EcofriendlyNet2 - Kiambu County: how the net house supports the use of biopesticides
Here we worked with organic Smallholder farmers from Limuru who wanted to establish how the net house supports the use of biopesticides which they use to minimize the risk of attack on crops by pests and diseases. There is an emerging market for organic produce in Nairobi and its environs, due to increased awareness on the negative impact of pesticides on health. This market is willing to offer better price for quality and the farmers wanted to tap this market through use of net houses. Further, most of the farmers here had plastic greenhouses that were expensive to maintain due to the heavy wind since there are no windbreakers in the region. Lastly, the area experiences hailstones and the farmers wanted to see how the technology would support hailstones. These farmers discussing input cost changes due to the project revealed that the net house reduced cost of irrigation by 30% since they watered only twice inside but thrice on open fields. There were no maintenance costs due to the net house. The farmers set out to produce tomatoes, French beans and cabbages in rotation and had the following experience.
Using insect netting to protect vegetable crops in tropical zones increases yields while reducing use of if not removing the need for chemical insecticides.
As part of the Ecofriendly Net 2 project, funded by the USAID Horticulture Innovation Lab and CIRAD, high tunnels covered with netting, measuring 8m x 20m x 2.5m, were installed on 30 small farms in Kenya. Some of the farmers involved talk about their experiences at the end of the project.
Director : Michel Royo
Caméléon Production - CIRAD, 2017
http://www.cirad.fr