Integrated farming takes many animal-plant relationships under its wing but today we’re going to look at poultry. Poultry requires a small investment when compared to other animals. With Ksh. 1000 ($10) you can get two or three young hens (teen chicks?). With proper care, one can earn a few coins from selling eggs, or from selling meat from poultry.

Now imagine combining poultry with something else, say fish rearing or horticulture. These relationships give rise to a self-sufficient system that minimises costs. Let’s take a closer look at the some of the integrated systems being widely practised.

1. Integrated chicken-fish farming.

This is a method commonly practised in Asia. It incorporates chicken breeding for meat or eggs with fish rearing. Chicken can be raised over or adjacent to the ponds and the poultry droppings are used as food for the fish. Chicken excreta produces nitrates that are very good at plankton formation. Planktons is used as food for fish. It’s very important however to ensure that the poultry is vaccinated.

• Benefits of this method include:
• Maximum use of space.
• The poultry excreta is used as fertiliser and feed for the fish, therefore, saves up on these two costs.
• A hygienic poultry house.
• Water from the pond is very rich in nitrates.Therefore, it can be used for horticultural purposes which will reduce the cost of fertilisers.

Good news is that the method is slowly being practised by farmers in Kenya. With the recent opening in the fish market don’t you think it’s high time you made use of that opportunity?

And by the way, you can also do this with rice and ducks. Hang on to our next blog for insight into it.

Image from: http://www.nafis.go.ke/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/untitled.jpg

Happy Planting!

Aquaponics presents an integrated farming system whereby; waste from fish is used as fertiliser for plants and plants purify the water by removing the nutrients increasing oxygen concentration. Waste from fish contains nutrients which are essential for plant growth.

Aquaponic system. Image from http://organicdailypost.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/aquaponics-media-based.jpg

The set-up of the fish and plants represents a closed system such that;

• Water containing waste from the fish is pumped to the plants.
• Plants absorb nutrients from the water, in the process cleaning the water which is then pumped back to the fish.

What kind of fish can be used?

Any fish can be used. The only catch is that you’ll have to adhere to the requirements for the different types of fish. Types of fish used in some of the aquaponics systems here in Kenya are catfish, tilapia and trout. Catfish and tilapia do well in warm climates (temperature of between 25 to 28 degrees) whereas trout do well in cold climates (temperatures between 12 to 18 degrees). People in cold areas can make use of a greenhouse which will solve the temperature problem. It is important to ensure that both fish and plants have access to enough oxygen to prevent stress. Ensure that the water is clean to eliminate diseases in the fish which might be transferred to the plants or lead to the death of fish which might slow growth of plants due to inadequate nutrients.

What kind of plants can be grown using this system?

Strawberries are one of the common plants grown in Kenya using the aquaponics system. Other plants such as tomatoes, lettuce, herbs such as basil and mint can be grown using this system. However, it’s important to note that requirements differ from crop to crop.

Benefits:

• Maximizes space.
• Conserves water through recycling.
• It’s purely organic. Farmers are advised not to use chemical based pesticides since they will kill the fish since the water from the plants is recycled back to the fish.
• Increases income for farmers.
• Saves up on costs of fertiliser since it is a self-sufficient system.

Good news is that it’s being practised here in Kenya! Here’s a success story from a Kenyan farmer dealing in Aquaponicshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o5rm5z1v68.

Happy Planting!!

Aside from light, air, warmth and carbon dioxide, plants need water and nutrients for growth. Hydroponic systems deliver just that. It is an old practice that dates back to the Aztecs and Babylonians. The Aztecs referred to them as “floating” gardens. The term “hydroponics” was coined in the 1930’s by Dr. William F. Gericke of the University of California.

Hydroponics is a method of growing plants in a soil-less medium or an aquatic based environment. The medium can be a solution filled with nutrients or an inert growing medium such as sand or perlite. A hydroponic system is a structure such as a tray, A-frame or a tower that holds an inert medium or water and provides a place to grow plants. There are very many types of hydroponic systems but all of them have to ensure that the plants have access to oxygen, water and nutrients.

With hydroponics, farmers don’t have to stress over weeding, soil borne diseases, fertilizers and pesticides. This is because hydroponics creates a sterile environment for the crops. Pumping nutrients directly into the roots results in bigger and better results over short period of time. Hydroponics can be done both indoors and outdoors therefore you don’t have to worry about space. Hydroponic systems are good for the environment because they use less water than soil based farming. Hydroponic systems recycle water, hence, you don’t have to worry about environmental degradation caused by high concentration of nutrients (calcium, phosphorous and potassium) in the run off experienced in traditional farming.

The most obvious reason to have a hydroponic system is that they aren’t affected by changing seasons, therefore, you can farm all year round.However, the initial set up cost of a hydroponic system is high. In order to operate it, you need technical knowledge and constant supervision is required to ensure they are growing in the exact conditions they need.

Hydroponic systems are susceptible to power outage which results to plants drying out. In case of this scenario, you have to manually water your garden. However, there have been new technologies with solar which ensures the process isn’t interrupted by a power failure. Water-based microorganisms can also be easily introduced into the system. Hydroponic plants have much smaller root systems, hence, they can’t always support themselves very well. Heavy fruiting plants may need quite elaborate forms of support. I’d like to think that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages because they are things that can be easily manageable. If you think the price is too high, start small, and then build from there.

Urban farming is slowly catching up and hydroponic systems present a way in which you can earn money and eat fresh food from that small space in your house or on your piece of land.

Who knows, we might start selling these units soon.

Happy Planting!