MOhemp Kenya Timeline Notes Sept 2016

MOhemp Kenya

Timeline and Notes Last Update October 2016

• Letter of Exploration sent (complete)
• Kenya Government Reply (complete, approved)
• Seeking Funding Resources (in progress)
• Apply Kenya Business License Government (future)
• Establish MOhemp Kenya Enterprise with Government of Kenya (future)
• established website
• 9/22/16 Established a working relationship with: Kenaf Seed Supplier who has grown Kenaf in Kenya before in 2 field studies:
• “….to play the roll of kenaf seeds supplier & kenaf production consultant.  It will be a great honor for me to assist you & your initiative in Kenya as much as I can.  As I have worked in Kenya some years ago, I can tell that it can be an ideal place for kenaf farming & R&D.   It is feasible to train local people for production of kenaf as source of several raw materials:
  
• * oil seeds + pulp for animal feeding  
  * fibers for several industries such as paper, textile, building & more.
  * kenaf core can be used also for several industries
  * human food (from kenaf leaves)
  
• I believe that within short period of time it will be possible to produce in Kenya kenaf seeds, to grow kenaf as biomass source for many uses & applications & to work on breeding of kenaf varieties & hybrids.
• 10/3/16 Land Scouting Mission Location 1 photos are available
• 10/5/16 Educational Assistance Offer Lindy Wafula: I will be honored to do a project that can create employment for the youth and economic empowerment for women since I work with many from poor rural families: http://www.villageventuresinternational.org 

Educational Outreach with OJT

this is a perfect example of what we will be doing with the OJT and Educational Outreach aspects and reasoning behind the MOhemp Kenya Enterprise.

MOhemp Kenya addresses and solves all the problems and needs mentioned in the ACIAR Consultation on Agricultural Research.

Problem 1:
"Experience has shown, however, that in agricultural research sudden breakthroughs are rare and an increase in agricultural production usually consists of small gains made from time to time as a result of sustained research efforts over a long period. This is certainly the situation in Kenya.

Problem 2:
The development of agricultural research since independence has been rapid but not rapid enough to cope with the problems of food production in the next decade. The principal limiting factor is the number of qualified and experienced research staff in both scientific and technical cadres.

Untapped Potential:
The Kenyan agricultural research system has, however

(1) attracted a large number of university graduates who need training and on-the-job guidance in order for them to make a contribution.

(2) It is therefore expected that research projects supported by donor agencies should have a strong manpower development component and should be designed to last for 42 periods longer than the usual 3-5 years, if they are to make a lasting impact.

Need 1:
The highest priority is now placed on the overall development of arid and semi-arid areas, the most vital aspect of this development being in agriculture.

Need 2:
Crop research is reasonably well developed and the shift in emphasis to dryland agriculture will involve mainly institutional building and direction of research effort.

The situation is, however, different in the vital fields of animal production and agroforestry where the shortage of scientific manpower is acute."

Source: http://aciar.gov.au/files/node/13168/pr1_pdf_10048.pdf Page 42 Proceedings of the Eastern Africa-ACIAR Consultation on Agricultural Research Nairobi, Kenya 19-22 July 1983