Kenyan growers reap big from county seedlings propagation center cuts costs
Source: HD.com
Waiguru said that the center is one of the various projects aimed at boosting horticulture production especially tomatoes whose production has increased from 46,000 tons in 2017 to 116,000 tons in 2022, earning farmers approximately Ksh 6.9 billion annually. "The centre has a capacity of producing 400,000 seedlings from certified seeds that are put under the right conditions using the technology and machines that ensure that the final seedling that the farmer gets is of high quality," he said.
Gachara added that the propagation centre that has so far sold over 100,000 seedlings in the past two seasons, also serves as a farmers' training facility linked to the Kirinyaga Agricultural Technical and Vocational Education and Training Centre. "It has reduced my farming costs because of the lower prices for the seedlings as well as the travel costs, which used to amount to about Ksh1,000 for transport.
Source: Kirinyaga Government Publication date: Wed 7 Oct 2026 Related Articles → See More Kenyan growers reap big from county seedlings propagation center cuts costs From aeroponic technology to a reliable growing strategy How water quality shapes greenhouse fertigation New group of growers has greenhouse coating applied Special: Keeping it Clean! Related Articles Kenyan growers reap big from county seedlings propagation center cuts costs From aeroponic technology to a reliable growing strategy How water quality shapes greenhouse fertigation New group of growers has greenhouse coating applied Special: Keeping it Clean!
Why this matters: For operators, this is a water-management story. The useful signal is that direct substrate measurements can help cut drain loss materially without giving up yield or fruit quality, which is exactly the kind of controllable efficiency gain a facility can build on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does substrate sensing matter in free-drain strawberry systems?
Because drain percentage tells a grower what already happened, while substrate moisture and EC data show root-zone conditions directly. That makes it easier to cut water loss without guessing.
What is the operator takeaway from this trial?
If the thresholds are understood well enough, growers can reduce drain water materially while protecting yield and fruit quality, which makes sensing an operational tool instead of a reporting tool.
