PhD students of Egerton University write for farmers
RELOAD PhD students Faith Ndungi, Olivier Kashongwe and Samwel Nato, along with other members of the dairy team at Egerton University, Kenya, wrote a series of articles for farmers in the “Daily Nation”, a popular Kenyan newspaper and free online publication.
“Seeds of Gold” is a farming/agribusiness magazine that is published in the weekend edition of “Daily Nation”. The Nation Media Group (NMG) in partnership with Egerton University launched this magazine with an aim of informing farmers on best practices in various fields of agriculture including: dairy farming, fish farming, poultry farming and bee keeping, among other fields.
The RELOAD PhD students, together with some other members of the dairy group at Egerton University, seized the opportunity to write about topics that are related to their work. The articles cover issues such as on-farm milk storage and processing, as well as preventive practices for keeping milk free from chemical residues, such as antibiotics applied to the cows, and aflatoxins:
‘Four dairy products you can make at home’ by Faith Ngundi Ndungi, Olivier Kashongwe and Samuel Nato aimed at informing farmers about simple processing methods, including indigenous knowledge and practices. The dairy products discussed were fermented milks, ghee and cheese.
‘How to keep milk clean, fresh and marketable’ by Olivier Kashongwe, Samuel Nato and Faith Ngundi Ndungi emphasized on milk production in a clean environment to ensure that the milk produced is of good quality.
‘Tips on keeping milk and feeds safe from aflatoxin’ by Caroline Makau made farmers aware of the risks of aflatoxins contamination and how to avoid contaminations in animal feeds and milk.
‘How to ensure milk is free of chemical residues’ by Joy Deborah Orwa informed farmers about non-restrictive usage of antibiotics in animal rearing and its effects on health.
‘Wood smoke that gives long life and health to milk’ by Nobert Wafula and Samuel Nato enlightened farmers on pastoralists’ practices to use wood smoke for preserving and enriching milk.
