Bukura Agricultural College (BAC) is a training center located in Kakamega County, western part of Kenya. The college offers agricultural related courses, graduating skilled students in agricultural practices and related areas of study locally and internationally. The institution’s mission is to provide quality agricultural education through practical training, research, innovations and extension services for improved agricultural productivity and livelihoods.
Transforming agriculture; Bukura College embraces AgroCares soil testing technology
The journey of Bukura College to adopt AgroCares soil testing technology was initiated under the NUFFIC Netherlands project focused on sustainable soil management in Kenya. Launched in 2022, this initiative provided funding for short course trainings aimed at enhancing sustainable agricultural practices. To fulfill our project objectives, we sought innovative technologies that would enable real-time delivery of these trainings, as noted by Mr. Oyamo. Our initial collaboration with Bungoma county soil labs allowed us to explore AgroCares technology and its products, ultimately leading us to identify the ideal solution within our budget. Later, we connected to Fadhili Africa, the official distributor of AgroCares technology in Kenya, who helped us pinpoint the AgroCares Scanner as the perfect tool for soil management trainings for students at Bukura college and the farming community in Kakamega County explains Mr. Oyamo, section head agronomy. In April 2023, we acquired the AgroCares Scanner through Fadhili Africa, who provided training on its operation and positioned it in the crop science department (agronomy section) as part of the laboratory equipment for course instruction.
Why AgroCares soil testing Scanner at the crop science department
Although a wet chemistry soil laboratory exists at the Bukura College under the crop science department for research and course instruction purposes, as an institution we are cognizant of the real time emerging technologies in the agri-space. We are therefore working towards embracing new technologies and integrating them in the courses we offer to raise students who will step out as professionals and are well equipped to fit into the fast-paced world of technology. In this regard, AgroCares spectroscopy soil testing technology comes in handy for our students in the agronomy section notes Mr. Were, the senior lecturer. With the institution located in one of the largest farming regions in the country, we are dedicated to sharing knowledge with the surrounding farming community, particularly on the importance of soil health for enhancing productivity, as noted by Mr. Oyamo, Section Head of Agronomy.
What we love about AgroCares technology at Bukura College
The AgroCares technology for soil analysis has proven to be a great technology for our practical course instruction in the agronomy section. Its comprehensive approach allows us to teach the entire process; from soil sampling and analysis to results generation and interpretation within a single lesson. This enhances students’ understanding by providing both theoretical and practical experience in a short time frame. With the analysis being fast and delivering results in no time, it has also enabled us to offer the soil testing services to the small-scale farmers who neighbor the institution at an affordable price, making soil testing easily accessible to them, notes Mr. Oyamo.
As a course instructor who analyzes soil samples daily with the Scanner together with the students, we get to experience the outstanding features of the sensor technology; the user friendliness and portability. Additionally, the short duration within which analysis is completed and results produced giving well-structured soil reports that are easy to interpret is very appealing. I just love the fact that we are not handling chemicals with this technology and therefore the lengthy process of acquiring chemicals and other consumable is not a bother at all making practical course instruction a continuous and smooth process notes Mr. Were, the senior lecturer.
Impact of the technology
Since the acquisition of the Scanner in 2023, approximately 500 students have gone through trainings on sustainable soil management strategies and testing while close to 600 smallholder farmers have been offered soil testing services. Additionally, the adoption of the technology for training and soil analysis has enabled Bukura college to establish collaborations with like-minded partners in the agrispace running projects in western Kenya to reach out to smallholder farmers and provide them with holistic knowledge on agricultural production for better livelihoods. Our recent collaboration with GIZ has seen us reach out to farmers in their farmer groups and farmer field days for sensitization on the importance of soil testing, explains Mr. Oyamo. Overall, this is helping Bukura College to continuously work towards its institutional mission of providing quality agricultural education through practical training and extension services for improved agricultural productivity and livelihoods.
Cohort of trainees 2024: Practical session (soil sampling) with Mr. Were, Senior Lecturer
Outlook for the future
With more small-scale farmers and large-scale sugarcane farmers in the region expressing interest in easily accessible and affordable soil testing services, we are putting in place structures to broaden our approach in offering this crucial service. Integrating the trained students into the farming community to create more awareness on soil health and soil testing for improved agricultural production is our primary focus. We are also looking into integrating our Scanner activities with other departments within the institution; with the research department, we plan to establish demonstration plots to showcase the impact of soil testing for quality crops and improved yields. With the demonstration units in place, we can organize open field days for farmers for practical learning. A partnership with the animal section that is invested in commercial dairy, poultry and piggery farming alongside students training will lead to adoption of feed analysis for their feed formulations. Most importantly, as a learning institution that is embracing new technologies for learning purposes, we look forward to expanding the short courses we offer by adopting more products under the AgroCares spectroscopy technology explains Mr. Were, the senior lecturer.
