University students turns to agribusiness.

University students turns to agribusiness. This is the story of 4 agri-preneurs, all who are under 30, who give insights into their ventures and how they strike a balance between the lecture halls and running their fast-growing side hustles. Dickson Otieno Okello, 29 and Dickson Otieno Ouma, 27,started the business started in 2015 has grown tremendously and is valued at more than Sh1 million. The two students started Agri-Fresh Supplies, a fruit juice company, and Prima Gallus, a poultry extension services outfit. Agri-Fresh Supplies deals in fresh mango, avocado, passion fruit, pineapple and orange juices alongside banana and apples. The shop located at the university processes juice under the brand name Smoothies, which sells like hot cake. They buy yoghurt from the university and use it blend our juice, a unique mixture that has become popular with students, teaching and non-teaching staff, noting they also makes plain juices. A bottle of a 250ml of juice sells at Sh40 and in a good day, they make up to Sh12,000 from the shop that opens six days a week. There are occasions when sales drop to Sh6,000 per day especially during the dry season when getting milk is a challenge. Ouma and Okello who still are the co-founders of Prima Gallus which specialises in chicken farming, feed their chicken at Egerton University, Njoro. Prima Gallus, the poultry extension services business, was started in 2016 and focuses on the entire value chain. They train farmers on various aspects of poultry farming and offer extension services. The business that employs four people is incubated at Egerton University’s Centre of Excellence for Livestock Innovation and Business (CoELIB). According to him, farmers want to get into poultry farming because it is less intensive and there is quick cash flow.“It is this gap we are now exploiting by making use of the skills we learnt at the university,” explained Ouma, adding in a good month, they make Sh50,000 and get clients from up to Rwanda, Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania. Besides extension services, they host clinics for farmers where they charge groups between Sh15,000 – Sh20,000 and train them on how to brand their products, whom to approach to get the correct market prices and funding and how to present and preserve their products to shield them from loses and poultry management aspects. more

How a farmer makes millions from Moringa farming.

How a farmer makes millions from Moringa farming. When sukuma wiki (collard green), maize and tomatoes failed to do well in her farm in Taita Taveta County, Beatrice Nguru turned to moringa, a crop she knew little about. She started growing moringa after being trained in 2006 by the Danish International Development Authority and learning about moringa was an eye-opener for her. Nguru is reaping the benefits of moringa, a crop that she describes as a wonder because it has offered her more than she expected.She started with 80 moringa seedlings in her backyard, and after seeing them do well, she planted more trees on her 10 acres in Ronge, Taita-Taveta. Moringa takes six to eight months to mature. It is fast-growing, drought-resistant and the tree remains evergreen with exceptionally nutritious leaves, pods and roots.Every part is valuable from the root of the plant to the leaf. Spacing the trees during planting depends on the objective of cultivating the crop, to produce and harvest moringa seeds and leaves, space the trees 2m by 2m. The production for leafy powder, the space should be 0.5m by 1m, for production of leafy vegetables, space the trees a foot apart to make it possible to harvest the young edible shoots every two to three weeks. Moringa tree takes six to eight months to mature and has a lifespan of 30 to 40 years.During the rainy season, she harvests on weekly basis while in dry spell, she harvests after two weeks. Moringa leaves provide alternative vegetables for human consumption,as they taste like spinach and their young, tender and green pods are eaten as beans. Its flowers can further be used as a natural pesticide. Moringa tree is also capable of producing high quality fodder during the dry season. The leaves are readily eaten by cows, goats, sheep, pigs and rabbits. She mixes fodder that she offers her two Friesian cows with moringa leaves to increase milk production and make it creamy without affecting its taste, smell and colour. She also feeds her 105 kienyeji chickens moringa seeds enabling some to lay double-yolked eggs. She also processes moringa leaves into powder and packs in plastic tins of various sizes. She harvests the leaves, wash and dry on a mesh in a well-ventilated room for three days. She grinds the dried leaves using a machine into fine powder before packing into 50, 100 and 500g tins. The 50g goes for Sh150, 100g for Sh300 and 500g for Sh720, making between Sh50,000 and Sh60,000 from the products per month. source

How to process Moringa leaves into powder.

How to process Moringa leaves into powder. Moringa leaves can be consumed fresh, cooked or dried. Moringa powder is nutritious, is easy to make, easy to store and easy to use. Moringa Leaf Powder is considered a multivitamin shot! Strip all the leaflets from the moringa leaf petiole. This can be done directly from the branches if the moringa leaves have not been stripped off the main branch before transportation. At this stage, diseased and damaged leaves are discarded. Washing the Moringa leaves Wash leaflets in troughs using clean potable water to remove dirt. Wash leaves again in 1% saline solution for 3-5 minutes to remove microbes. Finally wash again in clean water. Leaves are now ready for drying. Drain each trough after each wash: fresh leaves must always be washed with fresh water. more

How to Grow the Moringa Tree.

