There are certain questions that pop up when considering a greenhouse: What are the benefits of having a greenhouse? Is it expensive? Could I make good use of it? Do I have the space? You will get the answer to these questions when you build a greenhouse as you will see that it offers numerous benefits that you will always be thankful for.

Here is why you need to farm using a greenhouse;

Increased production

As compared to open field farming, with a greenhouse the farmer has more control for creating the optimal climatic conditions needed for a plant to grow. The farmer is also able to grow more plants per square feet compared to growing crops in the open field. Greenhouse farming is considered an implementation of intensive agriculture and can provide an increase in crop production

Minimize production risks

A greenhouse is an enclosed space; therefore, the crops are prevented from suffering damage from climate change related events such as sudden increases or drops in temperature as well as keeping the crops away from birds and other animals that may damage them.

Maximize profits

When implementing greenhouse farming the profits per crop per square feet can be even twice as much as the alternative open field agriculture. A greenhouse farmer can combine other practices and strategies such as the use of hydroponics for maximum crop yield. By utilizing resources in a more efficient manner, the farmer is able to create less waste, which in turn can translate into bigger profits.

Increased pests and diseases control

A well designed and optimally built greenhouse can prevent problems such as pests and weeds, as well as provide more control against other diseases. An enclosed space can be restricted to only the necessary personnel, and less people going in and out means a lesser risk of bringing unwanted elements close to the crops.

Ability to grow all year round produce, even in off season

With a greenhouse, the farmer does not need to depend on seasons to grow certain crops. They just need to provide the necessary means to create the right climate inside the greenhouse for the crops they need to grow. A greenhouse is independent to the world outside therefore eliminates the limitation of growing crops only on a specific season.

More stability and security

Since the greenhouse farmer does not depend on climatic conditions, an increase in stability and security is assured not only for the crops but also for the workers. Greenhouses ensure we have that constant food supply and therefore world is free from hunger and poverty.

A greenhouse requires you to make an initial investment, but the money you spend is well worth it in the long run. With so many benefits, you can see why owning a greenhouse is a great idea.

At Illuminum greenhouses, we assure you of a return in your investment with our Greenhouse Plus+.

Greenhouse plus + comes as a package of a greenhouse of your choice, irrigation kits, water tanks, agronomic support, market linkage and your investment on installing a greenhouse is assured.

We also offer the Farmshiled A.I powered sensors that guide the greenhouse farmer on the next steps during farming such as when to irrigate, when to evacuate humidity and when to ventilate the greenhouse. We remove guesswork off greenhouse farming for the best crop yield.

We endeavor to hold your hand all the way to crop harvesting and we ensure you smile during harvesting.

The Goalkeepers initiative brings together a diverse and influential community of leaders and innovators committed to achieving the UN’s SDGs. We got nominated to attend Goalkeepers 2019 by someone who thinks we are doing amazing work to push for a better world. To this day, to be honest, we are not quite sure who did nominate our organisation to this event. (If you are reading this, Thank You! )

If there is one thing that came out clearly, is the fact that we have a long way in empowering our women and girls in order to address gender equality.

If you think about life as a journey, every single disadvantage makes the journey harder. Our path forward has been relatively clear of obstacles. For a girl born in the Sahel, one of the poorest regions in the world, getting to a healthy, productive life requires overcoming hurdle after hurdle after hurdle.

https://www.gatesfoundation.org/goalkeepers/report/2019-report/#ExaminingInequality

We talked about our own experiences here in Kenya, providing affordable greenhouses to farmers and connecting them to markets through our Greenhouse+ service that seeks to address SDG 1: No Poverty and SDG 2: End Hunger. By connecting farmers to stable and reliable markets, we have been able to create consistent income for them paid out through MPESA or Banks every 30 days and now reduced this to 7 Days in 2020. The results have been clear to us, our farmers use this income to invest in education for their children as well as be able to afford universal healthcare at their local clinics. In other cases, especially for our middle-income farmers that build large greenhouses, they create employment to the local village workers who work as farm labourers every single day and on harvesting days, women are hired to harvest, clean, grade and pack for our team to collect and deliver to urban markets. This way, we provide clean and traceable produce to markets in Nairobi all year round. If we can move farmers to be less dependent on rainfall, farm quality inputs, access knowledge and information easily and access markets, then there will be no poverty in rural homes and hunger shall end.

This year, we are excited to take Greenhouse+ to a new high powered by data. By combining irrigation data and yield data, we believe we can create valuable information to farmers and lending institutions to use to credit score and finance farmers. Stay subscribed for our next blog on the new farm automation system we are developing here in Nairobi.

Matters Seeds…

A seed is an embryonic plant encapsulated in a protective outer covering called a seed coat. Seeds can be grown in many ways; Small seeds must be placed on the surface of the seed-raising mix because if covered too thickly they might not germinate. For other seeds, it’s recommended that they are planted at twice the depth of the thickness of the seed itself.

