October 23, 2018 www.mygov.go.ke NEWSFOCUS | 13 Farming method improves Mwea rice production Rice produced using this new method has increased from 18 bags per acre to 26 bags BY IRUNGU MWANGI KNA- KERUGOYA M ajority of rice farmers in Mwea are now reaping the benefit of a new farming method which doubles the productivity of the crop. Rice produced using this new method has increased from 18 bags per acre to 26 bags, yielding farmers higher profits. Data available indicates that earnings per acre during the main season increased from Sh84,000 to Sh92,000 per acre at the scheme. The Water Saving Culture was first introduced to some few farmers at Karaba section on trial basis and before other farmers adopted the same almost in the entire expansive scheme. A researcher at the scheme David Njogu said the methods entails a shift from the traditional cultural practice where farmers plant the rice seedlings randomly leading to land waste and the use of high labour costs to weed an acre. “This is a technical package that aims at yield improvement and water saving and consists of five main technologies namely healthy seeding, hand leveling of land, line planting, improved weeding and intermittent irrigation,’’ said David Njogu, the officer in charge and researcher of Rice and Market-oriented Agriculture Promotion Project (Rice MAPP), in the area. Njogu said after land preparation and obtaining the healthy seedlings the farmer then proceeds to plant the crop in lines rather than the random traditional method in order to secure the appropriate plant population. “Although this method is labour intensive at the planting stage, it has many other benefits to the farmer especially in weeding and harvesting since two men can weed an acre in a day as opposed to seven Earnings per acre during the main season, up from sh. 84,000 Farmers attending to a rice farm where a new method of planting rice in lines has been used, the method leads to increased production of the crop. in a randomly planted same land size,” he said. During an evaluation meeting of the technology use Wednesday at Ngurubani market, a farmer Daniel Kibuchi said rice grown using the new method has more weight than the traditionally produced one. “Previously I would har92,000 vest 13 bags of the crop from an acre but this time round, I have realized 30 bags from the same land unit while the weight has increased from 97 kilograms to 115 kilograms a bag,” Kibuchi said. Kibuchi said the irrigation water component which is captured in the technologies Over 1,000 delegates set for ICT conference at Bomas of Kenya Three-day summit will run between October 22 and 24 at Bomas of Kenya BY PHILIP RUTTO PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS T he Big Four Agenda is set to receive a big boost during a three-day ICT Summit between October 22 and 24 at Bomas of Kenya. The Ministry of Information, Communications and Technology through its ICT Authority will bring over 500 ICT thought leaders and experts. It is further expected that over 1000 delegates drawn locally and internationally will attend the meeting. “This year’s edition will not only be bigger but also greatest meeting of ICT minds in East African region,” says the authority says. Key speakers during the Summit will include Mr Joe Mucheru, Cabinet Secretary Ministry of ICT, Mr Jerome Ochieng, PS State Department of ICT and Innovation, Mrs Fatuma Hirsi PS State Department of Broadcast and Telecommunications and Mr. John Sergon CEO ICT Authority. This will be the tenth edition since the first in 2009 and is under the theme ‘Preserving Our Heritage, Pioneering technology’. BY ANNE MWALE KNA-NAKURU N akuru County Governor Lee Kinyanjui has announced that four health centres would be upgraded in the devolved unit to improve accessibility to affordable and quality health care. The governor further stated that following computerisation of revenue collection and appointment of agency banking at the Nakuru Level Five hospital, service provision at the facility had improved and corrupt networks dismantled. “There were entrenched cartels that were embezzling funds at the facility. In the We have stepped up immunisation programmes and are glad to report that uptake of Rota and Measles vaccine is very high in all the 11 Sub Counties - Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui is a relief to the farmers since one does not have to flood the farm throughout as before. “We have been introduced to alternative wetting and drying, a practice which starts 10 days after transplanting of the seedlings and is repeated and continued for 30 days unlike traditionally where we have been flooding the rice fields unnecessarily thereby saving the much-needed irrigation water,” he said. According to Njogu, intermittent irrigation saves water to more than 20 per cent hence the need for the remaining farmers to embrace the practice. County to upgrade four health centres Computerised revenue collection at Nakuru Level Five hospital improves receipts first quarter of this year, we collected Sh85 million, while in the second quarter the hospital netted Sh105 million. The situation has drastically improved as in the third quarter with Sh121 million,” said Kinyanjui. Speaking Wednesday during the launch of an ultramodern maternal care facility at the hospital officiated by First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, the governor said the devolved unit had set aside 36 percent of its current budgetary allocation towards improving health care. “We will continue to enhance skills of health works and upgrade of medical equipment as a way of improving accessibility to quality and affordable health care. We introduced a cancer diagnostic, treatment and care centre here in May this year,” he stated. The governor said the county had set aside funds to purchase eight ambulances that would enable health personnel to promptly respond to emergencies. Further still, 96 percent of expectant mothers in the country were attending prenatal clinics, while another 61 percent were seeking postnatal health care services. Kinyanjui also noted that 68.7 births were conducted by qualified health personnel. However, he expressed concern that maternal deaths in the county which stood at 375 per 100, 000 live births were higher than the national average of 362.
14 Publizr Home