In the indigenous vegetables and poultry farming integration project, Agrokenya is working together with KALRO and ADS in a National Research Fund project, integration of African Indigenous Vegetables with poultry farming targeting farmers in Lubinu Lusheya Ekero ward, Mumias East sub county, Kakamega county.
The training session tackled topics including the planting methods and spacing, weeding, crop protection especially cultural and organic methods, fertilizer use majorly the poultry manure.
The lay outs of the demonstration plots was also done and it is expected that all the groups shall implement the project in a given way.
The project is organized in such a way that the farmers will work in groups namely Emalingana, Ever green, Lusheya, Lubinu and Upendo farmers groups.

Training of farmers on intergration of African indigenous vegetables and poultry farming


This project which is under the National Research Fund that seeks to find out the differences when vegetable farming is incorporated with poultry manure verses when it uses inorganic fertilizer or no fertilizer at all.
The project began with a baseline survey where soil sampling was done to note the soil nutrients, and the vegetables will also be analyzed on the nutrients available in fresh vegetables, dried vegetables and even the nutrients after different cooking methods.
The vegetables that will be planted in this project will be the African nightshade, spiderplant, cow peas, amaranth and clotaralia (slender leaf).
The manure is specifically poultry manure that will be mixed with the soil before planting unlike the other methods where the manure is dropped directly on the seeds.
As the seed sizes differ, the farmers were trained on the best ways to plant each and every type of vegetable.
For purposes of comparison, the vegetables shall be planted opposite with one side using poultry manure and the other side using no manure.
This project is being implemented in Kakamega county by Agrokenya and in Busia and Vihiga counties by ADS.