Transportation of the Kenyan flowers is far more carbon intensive and levels out the difference, but it’s still clear that Kenyan rose production is greenest: the entire process was calculated to be six times more carbon efficient than the Netherlands, when transport to Europe was included

Increasing energy efficiency and renewable energy use in the Netherlands is forecast to close this gap in the future, but there is still a long way to go. Exact figures from the study can be found in the table below, which show the CO2eq emissions from comparable flower farms.

Read more: Kenyan Roses are the Greener Option

By Anthony Songoro

What is Sivanto Prime?
Sivanto Prime is the latest insecticide from Bayer Crop Science for the control of important sucking insects that fits perfectly in sustainable growing systems. Sivanto Prime protects your crop against a wide range of insects, such as whiteflies, aphids, and thrips and is effective against both nymphs / larvae and adult stages. Sivanto Prime has a fast activity and is absorbed by the leaf, after which the active substance moves in the direction of the juice flow. Also key, the mode of action of the active substance flupyradifurone, makes Sivanto Prime an asset in resistance management strategies.

Read more: Sivanto Prime: The Latest Insecticide From Bayer CropScience

Naivasha Horticultural Fair, one of the industry’s biggest event of the year always brings great revealations-including lots of tips and tricks for succesful business. This year, serious exhibitors must add a new layer of context to their portfolio, by examining all their products from the user point of view, or as they call it, persona.

In order to be able to answer unfulfilled needs in the market, and to bring true innovation, exhibitors must understand that they have to work outside the box. Whether it’s on the retail level, bouquet company or even the end consumer, there are different tendencies and tastes, and they need to address each and every one of them in the best possible way. Succesful exhibitors need a new framework which is based on 3 main personas: the classic, the trendy and the naïve. Each represents a type of user, a unique style and preferences. By observing the persona, not just the agronomical characteristics, they will be able to screen their product pipe-line from a different perspective, and find more, new solutions for market special needs.

Read more: Marketing Effective, Economical, Off-Site

By Benson Kibiru

We are alive at critical time where climate change is real. Generally, it has become a challenge for the farming fraternity to plan events because of the unpredictable weather patterns. As a result, for the agripreneurs, some has closed shops while others irrigation has been made inescapable. However, surface water is also unavailable in adequate amounts, making ground water an obvious choice.

Irrigation water for both greenhouse and field crops must be analysed and quality determined before use. The groundwater level is a key indicator for evaluating spatial and temporal changes in groundwater environments. The groundwater level is influenced by various factors. Climate change, as reflected in precipitation and evaporation rates, influences the groundwater level fluctuation and quality. Numerous studies have revealed groundwater salinity changed with the fluctuation of groundwater level whereby low salinity is recorded in wet season and increases to maximum levels during the dry season. It is for this reason, knowledge of hydrological processes and their effect on the ground water quality is essential.

Read more: Effects of Seasonal Variations and Geology on Quality of Ground Water

Growers preparing their procurement lists will have many options including Megafol and Kendal Nem innovations from Valagro and distributed by Elgon Kenya Limited in the region. It was pomp and dance in Naivasha and Nairobi hotels as growers welcomed the entry of the two products. Valagro launched Megafol and Kendal Nem to increase agricultural efficiency. The product will improve tolerance to abiotics stress (heat stress, water scarcity, chemical stress), nutrient use efficiency (root development) and also improve crop quality (size, width, precocity and Brix). It is a product which can increase the productive potential between 5% and 15% above other alternatives in the market.

The two products have a conception that is different from what is used traditionally in market, such as soluble salts and mixtures of first generation foliar fertilizers, and the micronutrients products with organic substances for the second generation plant. According to Valagro, the company years on developing the products that can serve the needs of major crops in globally, including flowers and cereals. The products have a specific target on metabolism and acts within the plants cells. They showed great consistency in more than a hundred fields tests conducted in the main production regions globally.

The results, according to Valagro Agricultural Scientists, are “resistance to abiotic stress, with increased photosynthesis, increased production of sugars and improved breath. The final goal of these metabolic procedures is to produce a more vigorous and uniformed flowering, and to increase the efficiency of flowers and fruits formation. With more flowers, fruits or pods, the farmer is able to produce more with same planted area”.

About Valagro
Valagro is a trusted brand in the agriculture industry and has got excellent R&D facility to bring new chemistry for better farming based on customer demands and future market trends. Valagro is known for their Biostimulants, Speciality Nutrients (Micrinutrients and water Soluble Nutrients and Biocontrol. Farmers can benefit from their Ultra-modern state of the art facilities which produce Megafol, Kendal Nem, Ferriline and Brexil among others.

