Eco-friendly nets

The use of insect nets to protect vegetable crops in tropical areas results in increased yields with a higher percentage of marketable products while significantly reducing the use of chemical insecticides or even suppressing them. Reducing parasite pressure also makes it possible to use bio-pesticides. To facilitate high value-added crops such as tomatoes, 8m x 20m x 2.5m net tunnels, also called Net-House, were set up in early 2017 in 30 smallholder farmers in groups of 6 in 5 counties of Kenya. The objectives of the project funded by the horticultural department of USAID (Horticulture Innovation Lab) and CIRAD were to evaluate the adaptation of this technology to tropical climatic conditions and its adoption by small Kenyan growers but also to calculate its profitability and the return on investment for crops grown in rotation during one year: tomatoes, beans and cabbage. Despite difficult drought-related climatic conditions, the results showed a significantly higher benefit for crops grown under a net house as compared to open field. This benefit is even greater with the addition of a drip irrigation system increasing production, reducing water requirements and working time. The net house also allows the cultivation of indeterminate varieties of tomatoes, whose higher yields, allow a faster return on investment. Farmers particularly appreciated the protective effect of nets against extreme climatic events (high heat, heavy rains, strong winds) leading to a good quality of fruits and vegetables linked to the reduction of the attacks of pests.