Get premium membership and access revision papers with marking schemes, video lessons and live classes.

Processing. Please wait.

In this lesson we are going to discuss about the horticultural crops grown and their distribution in Kenya and Netherlands

Answer Text:
Crops Grown and their Distribution
Kenya
Vegetables: cabbages, kales, carrots, tomatoes, turnips,cassava, sweet potatoes etc.
Fruits: oranges, mangoes, lemons, apples, pears, plums, bananas, paw paws.
Flowers: roses, orchids, gladioli, lilies, carnations etc. grown in Limuru, Naivasha, Murang’a, Kiambu, Thika, etc.

Netherlands
Vegetables: lettuces, cucumber, peaches, leaks, asparagus, cauliflower, melons.
Fruits: apples, pears, cherries, goose berries, redcurrants, raspberries etc.
Flowers: azalea, rhododendrons, tulips, hyacinths, roses and clematis.

Cultivation Kenya
- Vegetables and fruits are grown in open fields.
- Flowers are grown in green houses.
- Moisture is made available to vegetables and flowers through sprinkling.
Advantages of Green Houses
a) Plants don’t suffer effects of excessive rainfall.
b) Plants aren’t affected by drought.
c) Pest and disease spread are controlled.
d) Uniformity of climate is created for all plants.
e) Plants are protected from damaging effects of strong winds and airborne diseases.
f) Crops can be grown throughout the year.
g) It’s easier to control weeds by chemicals because the area is small.

Netherlands
- Horticultural crops are grown in the open and in green houses.
- Tree fruits are mainly grown outdoors.
- There is the use of glasshouses (green houses made of glass).
- They are connected to boilers and furnaces used to heat to maintain warm temperatures in winter.
- There is use of predators to control pests e.g. flies, spider mites and lady birds to avoid degrading the environment.
- There is specialisation with different areas growing different crops e.g.
i) Flowers in Aalsmear near Amsterdam and Lei den in Harlem.
ii) Vegetables in the triangular area formed by Hague, Rotterdam and Hook of Holland.
iii) Fruits in the interior of Rotterdam in provinces of Guilderland, Limburg and Utrecht.

Uses of Horticultural Crops
Fruits and vegetables are used as food while flowers are for decorating houses, offices, churches, weddings and funerals.

Marketing
Kenya
- Small scale farmers transport their produce to the collecting centres to buyers or middle men.
- It’s checked and graded.
- Then packed in packaging materials.
- Then transported to the airports where most of it is airlifted to W. Europe where it may find its way to Japan and USA.
Netherlands
- The produce is transported to go-downs of collecting agents or to the markets.
- It’s transported via roads, railways, air or through canals and navigable rivers.
- It’s destined for Britain, France, Germany, Sweden, Belgium and Luxemburg.

Role to the Economies
a) A source of foreign exchange.
b) Saves some foreign exchange.
c) Has led to industrial development by providing raw materials e.g. fruit canning, vegetable oil manufacturing, etc.
d) Provides employment to many due to being labour intensive.
e) It has led to development of infrastructure in the areas with large scale horticultural farms which have been served with
better roads, water and electricity.
f) Earns farmers income when they sell their produce to buyers and middlemen.
g) Promotes better health and nutrition.
h) Has led to effective land use e.g. swampy areas in C. Province have been reclaimed for vegetable production.

Problems
Kenya
a) Inadequate capital in part of small scale farmers to buy inputs which lowers yield quality and quantity.
b) Transport problem during rainy season in areas served only by seasonal roads leading to losses.
c) Pests and diseases such as leaf blight which destroy the crops leading to losses.
d) Lack of organised marketing system such as cooperatives causing exploitation by middlemen and inability to access credit and advisory services.
e) High transport costs leading to sale of produce to middlemen who exploit farmers.
f) Exploitation of workers by large horticultural companies leading to unrests e.g. working for long hours with less pay.
Netherlands
a) Frost affects crops growing in the open.
b) Inadequate capital to start new farms due to technology being very expensive.