In the region, the company has teamed up with Elgon Kenya.

About Elgon Kenya Ltd
Since inception in1898, Elgon Kenya, has endeavoured and established itself as a profitable and trusted business partner for the Agri-input products to the farming community in East and Central regions of Africa.

Elgon Kenya is currently one of the largest agri-input suppliers company in Kenya especially into farming sector. Nevertheless, the company stands top in providing other packaging materials like BoPP flower sleeves, Buckets, Crates, Labels etc.

Elgon Kenya Limited-thus strives to be a One Stop Shop, making it household name to the farming community.

By diffusing sunlight before it hits your crops, glazing materials help optimize and equalize light levels throughout your greenhouse, ensuring no one patch of your grow is favored or left in the dark as the sun travels across the sky.

It may seem obvious, but light is hugely important to bringing up crops. Depending on where you live, dealing with light levels can be a serious challenge, whether it’s making sure your plants have enough of it during cold days, or making sure they aren’t frying during hot days.

Luckily, however, the modern greenhouse has radically changed a grower’s reliance on sunlight to bring up crops. A range of modern equipment now exists to help manage light levels regardless of the time of year - meaning you can grow more, better, from the comfort of your very own greenhouse.

Here’s a look at some time-tested light control levels that have made growing high-quality crops in a greenhouse easier than ever:

Shade Structure - Limiting The Most Powerful Rays

Known far and wide for their usefulness, shade structures offer the very thing their name implies: shade. For growerss, this means staying cool even through the hottest days.

For growers in very hot areas, the intense light of the sun can pose a serious threat to plants. Heat stress and burns can limit crop production and damage plants beyond the point of fruitful productivity. By removing just a small amount of that direct sunlight, growers can continue to offer crops all the necessary energy they need to grow without the stress of direct light.

And because direct sunlight is the natural enemy of standing water, plants left overexposed to intense sunlight tend to need more frequent waterings than those left under the protection of a shade structure. That’s why so many growers who choose shade structures see notable decreases in water costs as a result, and why a shade structure might just be the solution to your midsummer heat and light issues.

Glass & Glazing - Letting The Right Light In
While open-air grow setups may be stuck in the stone age, relying only on sunup and sundown to ensure plants have all the light they need to thrive, a greenhouse does one better.

That’s because most greenhouses are surrounded by some kind of glazing, or covering material like glass, polycarbonate, or poly-film. These three may be different in many important way - glass, for example, is typically clear, while poly and poly-film tend to be opaque or translucent - they each achieve the same overall goal: light diffusion.

By diffusing sunlight before it hits your crops, glazing materials help optimize and equalize light levels throughout your greenhouse, ensuring no one patch of your grow is favored or left in the dark as the sun travels across the sky.

This diffusion will also help prevent the worst damage from intense summer sunlight, helping to reduce burn patches under the hot sun.

On top of that, glazing materials also offer protection from wind and other elements to make sure nothing damage your hard work.

Greenhouse Lighting - The Key To Getting Through Those Long Nights
For those looking to maximize their output through all weather-season farming, greenhouse lighting plays an important role in keeping your plants energized and growing all through. Good lighting can be the difference between a succesful or failing farmer.

Light Deprivation - For When Your Plants Need A Little Rest
When we think “light control,” we generally think about limiting light levels. But for plenty of growers - too much light can actually be a bad thing. In these instances, light deprivation can be hugely important to ensuring top quality throughout the growing season.

Bonus: Don’t Underestimate the Power of Solar Energy
If you’ve operated a greenhouse with environmental control systems before, you probably know that keeping your greenhouse at the right temperature and light level can be an expensive process. Between the cost of ventilation, heating, and light deprivation, energy costs for greenhouses can be a burden for small-scale farmers. That’s why solar energy continues to represent a big savings opportunity for greenhouse growers all across the world, even in single greenhouse setups.

By implementing a solar power system in your greenhouse, you will not only reduce your energy expenditures but also increase the stability of your existing environmental control systems. No longer will your greenhouse suffer due to power outages or energy shortages - with the consistent power of the sunshine, your greenhouse can stay up and active all year long. Plus, you can continue to supplement your solar energy with traditional energy sources for those cloudy or dark days for added security.

Light Done Right for All Growers
Regardless of how exactly your struggles with light manifest themselves - whether it’s lack of light through the winter or too much of it during the summer - a greenhouse system can represent a highly effective way to stabilize and optimize light for your crops regardless of the season.