Pros;

• For crops, such as beans, that are quick to germinate, one may consider starting from seeds.
• Seeds are much cheaper than seedlings.
• For those of us who like choices, starting from seed offers one an option of choosing between different varieties available in the market. Seedlings confine the farmer to the variety used by their provider.

Cons;

• Planting the seed directly is riskier, since the seeds have to put up with hazards such as adverse weather patterns, like drought or flood, high wind (for open-field farming), pests, and weeds. In order to be successful, one has to ensure that the environment in which the seeds are growing in, is conducive.

• The farmer also has to be prepared to thin the seedlings; that is, pulling out a few plants between the rows to make sure even spacing between the plants. Lack of spacing will result in crowded plants that will compete for light, water, and nutrients. Crowded plants have also been to be prone to diseases due to the lack of airflow.
• Seeds generally take a little longer to grow than seedlings. It’s good to note that there are some crops whose germination rate is slower than most plants even if you plant them as seedlings. It is because of the growth rate of the 2 that leads to the second difference; seeds are cheaper as compared seedlings.

Matters Seedlings…

A seedling is a young plant grown from a seed in a nursery.

Pros;

• Seedlings will give you a significant head start on the season, since their maturity rate will be shorter and will result in an earlier harvest.
• On the other hand, most seedlings will take a minimum of 2 weeks to germinate.
• Seedlings are more resistant to pests, because they are more mature and stronger when transplanted. Many pests love snacking on the tiny seedlings. Therefore, the risk of losing the plants is lower as compared to seeds.

Cons;

• Seedlings are definitely much more expensive to buy than raising your own from seed.
• With seedlings one is restricted to the variety grown by the supplier.
• Seedlings pose a threat of introducing weeds and/or diseases into your farm. It’s therefore important to get your seedlings from a certified company/producer to avoid such inconveniences.

All in all, the choice between the 2, Seeds or Seedlings, will come down to the farmer’s preference.

Through cross-sector collaboration we can bring about a food-secure future. The sole reason why Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture exists is to bring together public decision-makers, private sector champions and civil society leaders who develop and catalyze innovations for sustainable agriculture.

Providing enough nutritious and safe food to a growing population is one of the greatest challenges facing the world today. Food and agricultural sectors are central to eradicating hunger and poverty, but current farming practices and climate change are putting pressure on our natural resources. This is why innovation can be able to help eradicate problems related to Agriculture and promote its sustainability as it is the only solution for increasing food production and combating climate change.

Here is a peep at some of the innovations we loved.

The future of Hydroponics

This was a hydroponics set up with UV lights that allowed for crops to grow to full maturity within 28 days.

Bumblebees used for pollination in greenhouses located in the UAE

We have also been trying to introduce the concept of bees in greenhouses to improve pollination and thus output and we were very excited to find out that there was a solution that we could leverage on and implement here in Kenya.

Hydroponics with White light

GFIA 2016

This will be a learning experience that will enable us as a company to learn more and come up with fresh ideas that will bring about more innovation and help us to maximize our full potential.

We target to make Kenya one of the leading countries in Agriculture.

The 13^th edition of the trade fair mainly focused on value addition, agro-processing, market diversification, product launches and delivering value to all stakeholders. “This is with the aim of enhancing business integration through participation by all, both locally and internationally,” said NITF branch manager Minnie Njage. The fair themed ‘Enhancing Technology in Agriculture and Industry for Food Security and National Growth’, saw us, Illuminum Greenhouses Kenya, greatly live up to it.

We had variety of products to show: Our award winning, Farm Automation Kit, attracted over 5,000 farmers to our stand. With a simple SMS command, one could direct this kit to irrigate your farm or greenhouse, going a long way in incorporating technology and efficiency into farming.

We also had our own wooden greenhouse model at the grounds. With the presentation of a polythene-covered greenhouse floor and potted plants, we welcomed questions from our soon to-be clients. Moreover, visitors got a first-hand feel of how the use of potted plants has been advantageous to greenhouse farming.

We further presented our affordable prices to our esteemed clients, explaining in detail how our cost breakdown for different sizes of greenhouses and further how we would customize their greenhouses to fit their needs, financial status, land space and designs.

Better yet, our agronomic team was in place to answer questions from to-be and budding farmers. The team explained our Agronomic Support package to our esteemed customers. All this for the farmers to ensure improved productivity from their farms.

Illuminum Greenhouses had the pleasure of hosting The Principal Secretary State Department of Agriculture Sicily Kariuki (MBS) at our stand, Her Excellency Rachael Ruto and state dignitaries amongst other honorable guests.

We would love to appreciate all those who visited our stand, may God bless you. Feel free to visit our offices for any clarifications or follow up. To our staff who represented us at the grounds, kudos for the great job. For the organizers of the Nairobi International Trade Fair, keep up the good work. We had a wonderful stay at the grounds.

Happy farming!