Ambwere Farm Finishes Canola Harvest

The six-week long canola harvest finally has come to an end at the Friends United Meeting farm in Kitale, the Ambwere Farm sustainability project. The canola planting covered about 400 of the 800 acres.

The canola harvest was done by a combine harvester, since it eliminates the swathing cost and reduces labor requirements at the farm. The harvesting process has had its own fair share of challenges with the changing weather. Some days were rainy, delaying the harvesting process, while in other areas the canola plant was not dry enough for harvest. However, about 789,400 kilograms of Canola was harvested at the farm (approximately 34,800 bushels), and the contracted company, Agventure, located in Nakuru, collected the proceeds for production of canola edible oil. Canola oil is rich in Omega 3 which can be used as a supplement for babies and pregnant women.

Apart from the seeds that were of benefit to the contracted company, the local dairy farmers had an opportunity to gather canola hay (waste from the combine harvester) for their cows. This bolsters not only a good relationship between FUM and the community, but is also a contribution to food security around the surrounding communities.

Our main purpose in planting the canola was for soil reconditioning, therefore we expect a bumper harvest of corn in the acreage where the Canola was planted.

Currently, with our new machinery in place, tilling and planting has been going on day and night at the farm ahead of the rainy season. Delivery of the corn seed and fertilizer occurred exactly when planned.