In order to incorporate the latest scientific advances and technology tools into their daily farm operations, the Agriculture Resource & Development (ARD) team organized a 2 days farmers training workshop at Bilal’s Al-Ridha Islamic Centre, Mtongwe on 9th to 10th of October 2021. The facilitator was Mr. Mahendra Hirani from Surya Greenhouse, Mombasa. A total of 15 farmers from the centers attended the training.
OBJECTIVES:
- To promote efficient use of energy resources, natural resources e.g. land and water and other inputs like fertilizers, chemicals and seeds.
- Increase profitability of farmers besides savings in labour and time.
- Increase production and productivity of different crops through farm mechanization.
- Provide a pool of trained and skilled personnel.
- Transfer of technology to the farmers’ field.
TOPICS PRESENTED:
- Introduction to export and cash crop farming
- Pawpaw farming
- Moringa farming
- Banana farming
- Ginger, garlic and sweet potato farming
- Value additions of different products
- Time, sun and moon cycles; astro seasons in farming
- Soils and temperatures recommended for various types of plants
- Organic fertilizers and pesticides.
The duration for each topic was 45 minutes.
OBSERVATIONS:
- Farmers gained a lot from this training which would change their traditional modes of farming into the modern ones thus earn income which would improve their living standards
- Time allotted for the training was too short and much was taught which meant overburdening of the trainees with such knowledge. The farmers expressed a preference for practical training on the ground in addition to the theory lessons.
CONCLUSIONS:
The training was a successful one and we expect farmers to implement many of the lessons learnt on their farms. Through constant monitoring and follow up, positive changes are expected and quality yields produced. We intend to hold such trainings more frequently in order to support farmers and ensure food security in the communities.
PARTICIPANTS RECOMMENDATIONS:
An evaluation of the training workshop was held at the end of the sessions. Below are some recommendations the participants put through;
- Most participants lamented the training duration being too short thus not able to grasp all that was taught and requested the next training to be an extended one.
- Trainings to be more of practical than theories.
- The trainer being a fluent English speaker, some did not understand the scientific vocabularies used and requested for a qualified translator to be in place during the next session.
- Some requested that these trainings should be accompanied with assessment tests in order to measure their understanding ability.
The ARD team would like to thank all persons involved in this program and the Mission’s contribution and support into making this workshop a successful one.
The Bilal Muslim Mission of Kenya appreciates the generous support and assistance received from various donors to ensure a successful run of this program.
The Mission also thanks all those involved in the preparation and delivery of this workshop.
Bilal Muslim Mission of Kenya
P.O Box 82508 -80100
Tel: +254 731 402 711
Email: admin@kenbilal.org
Web: www.kenbilal.org
November 2021