Ugandan farmers set to visit Kenyan farmers

By Joshua Kato        

 When Harvest money organized a zero grazing farmers training workshop at Kentim, Kyanja in July last year,  one of the requests that the farmers made was for them to carry out tours of better and modern farmers in Kenya. This request was largely drawn as a result of the quality of presentations made by some of the facilitators from Kenya.

 And now in order to answer that request,  KENTIM Integrated Agricultural Training Centre (KENTIM-KIAT) an Agricultural Training arm of  KENTIM University (Project) Located at Kyanja-Kampala, has organised an agricultural learning tour that will enable Ugandan farmers visit many farms in Kenya and improve their farming skills.

 According to the Director Dr Aggrey Kyobuguzi, the farms to be visited range from small scale mixed farms to large scale dairy, poultry and mixed farms. "Kenyan agriculture is on a slightly higher scale than Uganda`s so we are taking these farmers there in order to expose them to these better practices," Kyobuguzi says.

 According to Kyobuguzi, the farmers will set off on 31st March, 2015 and will last three days.  Those interested in the visit should contact Kentim, Kyanja. "We shall visit Bungoma first, just after Uganda-Kenya border. We shall visit a demo of  the American one acre concept and participants  will learn how to do profitable & smart farming using one acre of land," he says

Ugandan farmers visiting tea farms in Kenya on a previous visit. They will visit dairy farms this time round

The group will then move on to Eldoret. "We shall visit a small scale dairy farm covering 15 acres where 50 Dairy cows are raised partly on free range and partly on supplement of Hay, Haylage, silage, outsourcing fresh pasture among others at strabag farm," Kyobuguzi says.

At Strabag, the farmers will also appreciate Hydram water pumping technology. "This is a technology that every farmer must have because it is an energy free water pumping technology," Kyobuguzi says.

 Next the farmers will visit Kimsian farm, Nakuru. This is an Industrial scale dairy farm with 4,000 cows on 3400 acres of land with in Nakuru.  Farmers will appreciate the beauty of doing large scale dairy farming. Also in Nakuru,   the farmers will learn about hay production as a business using Boma Rhodes.  They will visit an entrepreneur whose business is selling grass!

 Other areas to visit include East Africa Dairy Development  training centre Naivasha and share some notes on-Breeding,Feeding & Management.Remember Breed selection,Feeding & Management are the three Key things any livestock  farmer needs to be successful in his/her businesses be it dairy, beef, poultry, piggery and later Marula Farm that covers 42 square Km and hosts 6,000 Dairy cows.We shall drive around the farm as we appreciate dairy farming at its best. At Marula Farm they  mainly grow Lusan using pivotal irrigation system.