# Soiltest
Shamba Shape Up : Series 3 - Shamba Shape Up Series 3 - Ep 5: Grain Groups, Soil test, Tomato, Housing, Solar power

We learn how to plant tomatoes, the importance of water harvesting, Grain Groups, D.light solar lights, proper housing of animals, soil testing and how KCB banking can help in your farm.

Shamba Shape Up : Series 4 - Shamba Shape Up Series 4 - Episode 8: Soil test, Dairy cow, Tomatoes and Water harvest

SSU visits Nyeri to meet Ceclilia and Moses who need a helping hand. We look at their cow's housing and feeding, how to transplant tomatoes & how to do a soil test and use fertilisers.

Shamba Shape Up Season 7 - Shamba Shape Up Sn 7 - Ep 2: Pigs, Onions, Diary Cows and Soil test

We are in Narok County at the House of Hope Refuge a home for girls fleeing female genital mutilation and forced early marriages. For food and learning about life skills they have a shamba. We have a look at their dairy cows and how to properly feed them for high milk yield. We also have a look at their onions, pigs and do a soil test.

Shamba Shape Up Season 7 - Shamba Shape Up Sn 7 - Ep 8: Dairy Farming, Milk Replacer, Energy Saving Jiko

We are in Meru County at Timothy and Josephine Itiiri's shamba. We have a look at how to choose the right seed for artificial insemination, introduce them to a calf milk replacer and do a soil test. We also tell them about the benefits of acquiring a truck as a farmers group and using energy saving jikos.

Shamba Shape Up Season 7 - Shamba Shape Up Sn 7 - Ep 10: Soil Test, Silage Making, Farm Transport and Tomatoes

We are in Nakuru County at Kenneth and Rebecca Chemgoren. We have a look at how to properly feed dairy cows to increase milk yield, pests and diseases in tomatoes and do a soil test. We also introduce them to the Mitsubishi Fuso for efficient transport on the farm.

Shamba Shape Up Season 7 - Shamba Shape Up Sn 7 - Ep 11: Pigs, Cabbages, Dairy Cows and Soil test

We are in Nyeri County at David and Milka Mathenge's Shamba. We learn how to properly rear pigs and handling pests and diseases in their dairy cows and cabbages. We also introduce them to crop specific fertilisers and do a soil test.

Shamba Shape Up Season 7 - Shamba Shape Up Sn 7 - Ep 16: Conservation Agriculture, Mangoes, Water Testing

We are in Machakos at Gregory and Teresia Mutua's Shamba. We introduce them to the principles of conservation agriculture, and learn how to properly take care of pests and diseases in mangoes. We also do a soil test and get to know the importance of doing a water test.

Shamba Shape Up Season 7 - Shamba Shape Up Sn 7 - Ep 18: Certified Seeds, Conservation Agriculture, Energy Saving

We are in Kitui County visiting the Wambua Family. We learn about increasing yield by doing a soil test, planting certified seeds and practicing Conservation Agriculture. We also help them save money by introducing them to an energy saving jiko and a solar home system.

Shamba Shape Up Season 8 - Shamba Shape Up Sn 8 - Ep 1: Pigs, Soil testing, Certified Seeds and Fertiliser

Welcome to a new series of Shamba Shape Up. 

Our theme this season is farming as a business. 

We are in Embu County visiting Cecily Muchiri and her son Charles. We first do a soil test then introduce them to crop specific fertilizers. We also learn about the benefits of using certified seeds for a higher yield and how to properly feed pigs in order to get them ready for the market in good time.

Shamba Shape Up Season 8 - Shamba Shape Up Sn 8 - Ep 7: Onions, Layer Chicken, Fodder Crops

We are in Eldoret, Uasin Ngishu County visiting Karen Langat. We have a look at improving her already booming layer chicken business and advice her on the importance of soil testing when growing fodder crops.She wants to venture into the onion business so we bring in an expert to advice her and also show her the benefits of owning a tractor.

