Kisima Farm Updates
Waiting for the rains!
We are desperately waiting for the rains! Any and every way of getting water into our lagoons which includes designing our own guttering from every roof.
Flora Diversity Register
A biodiversity register on the farm is currently underway and Kisima Forestry has completed the plant survey phase documenting the plant species on the farm.
Over 67 plant families were recorded indicating a high plant diversity in the surveyed areas. Some of the plant species recorded could find use in their medicinal and aesthetic values and some of the species noted during the survey were invasive. Charcoal burning for species like Acacia Mearnsii and Acacia Melanoxylon is being carried out to eradicate them. This survey will go a long way in our efforts towards propagating a wide range of species and improving our tree nursery on a commercial basis.
Please see a link to the full report here.
Girls dormitory at Gundua Secondary School
The construction of a girls dormitory at Gundua Secondary School is almost complete. This is a really exciting addition for the Gundua school.
New packing shed
The new summer flowers packing shed and cold store is under construction and will be completed by the end of September.
KCPE exams
The KCPE exams results for 2021 were released in April and the majority of the Kisima affiliated schools performed very well. Kibirione Primary School had the best results of all the schools in Buuri with Mugumone and Kianda coming in second and third place. The feeding program continues this year with over 2500 children currently enrolled in the program.
Expansion, expansion, expansion!
The trial house is in full bloom and all the trials are now being evaluated for 2023 and beyond. The new Craspedia expansion is underway to capture the European summer market. The new rose expansion is fully planted and we are now harvesting.
A 2ha expansion is underway at Floriculture and we have invested in state of the art metal greenhouses.
The Haygrove Tunnels are being constructed and the structures are going up this month for the new Matthiola project.
Agri Field Day
The Agri Field Day was held on the 17th March and was a success with over 20 exhibitors participating - financial institutions, fertiliser suppliers, seed and chemical companies. Over 500 farmers from Meru, Isiolo and Laikipia attended the event. The feedback was positive and the crops were impressive despite the dry conditions.
Sea Freight for Flowers
In early December our first sea freight container left for Europe packed with flowers. The container will arrive in the first week of January and it will be very interesting to see how this trial goes with regards to reducing our air freight carbon emissions for floriculture.
GECA carbon footprint assesment
Kisima recently underwent a carbon footprint assessment by Green Earth Climate Action (GECA). Our forestry and arable land use has shown to sequester more carbon than on farm emissions and Kisima is therefore carbon neutral on the farm.
Off farm activities, primarily transportation of flowers, do have a significant carbon footprint, so we are not carbon net zero and we will be looking at ways to reduce emissions in the future.
Nanyuki Cottage Hospital takes over the management of The Gundua Health Clinic
The Gundua Health Clinic has been offering health services to the community since 2011. Since it started the clinic has treated over 68,000 people and delivered around 500 babies. With the increase in population in the area, the clinic also wants to grow and expand its health services to include imaging services and in patient facilties for those who require hospitalisation.
As of 1st September the Nanyuki Cottage Hospital has taken over the management of the Gundua Health Centre.
Ngare Nything WRUA water monitoring
This year has been very dry and water rationing from the river started in August. The Kisima Foundation and the Ngare Nything WRUA have continued to monitor and record the river over the last year. Members are updated weekly via the WRUA WhatsApp group.
HortFresh Journal article on 20 years of Kisima Flowers!
Please see the article on 20 years of Kisima Floriculture here.
October updates
The first commercial Alstroemeria was planted with three new varieties which will be available on the market in 2022. By the end of November we will have completed our indoor Delphinium project. We have taken 1.5ha of hydroponic roses out in preparation for the new indoor Delphiniums.
FloralDaily article on Kisima Farm's Gold Accreditation
Kisima Farm was recently certified with the Kenya Flower Councils highest accreditation!
Please see a link on the FloralDaily article.
July updates
Pictured below is a Kisima flower bouquet designed by our packhouse manager Ruth. Health & Safety training underway on the proper use of harnesses when working on the greenhouse roofs. A new state of the art irrigation system has been set up to feed a planned 2ha rose expansion and further summer flowers expansion. The first Delphinium grown inside a greenhouse! This is an exciting new venture with new varieties. The new planting of 'No Limit' will come into production in July.
Haygrove Tunnels
The Haygrove tunnels are now complete and ready for a new crop. These tunnels provide better growing conditions and protection from the rain. A new trial house has also been built and the first trial varieties have been planted.
Agricultural Field Day
The agricultural field day planned for the 11th March 2021 went ahead as planned with a permit from the Public Health Authority. Covid-19 protocols were observed - hand washing, temperature checks and social distancing. There were 16 exhibitors at the field day and over 460 people attended the event.
Kisima Wetlands
The wetlands at the entrance to the Kisima Floriculture were recently opened up to increase the bio diversity, water storage and carbon.
Agrobacteria Warriors
Meet the agrobacteria warriors! These gentlemen work tirelessly to make sure that agro bacterium does not defeat us - well done!
