We will be following the travels of Class XXI of the Oklahoma Ag Leadership Program in the tropical country of Kenya this week and next- Program Director Edmond Bonjour offers these insights on their first full day in Kenya-
“The OALP’s first farm visit was at the farm of Mike Harries – Karamaini Estate near Thika. His grandfather came from South Africa in 1904 and he and his son-in-law had 5,000 acres each. They started with ostriches, then had African buffalo which were important for meat, fat, and hides, and then they grew coffee until 2000 when the coffee prices collapsed. Mike inherited 1,300 acres of the farm after his father died in 1963. That same year, Kenya received independence and 95% of the whites left the country. He ultimately sold 800 acres back to the native Kikuyu tribe.
“He has 160 acres today and after the coffee crash started growing avocados. He planted 45 acres over a five-year period. Their largest harvest has been 400 tons in one year. Trees are pruned to 4 meters. They are irrigated with sprinklers and each tree receives 20 liters per week. Most of the harvesting is done by females. They can pick 25-30 crates per day and each crate weighs 19-20 kg. Harvest occurs in June – August, and occasionally, like this year, the trees are flowering now and they will harvest again in December – January. They hand-harvest in canvas bags. The price ranges from 35-130 shillings per kg.
“They are currently shipping to Europe around the Cape because of the turmoil in the Suez Canal. Culled avocados are used for oil production. Additionally, he has an order of 40 tons of habanero chilies, so they are currently planting 5 acres of chilis. 24,000 plants came today and will be planted on 0.8 hectares. They have the field surrounded by netting and are using drip irrigation.
Mike was also a bush pilot who flew eye surgeons on medical missionary work throughout the country and he realized that many of the issues were eye infections from lack of fresh water. Therefore, he then built traditional windmills for 40 years to provide fresh water. He is also co-writing, with a local tribal member and an historian, a book about the farm and Kenyan history called, “The Last Pineapple for the President.” At 86 years, he shows no signs of slowing down!”
Dr. Bonjour adds “After the farm visit, the OALP drove to Kongoni Camp in Nanyuki. We saw various fruits and vegetables, cassava, rice, moo fodder, and charcoal being sold along the roads. School children were walking home in every community. Because of the teacher shortage, the elementary-aged students go early in the morning until about 11:00 a.m., the middle schoolers go next, and finally high school students later in the day, since the same teachers are utilized for all grades.”
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