How to Grow the Moringa Tree. The Moringa tree is native to northern India, but today it is common throughout the tropical and sub-tropical regions of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Moringa trees grow easily from seeds or cuttings. They grow quickly even in poor soil and bloom 8 months after planting. To grow from a cutting: After the trees have stopped producing fruits each year, branches need to be cut off so that fresh growth may take place. These branches are excellent for growing new trees. Make a cutting at least 1" (2.5cm) in diameter and at least six feet (1.8m) long. Dig a hole 3 ft. (1m) x 3 ft. (1m) and 3 ft. (1m) deep. Place cutting in this hole and fill with a mixture of soil, sand and composted manure. Pack firmly around base of the cutting. Form a slight dome or cone shape, sloping down away from the cutting. It is desirable that water not touch the stem of the new tree. Water generously, but do not drown the cutting in water. continue

What Is Vitamin P and How Can It Help Prevent Cancer?

What Is Vitamin P and How Can It Help Prevent Cancer? “Vitamin P” is not a vitamin at all. It was the term given to a group of super-healing plant substances from the 1930s to the 1950s. Today these substances are better known as flavonoids (or sometimes bioflavonoids) and they can be found in thousands of plant species. Researchers continue to discover both sources for them and how they can be used to support healing − including for various forms of cancer. Flavonoids are super-concentrated packets of nutrition for the human body and are essential for the functioning of virtually every cell and organ. Some common flavonoids you may have heard about include myricetin, apigenin, hesperidin, quercetin, rutin, luteolin, and catechin. Each type of flavonoid plays a different role in your body. In general, however, flavonoids are crucial for two specific reasons. First of all, they all are essential to the absorption of Vitamin C − the key nutrient responsible for tissue growth and repair. They are also essential for the maintenance of bones and teeth and for the production of the protein collagen used to create blood vessels and muscular tissues. Without the help of flavonoids, none of this would happen! Second of all, flavonoids are powerful antioxidants. Besides Vitamin C absorption, which also helps the immune system, preventing and reversing oxidative stress is the key element in how flavonoids help prevent and heal cancer. more

Benefits of drinking moringa everyday.

Moringa plant is beginning to gain more popularity as a new “superfood” for its highly nutritious profile and powerful anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and tissue-protective properties among many other health benefits. Eastern countries use moringa to treat and prevent diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, anemia, arthritis, liver disease, and respiratory, skin, and digestive disorders. Moringa has become popular as a natural leaf powder supplement, although the pods, roots, bark, flowers, seeds, and fruits are also edible. Moringa a super-food additive is fast gaining recognition all over the world because of its outstanding properties that translate to our benefits. Moringa affects many of the systems of the body from respiratory ,reproductive,musculoskeletal,digestive and the skin to ensure perfect working conditions and healthy life for the individual. Moringa is a source of protein,vitamin A, C,potassium,calcium and iron. more 1. It's nutrient-packed. Moringa is a rich source of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. It contains significant amounts of vitamin A, C, and E; calcium; potassium; and protein. 2. It fights free radicals. Antioxidants fight free radicals, molecules that cause oxidative stress, cell damage, and inflammation. Moringa contains antioxidants called flavonoids, polyphenols, and ascorbic acid in the leaves, flowers, and seeds. continue

How this Ghanaian turned the moringa plant into a business.

How this Ghanaian turned the moringa plant into a business. Moringa a super-food additive is fast gaining recognition all over the world because of its outstanding properties that translate to our benefits. Moringa affects many of the systems of the body from respiratory ,reproductive,musculoskeletal,digestive and the skin to ensure perfect working conditions and healthy life for the individual. Moringa is a source of protein,vitamin A, C,potassium,calcium and iron. Moringa contains essential amino acids and micro nutrients essential for growth and development. Moringa has seven times the amount of vitamin C in oranges,making it an option in cases of cold and nasal congestion. A cup of tea laced with moringa or better still mug of warm water with a dab of moringa will give fast relief. This high vitamin C content also makes it a soothing tonic in cases of stress,making it a natural energy booster. How this Ghanaian turned the moringa plant into a business.When Ben Ajofu was diagnosed with hypertension at the age of 35, doctors told him he would be on medication for the rest of his life. Ajofu proved them wrong; within three to six months of taking moringa, he realised his blood pressure had lowered. “I didn’t really want to take medication at 35 for the rest of my life,” says Ajofu. The improvement in Ajofu’s health led to him becoming one of the most enthusiastic advocates of the moringa plant in Ghana. He is the founder of Moringa King, a producer of juice and powder containing parts of the plant. The moringa leaf is thought to have numerous health benefits. The plant contains high amounts of magnesium, potassium, zinc and vitamin E, which are important nutrients to combat hypertension, a condition of unusually high blood pressure.more