Doomed greenhouse farming in kenya.

In the field of agriculture, Kenya is one of the most technologically advanced country in Africa. being the regional net exporter to Europe,Asia and America the sector has a share of its challenges.
its good to note that most of the best farms in Kenya are owned by foreign investors. then why are natives unable to match this production record like the other farms, technology,professionalism and quality systems and structure is all that make the difference.  I have moved across the major growing regions in kenya like central and  rift valley. Thousands of greenhouses are left idle, many used as stores and even poultry shades,then, what is the problem,why are greenhouses soo cheap in kenya as compared to other countries,why are our greenhouses unable to support crop production, why are they breaking down, why are they invested with soil borne diseases i tried to sought comments from experts in Kenya(Simpsons Aayush-Lagran Group Limted,agricultural engineer) ,India(Uthkarsh-India institute of research and horticulture) and Israel(Tamar-polyfarm).whom we share similar technological advancement in the sector.

so what are the key features to consider on greenhouse farming. Every farmer should know that a greenhouse is a scientific technical structure whose principles (from design,construction and management) are set inline with the SPECIFIC crop to be grown.
just in summary lets see the key issues from:
Design 
This should be done by an Architect in consultation with an agricultural engineer,water engineer and an agronomist. focusing on the orientation,drainage,irrigation,rain water handling,crop support structure,foundation layout,location on the greenhouse and other finer details, if this step is not considered well, rain water will flood your greenhouse,your crops may not get irrigated well, crops can fail because of over heating or cooling.
Materials used
 materials used should be of the best quality and as recommended by the experts, metals used should be galvanized, of the right size and gauge, for polycover check on the following: thickness, Utility Grade, UV protection, Thermal protection,Anti condensation and heat Protection. if you fail to check on this your greenhouse can easily come down or blow away by wind or fail to support your crop.

Location 
Every region has déférent geographic conditions and the greenhouse design vary with regions so that the structure can  balance the internal condition to favor the growing of crops. for example a greenhouse in cold places like limuru or kericho needs to be designed to retain more heat unlike a greenhouse in northern kenya designed to have more ventilation, therefore all these factors need to be considered before even designing the greenhouse, and thus an expert needs to visit your farm before anything is set.


General principles 
 In general greenhouses should be set inline with the sun inclination,right apex and gutter height,proper site selection. also avoid using salvage/used materials this can transfer pests diseases or affects the quality of design and thus poor results.
Effects of poorly designed greenhouse
All these effects goes to the crop in the greenhouse because poorly done greenhouse over heat thus crops look wilted,turns yellow, taste acidic and poor yield, they also scald that is having brown or black patchs because of direct sun light,poor ventilation favors development of soil born diseases like bacterial wilt and fusarium wilt poor management make the soil acidic favoring nematodes. the reason why our greenhouses are cheap is because all the quality and technical parameters of the materials are not met because everyone is focusing in lowering the costs to get more clients any failure there after they dont care. All these things explains why greenhouse farmers are making huge loses because crops cant  grow or give better yields in the designs. so next time you need better yields in a greenhouse consult the right experts or companies no juakali greenhouse can work well.
from the above i think you agree with me that not everyone can construct a greenhouse that brings better yields to farmers.
if you need specific details or any information contact me nicklykipkorir@gmail.com skype nicklykipkorir call/whatsapp +254729379092