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Harvesting is what every farmer prays for, including Friends United Meeting. The third season of the Ambwere Farm sustainability project began with planting on 7 March 2025, and is currently in the first week of harvesting, which began on 15 August 2025.
Ambwere Season 3 saw us shift our focus from planting commercial maize to planting hybrid maize for seed under a contract between Kenya Seed Company and Friends United Meeting. We signed a contract to plant seed maize of H6210 variety on 700 acres out of the 800 acres of arable land in our Ambwere Farm.
Growing seed maize purely means we have been contracted by the Kenyan Government to help produce commercial hybrid maize seeds that are usually sold to commercial farmers who are engaged in commercial maize farming in Kenya. This makes seed maize a very sensitive crop that needs proper monitoring and management.
For hybrid seed production, we plant both male seeds and female seeds where the role of the males is to supply the necessary pollen for successful, quality hybrid seed production that ensures genetic diversity, hence creation of superior offspring. Male plants cover 25% of the arable land and the female plants cover 75% of the arable land to have successful seed production.
When growing seed maize, the females are not allowed to tassle, and all the females are subjected to a process called detasseling ninety days after planting. This process prevents the crop from self-pollinating, which would lead to the seed being being rejected as a hybrid seed.
Following frequent successful inspections of the crop by the seed company, approval for harvesting the crop is granted. Harvesting is done entirely by hand. To prevent mixing of the seeds, the harvesting of male plants is done separately from the females. Harvesting for seed maize also begins quite early, since the moisture content of the ears can be as high as 35%, whereas it must be much lower for standard maize to be harvested. Last season we did not begin to harvest until the month of October.
Currently, we are in the second week of harvesting the seed maize, with the focus mainly on the female seed that is delivered to Kenya Seed from the Ambwere Farm. Harvesting of the male plants will begin later, given the intensity of selecting good female seeds.
We currently project a yield of 1600 kgs per acre paid at a rate of ksh.100 per kg. We appreciate that growing seed maize allows the farmer to project an output yield and expected income, as signed in the contract. For Ambwere Season 3, we are committed to realizing a good yield and income, and we shall share the harvest journey and progress as the weeks of successful harvest continue.
Emonse Muhindi
Operations Manager
