The Impact of Greenhouse Polythene in Kenya: Quality Cover, How It Works, Price, Application, and Importance
- Food security and nutrition are essential for Kenya's vision 2030.
- Polythene greenhouses maximize the limited land resource and erratic weather patterns to achieve food security.
- This article summarizes the impact of greenhouse polythene in Kenya.
What is a Polythene Greenhouse?
- Made from prefabricated metallic or treated wooden frames covered by ultraviolet-stabilized polymer films.
- Polythene is durable, doesn’t corrode, and can withstand extreme temperatures.
- High transmission and diffusion of light, allows up to about 200mm of water, and has high ultraviolet blocking or transmission.
- Comes in yellow or milky colours.
- Easy to place and remove or relocate and can also be reused or recycled.
How greenhouse polythene Works
- Drip irrigation is used, where water is directed straight to the plant's roots in the soil through perforated plastic pipes.
- Little water used makes it easy to control, no soil erosion, and evenly distributed in the greenhouse.
- More control over the use of pesticides and fertilizers which is easy to calculate, measure and budget.
- Diseases do not easily spread from one on-farm to another because polythene provides a barrier between different farms.
Greenhouse polythene Price Application
- Greenhouse structure comes in different sizes depending on need.
- For example, the 8 meters by 30 meters greenhouse with an apex height of 4 meters to 5 meters, will cost about KES 350,000 to construct.
- The greenhouse is supported by drip irrigation, a 1000-litre water tank, and a nursery.
- 8 meters and 15 meters metallic greenhouse with an apex height of 4 meters to 4.5 meters, will cost about KES 220,000 to construct.
Why It Is Important to Use greenhouse polythene in Kenya
- Maximum output on produce per unit area compared to traditional farming methods.
- Ensures optimum use of land, provides better supervision and minimum human labour requirements.
- Drip irrigation is applied which uses little water and thus does not depend on whether trends for growth.
- Practical maintenance and installation instructions.
- Crops and vegetables such as flowers, mushrooms, tomatoes, capsicum, spinach, and cucumbers are examples of plants that do well in greenhouses.
Disadvantages of Polythene Greenhouses
- Expensive to set up and maintain.
- Various types of equipment required for ventilation purposes.
- Prevents natural pollination such as wind and insects.
- Causes over-usage of the land, excessive use of pesticides, and lack of crop rotation.
- Not all plants can be grown in greenhouses.
Conclusion
- Greenhouses increase production levels because of better efficiency of space and inputs and reduce the chance of pests and diseases destroying crops.
- On average, greenhouse farmers earn profits that are higher than the profits for open-field farmers.
- Although there is a positive attitude towards greenhouse technology among small and medium-scale farmers in Kenya, additional attention towards proper farming practices is needed to increase the uptake of greenhouses.
