Agricultural Society of Kenya Shows.....Same script,different Cast?

Ever since i was a young child, i had a preference for attending Agricultural Society of Kenya  shows which for then meant i had more time to play with the scary swings. As age caught up with me, my preferences shifted to attending shows to learn a thing or two about best agricultural practices. It was my money on the line so it had to bring forth new results. I used to accompany my dad and we would both tour round the country and see what other farmers had to show.

Unfortunately with time, i have realized that there's very little i learn from them these days which in turn has left me to a day pass at the show. This year i attended the Nairobi International Fair at the Jamuhuri grounds and i was disappointed . My feel from touring round the stands was that the fair should have that agricultural prefix removed because there's very little to show on agriculture. More was on businesses and service delivery. Also why would stand like Coffee Board of Kenya buy instant coffee from the supermarkets for display on their stands? Why not bring their own samples of the same for people to even purchase.I mean why not make the day for the queue of people who were constantly asking if they could buy coffee but on a second glance see the product aint worth their money.

Well not all was grim. Here are a few of the things that tickled my fancy. Some of them have contacts just in case you would wish to contact the relevant stakeholders involved.

The banana dome
This is basically as a ripening chamber for bananas. A candle is lit for 24 hours and the effect triggers ethylene gas production which is naturally responsible for ripening in fruits. The bananas are then kept for another 3-4 days to ensure they are fully ripe before sending them to the market. Unfortunately they had no samples for tasting purposes so i cant really comment on the taste bit.

The solar drier
As the name suggests, the drier is used for drying fruits and tubers. This usually commences with sorting to separate the bad from the good. Then followed by cleaning and disinfecting before finally placing them on the drier. The temperatures are usually so hot that the drier which looks like a greenhouse, is only accessible during the early morning hours.

The Chicks Incubator

The Sigona Farms

The Rabbit World
This was the best demonstration stand for me. They had practical details on rabbit rearing that would prove useful to first time rabbit farmers.

The Onion Preservation Technology
Basically the onions are cut and placed the structure shown below. The roof protects them from the direct rays of the sun.

Kihuru Tree and Nursery Landscapes
They had a selection of various grafted trees of any fruit that fairs on well in the Kenyan climate.