Shamba Shape Up Season 8 - Shamba Shape Up Sn 8 - Ep 9: Broiler Chicken, Potatoes, Cabbages

We are in Trans-Nzoia County just outside Kitale visiting Christine and her friend Josephine. We learn how to properly feed broiler chicken in order to get them to good selling weight and how to increase the yield in potatoes by using soil testing and fertilisers. We also help deal with pests and diseases in their cabbages and introduce them to an expert on farm transport.

Shamba Shape Up Season 8 - Shamba Shape Up Sn 8 - Ep 10: Tea, Economies of Scale, Dairy Cows

We are in Trans Nzoia County just outside Kitale visiting Monica  and Stephen Mbatia. We learn about the benefits of practicing economies of scale when farming and doing a soil test to know which fertilizers to use. We also introduce them to a solar home system and advice them on how to increase milk yield from their dairy cows by using artificial insemination.

Shamba Shape Up Season 8 - Shamba Shape Up Sn 8 - Ep 18: Pig Farming, Digi Farm, Post Harvest Losses

We are in Meru County visiting a farm manager Alex Maingi. We introduce him to Digi Farm a mobile phone platform that is making farmers lives easier, do a soil test and get an expert on fertilisers. We also have a look at improving his pigs, educate him on the impact of climate change and how to properly store his maize to avoid post harvest losses.

Shamba Shape Up Season 8 - Shamba Shape Up Sn 8 - Ep 19: Digi Farm, Post Harvest Storage, Fertilisers

We are in Kajiado County visiting Stella and Joseph. We introduce them to Digi Farm a mobile phone platform that is helping farmers increase profits, have a look at his store room and advice them on what improvements to make. We also test their soil, have an expert on fertilisers and educate them on the benefits of using a solar home system.

Shamba Shape Up Season 10 - Shamba Shape Up Sn 10 - Ep 15: Climate Change, Soil test, Tomato, Rain harvesting

Welcome to a new series of Shamba Shape Up celebrating our tenth anniversary.


In this episode we want to give farmers the help and knowledge they need to adapt their farming methods, increase their income and make their farms more productive even while the climate changes.

We look at various farms we have visited and learn various tricks to make your farm productive.

We learn how to collect soil sample for soil testing, also we get advice on how to manage tomato crops and how to harvest rain.

How to adapt to climate change by using solar equipment, Also we look at nutrition as you 

Shamba Shape Up Season 11 - Shamba Shape Up Sn 11 - Ep 1: Soil Test, Intercropping, Forage and Solar Irrigation System

Welcome to the brand new series of Shamba Shape Up series 11.

On our first episode, we are in Ndeiya, nestling in the shadows of Ngong hills, between Kiambu county and the Great Rift Valley.

We are visiting farmer Peter Kamiti.

We are learning about the importance of Soil testing and what to do after doing the soil test.

Also Due to the climate change we get to learn about the variety of maize to plant during short and long rain. 

We also learn about Intercropping between maize and beans.

On topic of Dairy Cows:

We learn how to manage your nappier grass, how to plant, harvest and Storing nappier grass.

The varieties of forages to plant to feed you cows, so to reduce expenses in buying concentrated feeds.

We also get to learn about the Solar powered irrigation system and how to be able to buy and get it installed.

Shamba Shape Up Season 11 - Shamba Shape Up Sn 11 - Ep 2: Soil Test, Rain harvesting, Avocado, Brachiaria & Insurance

Welcome to Shamba Shape up series 11.

This week we are in Meru county, visiting farmers Alfred and Margaret Muthomi and their son John Paul.

They are building up and wants to give back back both as the same time.

They ran a farm and a children's home and they want to increase their yields for the next season with the children's needs in mind.

We are doing two good deeds at the price of one. 

In this farm we learn:

➢The importance of soil-testing.

➢The importance of harvesting rain water and how to set-up the rain water harvesting system.

➢How a certified nursery provides seedlings (Avocado) free from diseases and how it is done.

↝↝Also the importance of buying a certified seeds and good farming practices of planting it.

➢How to increase your milk yield by practising good management of your brachiaria grass and how to preserve the grass by making hay bales for use in dry season.

➢How to protect your crops and livestock from disaster in a cheaper way.

