenya News Agency