Research4Dev

VACID Africa  as an organization  we carry out research in delivering services to our clients.We collaborate with the best researchers around the world  and also locally who are exceptionally good and are members of leading organizations and universities in the country. Some of the research work we have done is given below.

Banana Value Chain:  We have carried out research on areas that will help improve business activities in the value chain, especially for the small holder farmers we work with in:

• Taita Taveta County.

The research level we ventured here and  worked on include:

• Establishing new banana gardens

• Management of Tissue Culture bananas

• Routine management practices for the established gardens

• Improving productivity of banana plantations

• Improving Soil fertility

• Proper weed management

• Management of specific pests and diseases

• Post harvest handling

• Value Addition to banana produce – training on value addition enterprise i.e. processing

banana produce to make banana flours, puree, jams, crisps, baby foods, canned banana slices,

dried ripe bananas, banana starch, flour blends and wine.

• Training on handicraft enterprise i.e. making of mats, baskets, hats among others from

dried banana leaves.

This knowledge is impacted to farmers through organized trainings carried out in their co-operatives.

Impact: Increase in productivity and through the market links we provide, the small holder producer

benefits through an income increase.

• Fish value chain

This aquaculture value chain dealt with fish farming in Nyeri County and was carried out in ponds. The species of fish we work with were mainly Tilapia and Catfish.

The research areas we train the producers on include:

• Physical and chemical requirements suitable for growth

• Water requirements for effective growth of fingerlings

• Breeding – e.g. Catfish propagation

• Pond management- stocking, weighing & grading, dealing with pond weeds, aeration and

• Nutrition :

pond hygiene.

- Feed management – feed processing, feed formulations, feeding practices, feed

storage.

- Fertilizers and nutrients management – fertilizer management strategies.

- Importance of fish feeding.

• Training on diseases, fish kills on ponds and predators.

• Harvesting and post harvest handling

• Storage measures and techniques

• Processing of fish products and value addition – processing dried fish, fish flours, flour

blends and animal feeds.

- Establishing community kitchens where locals are trained on different methods of

fish preparation, fish recipes and various fish accompaniments.

• Benefits of working with clusters/ co-operative

Impact: Farmers actively joining working co-operatives which benefits them in terms of input

procurement, acquisition of harvesting and transportation infrastructure, marketing and access to

financial services.