Horticultural farming in Kenya

- Horticulture is also called market farming. It is the growing of flowers, vegetables and fruits mainly for sale.

- Horticultural farms are small and carefully cultivated.

- This is because the land is very valuable and farmers want to make maximum use of it.

- Farmers specialise in growing one main crop; for example, vegetables, flowers or fruits.

 

Crops grown in horticultural farming

- Commercial horticultural farmers in Kenya grow the following crops.

• Fruits like; mangoes, pineapples, avocados, mangoes, oranges, pears and plums.
• Flowers like; roses, turnips, orchids, lilies, samoras and carnations.
• Vegetables like; tomatoes, onions, French beans, cucumbers, egg plants, sweet peppers, chilli peppers, lettuce and spinach.

 

Contribution of horticulture to the economy

- Horticultural farming contributes to the Kenyan economy in the following ways:

• When the products are exported, they earn the country foreign exchange.
• Some of the products are sold as food in urban centres.
• It provides employment to people in the farming areas.
• It has led to the development of related industries like fruits and vegetables canning, manufacture of cans and tins, as well as juice processing.
• The products that are exported help to advertise the country abroad and this promotes tourism.
• It reduces the amount of food items the government has to buy from other countries.

 

Focusing on just one crop allows the farm to specialise at certain activties.

 

Problems facing horticultural farming in Kenya

a) Many farmers in Kenya are peasant farmersand they do not have money to developtheir farms fully. Therefore, production per hectare is low.

b) When the harvest is good and the market has too much produce, prices drop. Therefore, farmers cannot make profit.

c) Farmers who take bank loans find it difficult to repay them when the prices of the products fall.

d) Drought conditions often affect crop production. Only wealthy farmers can

irrigate their land or use greenhouses during the dry season.

e) When it rains, some dry weather roads become impassable.

f) The level of poverty in the country and the level of competition on the world market sometimes makes it difficult for farmers to sell their produce at a profit.

Horticultural farming in the Netherlands

- The Netherlands is a small country in Western Europe.

- It has a population of about 14.2 million people.

- Because of its small size and high population, the Netherlands has the highest population density in Europe.

- As a result, most of the land is used for settlement and little is used for farming.

- The Netherlands is mainly low-lying with the highest land rising to about 100 metres above sea level.

- One third of the country, most of which has been reclaimed from the sea, lies below sea level.

 

The map below shows the land use in Netherlands.

 

Where it is practised

Horticulture in Netherlands is practised in three

main areas. These are:

a) The Sand dune coast

b) The low polders

c) Geestland

 

Sand dune coast

This is the region nearest to the sea. It is made up of poor sand soils that are not suitable for crop farming. However, it is useful for grazing cattle and sheep. Horticulture farming is only done here in limited areas through the use of fertiliser.

 

Low polders

A polder is a low-lying region enclosed by dykes. Polders have canals dug across them to drain away excess water from the land so that it can be improved and used for agriculture. This is where most horticultural farming is practised.

The region is also important for dairy farming.

 

Geestland

This is made up of sandy areas covered by marshes. The areas have sandy soils that have poor pastures. Very little horticulture is practised here. Dykes are sea walls that have been built to keep the sea from flooding into low lying land.

 

Comparison between horticultural farming in Kenya and the Netherlands

Similarities;

• Vegetables, fruits and flowers are cultivated in both countries.
• Greenhouses are used to grow crops.
• Crops are grown for both the local market and the export market.
• In both countries, horticultural farming is done intensively in order to get maximum returns from the farm.
• In both countries the practice employs advanced scientific methods of farming.

Differences between horticultural farming in Kenya and the Netherlands

• Horticultural farming in the Netherlands is more advanced and better established than in Kenya.
• Farmers in the Netherlands spend more money on their farms than those in Kenya.
• Yields per acre are higher in the Netherlands.
• In Kenya, most farmers practise small scale farming except where flowers and fruits are grown. In the Netherlands, most farmers are large scale.
• Marketing in the Netherlands is more organised with co-operatives and auction marts. These are not available in Kenya.
• The Netherlands unlike Kenya has well developed means of transport
• In Kenya, farmers grow tropical fruits like mangoes, oranges and pineapples. In the Netherlands, farmers mainly grow temperate fruits like pears, apples, grapes among others.

Here is a flower farm in the Netherlands.

Contribution of cash crop farming to the economy

All the cash crops we have learnt have the following contribution to the economy:

a) They earn a country foreign exchange.

b) They provide job opportunities.

c) They have led to development of other industries.

d) They have led to the development of infrastructure and social amenities.

e) Farming has led to the development of towns.

f) They have improved the living standards of people.

g) They have led to cementing of good international relationships.