Where farmers walk in and train free of charge

There are over 30 agricultural training centres across the country, where farmers learn new technologies. PHOTO | FILE

What you need to know:

  • If you want to get tips on crop, livestock and poultry farming, this centre is the place to visit

Waruhiu Agricultural Training Centre (WATC) in Kiambu County is a beehive of activity any time of the day, all the year round.

At the facility, dozens of farmers walk around getting tips from instructors on how to grow various crops and rear different animals.

“Seeing, hearing and touching. That’s how farmers learn here. Not by reading,” says Mr Joseph Mureithi, the principal of WATC.

The institution has 30 field training sessions every year. More than 600 small-scale farmers, mostly from Kiambu County, take part in the training sessions, which are free of charge.

Waruhiu’s April to June training programme is diverse. Farmers get training on greenhouses, horticultural production, breeding of livestock, poultry farming and liquid soap making, among others.

According to Mureithi, while there are official participants, many farmers just walk in to the station and seek answers on any questions they have on farming.

The number of farmers who participate in the training is set to rise to over 1,000 this year, according to Mureithi. 

“We never turn any farmer away. That is not in our interest because the centre is for farmers,” says the principal.

The centre’s experts include food scientists, farm managers, crops and livestock officers.

“The other day we had three surprise visitors. One came from Nairobi. He grows onions and watermelons. Oh! He had so many questions. We gave him plenty of advice and our contacts so that he can call us whenever he wants,” Mureithi says.

Waruhiu’s experts also do a lot of mobile phone tutoring. They get calls from farmers across the country.

“We answer all their questions that range from which fertiliser to use, crops to plant and how to calve.”

GREENHOUSES

The centre has a strong co-operation with universities, research institutes and NGOs.

In the institution’s fields and greenhouses grow many varieties of tomato, pepper, cabbage and maize, a good number of them new and under test.

For example, Monalisa F1 tomato, a variety in the market, is developed to have resistance against bacterial wilt. It is currently being tested before it is recommended to farmers. 

“After tests, we can tell a farmer whether the seed factory is telling the truth about the quality of its products.”

All training programmes are day-long. “A day is long enough. One day can change a farmer’s whole life. With technology transfer, we can make a big impact. We had a capsicum farmer here. We trained him and he is now making Sh2 million a year.”

One important way to better income is value addition, says the principal. For example, an avocado farmer can learn how to make soap out of surplus crop and sell it to different market or instead of throwing unsold tomatoes or fruits, a farmer can produce jam and sauces.

“One of our trained farmers sells her avocado soap to high-end cosmetic shops in Nairobi,” Mureithi says.

Ms Ruth Njeri and her husband Daniel Mururu are among farmers benefiting from Waruhiu.

“We are looking for information on the latest farming technology. There is a lot to learn from this centre. That is why we keep on coming,” says Ruth.

WATC has an annual budget of Sh16 million, of which Sh8 million goes to training, Sh4 million to farming and Sh4 million to recurrent expenses.