Shamba Shape Up Season 11 - Shamba Shape Up Sn 11 - Ep 3: Forage production, Soil Test, Push-Pull & Avocado

Welcome to Shamba Shape Up.

This week we are in Meru County and we are visiting an expert farmer called Rachel.

She runs a training course for farmers around her area. Can she teach us a thing or two? who’s going to be teacher on this episode?

We learn about:

Forage production (Bracharia):

➢ How to get more forage plants without having to buy the seeds or the seedlings by making and planting bracharia splints.

➢ mportance of planting bracharia as forage for your livestock.

Soil testing

➢ We help Rachel with her coffee plantation, which is yellowing by doing a soil test in the farm.

➢ Importance of doing a soil test in your farm.

Push-Pull method

➢ How to get rid of pests in vegetables by using the Push-Pull method.

Avocado Irrigation

➢ We get advice on when and how to irrigate an avocado tree.

Shamba Shape Up Season 11 - Shamba Shape Up Sn 11 - Ep 4: Soil Testing, PATG water tank, Pest&diseases, EPC & Nutrition

Welcome To Shamba Shape Up.

This week we’re in Kikuyu ,and we’re taking a trip down memory lane

 We’re re-visiting a farm we first shaped up over 10 years ago! 

That’s right, at the start of our very first series of Shamba Shape Up

 And we can’t wait to see how it’s been doing.

➢We find out why it’s important to do a soil test

➢ How to get a water tank from M-KOPA to help with irrigation

➢ How to combat pest and diseases in your crops

➢ Find out about Electric Pressure Cookers

➢ What kind of food should babies eat for a nutritious diet?

Shamba Shape Up Season 11 - Shamba Shape Up Sn 11 - Ep 7:Soil test,Avocado, Napier grass, Solar Power Irrigation System

Welcome to Shamba Shape Up

This week we are in Uplands, in a village called Githirioni, Lari Sub-County.

We are visiting farmer Joseph and Grace kaberere. 

This week we are learning about:

1) How to improve soil fertility by doing a soil test in your farm

2) Under tree management of an Avocado tree

3) How to stop napier smut disease from spreading and how to plant a smut free napier.

4) We also get to learn about the Solar Powered Irrigation System and how to get it installed and maintain it.

Shamba Shape Up Season 11 - Shamba Shape Up Sn 11 - Ep 19:Calf management,Forage ,Soil test, vegetables push-pull, EPC

Welcome to Shamba Shape Up

This week we are in Bungoma County, visiting farmer Zaina Eunice Atieno, mother of 5 children 

This week we are learning about:

1) Calf management

2) Planning for improved forages

3) Soil testing

4) How to use push-pull method to control pests around your vegetables

5) How to best finance your electric pressure cooker

Shamba Shape Up Season 11 - Shamba Shape Up Sn 11 - Ep 22:Soil test, Panicum grass, Compost, minimum tillage, Insurance

Welcome to Shamba Shape Up

This week we are in Kakamega, visiting farmer James and Nancy Titiya

We are learning about:

1) Soil testing

2) Planting panicum grass in a nursery

3) Building a compost structure for your farm

4) Minimum tillage for maize

5) Insuring your crop

Shamba Shape Uganda Season 1 - Shamba Shape Up Series 1-Ep 1(UG): Dairy, Soil test, Banana, Crop Rotation and Vegetables

Welcome to Shamba Shape Up Uganda!

Today we’re in Kirangira Village, Mukono central and we’re meeting with farmer  Dorothy Nakalembe.

Dorothy’s a very experienced lady who’s been farming since 1980. She has a 3-acre farm where she grows bananas, maize and vegetables .She also has cows but she needs expert advice on them and of course for her vegetables.

This is one farmer who knows what she wants!

In this farm we are learning about:

            1. Dairy breeding, nutrition and hygiene

            2. What to plant after Clearing Banana                  plantation

            3. Soil testing on banana plantation

            4.  Vegetables transplanting and good farming practices

Partner's Clips - Soil management_Soil Test

How to do a soil test and why it’s important