The annual Wambugu Farmers Day arrived this weekend in style. The event was well attended by around 30,000 people, including farmers from all corners of Kenya, distributors, agronomists, researchers, and input suppliers like Sakata Seeds. This event remains the primary focus in the calendar for farmers. Breeders and distributors eager to impress the public put a huge effort into their displays and manned their plots to hear directly from farmers about their needs.
Being at an altitude of 1,750 meters, the climate suits brassicas very well, and it is safe to say that cabbages stole the show this year. However, there were many wonderful-looking tomatoes, such as the Buena Vista F1 from Sakata. The butternuts performed well, even though it was a little cold for them. Barbara F1 hybrid butternut attracted a lot of attention from visitors this year. Onion Granate F1 hybrid showcased its strengths with uniformity, its deep purple colour, and beautiful large bulbs.
The cabbages deserve a special mention as Sakata displayed Optima F1, Grandslam F1, Conquer F1, and Powerslam F1. They all looked impressive, as the photos show, demonstrating their individual qualities: Conquer with large heads, Grandslam with large green heads and excellent wrapping leaves, and the new kid on the block, Powerslam F1, which is taking Africa by storm with exceptional round dense heads and Xanthomonas resistance. Following the brassica theme, the collard Top Bunch F1 was superb and drew significant interest from farmers.
The farmers asked pertinent questions and had to sort through the surplus of companies displaying their products. In the end, they made their selections and went home with seeds and other inputs for trials. Fortunately, the rain held off, allowing everyone to enjoy the day, meet old friends and business colleagues, network, and gather ideas for the year ahead.
Good luck to all the farmers who attended and to the distributors striving for success in an increasingly crowded and complex marketplace. Thank you to the organizers of Wambugu for hosting this event; it remains the best farmer-focused event in Kenya!
