Ruth Vaughan of Crop Nutrition Laboratory Services (CNLS) made the case for identifying the root cause of production deficit, and prescribing corrective actions so as
Author: admin
Producers should seek to ensure that their activities have at best a neutral impact on the environment and should preferably contribute to an improvement.
The Kenya Flower Council held a conference themed: Floriculture: Caring for People and Nature on 6th June 2017, at Mayfair Hotel in Nairobi. The meeting brought together players in the flower industry and stakeholders from government agencies and the civil society, both local and international. The conference was called to address the challenges in the industry and to review current interventions that could contribute to sustainability in the flower industry. It looked at the aspirations of sustainability at both the global and local level, at the guidelines that the industry has adopted the company standards in place and at initiatives that the industry has developed in partnership with other stakeholders. The forum came up with recommendations to that members could adopt to help them run their businesses successfully.
Mr. Richard Fox, the Chairman of Kenya Flower Council (KFC) said that sustainable practice in the flower sector is much more than growing but also encompasses other issues like governance, regulation, logistics, human capital, marketing and distribution.
Sustainability is as much about a mind-set that considersthe future impact of the daily decisions we make in our businesses as it is about supporting and undertaking projects that contribute to enhance our natural and social environment.
Tell us about Richard Fox
Richard Fox is the Chairman Kenya Flower Council &Sustainability Director for Finlays Horticulture Kenya Ltd. For the past 25 years he has been extensively involved in the Kenyan horticultural sector, and has played a leading role in the promotion of socially and environmentally sustainable business practises in the industry.
In 2011, he was appointed Chairman of Imarisha Naivasha, a multi-stakeholder forum set up by the Kenya Government to oversee a coordinated landscape approach to long term sustainable development in the Naivasha basin, the hub of Kenya’s floriculture industry. Richard is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He is currently Chairman of the Kenya Flower Council and Lake Naivasha Growers Group and a trustee of Imarisha Naivasha. Chairman Kenya Flower Council
Growers Must Ensure Timely and Accurate Detection and Intervention of Nutrient ImbalancesBy Benson Kibiru The Kenyan floriculture industry has in recent decades grown at an
Industry Briefs Primarosa Moves operations to its Nyahururu firmAccording to the company’s Chief Executive, Virag Joshi, the move has been influenced by the recent drought
In spite of great advances in insect-pest control strategies, thrips still remains to be one of the most challenging pests to control across the world. Dr Arturo Golderacena of Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium discussed this issue during a two-day seminar organised for flowers and vegetable growers by Dudutech and Dow Agrosciences. The combined approach by One of the Leading global Insecticide Giants and a globally respected Biological Solutions Innovator proved no one can walk alone.
What Are Thrips
Thrips (order Thysanoptera) are one of the most widespread, economically damaging and difficult pests to control worldwide. They are one of the smallest known winged insects and are named after their fringed/eyelash like wings. They cause damage to plants by piercing the cells of surface tissues and feeding on the sap. This causes the cells to die leaving unsightly sunken white blotches on leaf surfaces. Leaves may also be deformed and blossoms damaged by feeding in flower buds or on surface new vegetative growth. Thrips also transmit deadly viruses like Impatiens Necrotic Spot Virus (INSV) and Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) that can devastate numerous crop varieties.
Dick Van Raamsdonk is the Brain Child of IFTEX and makes a big contribution to Kenya’s flower sector. Growers around the world open their farm gates for him. Buyers around the world pack their briefcases to answer his call. Mr. Masila Kanyingi has been covering him for the last five years and below is a tete-a-tete from different interviews and other researched pieces.
Tell us a little about yourself
Dick van Raamsdonk (59 years) graduated from Eindhoven University of Applied Sciences, after which he studied Economics at the University of Amsterdam. After that, he briefly worked for the World Flower Trade Center in Leiden. A little later, he started his own business.
Tell us about your Family
I have a young family as well of three young children, who keep me up at night on a regular basis.
What does your job entail
Established in 1984, HPP Exhibitions has already 33 years of experience in organizing trade exhibitions all over the world. It has organized more than 180 exhibitions in 35 countries.
Ornamental crop production is a specialized business centred on the beauty of flowers and attention to detail to deliver perfect results. Syngenta has reinforced its
By Joseph Muita
Every flower stem counts hence successful farmers are smart to maximize yields through crop protection. Do you?
Downy Mildew is one of the major fungal challenges to the floriculture industry whose control budget is about 20% of the total pesticide value. It occurs rapidly and the effect on the quality of roses is irreversible and the loss is irreparable.
Once it takes hold, it will defoliate a plant very rapidly. While total defoliation does not immediately kill a plant as would, say, an accidental application of an herbicide, its loss of photosynthesizing ability stresses and weakens the plant to a degree that it becomes totally unproductive, a situation from which it may never recover. Downy is extremely contagious and will spread throughout your rose garden quickly if left untreated, laying waste to all the plants within a very short time.
Botrytis is also an important disease commonly known as Grey Mold which changes during its life cycle from being saprophytic to parasitic and acknowledged for considerably reducing marketable quality of roses. Botrytis has high potential of developing resistance as a result of indecorous usage of pesticides.
KLM, Royal FloraHolland, and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol are reinforcing the air bridge between Kenya and the Netherlands, joining forces to ensure that the Aalsmeer-Schiphol region