ศูนย์นวัตกรรมเทคโนโลยีหลังการเก็บเกี่ยว

Horticulture in Kenya: an overview.

M'Ribu, H. K.; Neel, P. L.; Fretz, T. A.;

HortScience Year: 1993 Vol: 28 Issue: 8 Pages: 766, 870-871

1993

บทคัดย่อ

About 20% of Kenya's land area has outstanding capacity for agricultural use, with the rest being mostly mountainous or arid. The seasons are largely determined by Kenya's bimodal rainfall pattern; from Mar. to June, the season of 'long rains', staple crops such as maize and vegetables are planted. In the season of 'short rains', from Oct. to Nov., early maturing crops are planted, mainly in upland areas. Some wild-type fruits and vegetables are still collected and even cultivated, but most horticultural crops grown in Kenya are exotic. Horticulture is one of the major farming activities, providing food, income and employment for the rural population, and ranks with tea and coffee production in importance as an export. By weight, cut flowers constituted 34% of the total fresh produce exports in 1992, followed by Phaseolus vulgaris (26%) and avocados (11%). However, while the export sector has expanded rapidly, production for the local market has not kept pace, with production limited to small-sc

ale farms that have little market information and poor infrastructure. The construction of new processing facilities is expected to improve the situation. Education in horticulture is briefly discussed.