This archive report was first published on 15 July 2019.
July 15, 2019
Pyrethrum Farmer's Success Story ¶
Gerald Nyamweya, a 56-year-old farmer from Kiambogo in Nakuru County, has been growing pyrethrum for over two decades. Despite the sector's roller-coaster ride, Nyamweya has found a new formula for producing high-quality flowers using solar dryers.
Pyrethrum, unlike other crops, is picked throughout the year, boosting farmers' livelihoods. The crop produces pyrethrins used as natural insecticides. Nyamweya grows K122 and P4 varieties of pyrethrum on an acre and intercrops maize and beans on another two acres.
He started using solar dryers after a training conducted by BuildAfrica in 2014. The technology helps maintain the color and pyrethrin content of the flowers, unlike traditional sun drying. Solar drying also boosts the safety and quality of flowers due to low temperatures.
The solar dryer is a simple greenhouse-like structure that uses solar energy to dry the pyrethrum flowers. Construction of the structure cost Nyamweya Sh12,960. He sells a kilo of the flowers at Sh140 during peak period, earning him a significant income.
‘The use of this innovation helps in maintaining the pyrethrin content of the dried flowers. In direct sunlight drying technique, the flowers lose content and its color fades fetching low price in the market,’ Nyamweya explains.
