Swiss biological agriculture manufacturer Andermatt has opened its office in Naivasha, Kenya, as it eyes regional expansion.

Andedrmatt provides natural solutions for soil, pest, and disease management and will have an insect breeding facility.

During a visit to the facility, Andermatt Regional Commercial Manager Hamish Ker united that the Phytoseiulus persimilis feeds on red spider mites and consumes up to five adults or twenty eggs daily, providing an effective biological control instead of spraying chemicals.

Currently, the facility produces Phytoseiulus mites harvested daily for introduction in farms across Kenya to combat the destructive red spider mite, especially in flowers.

It targets producing up to 20 million phytoseiulus per week.

To promote soil and plant health for secure, increased agricultural productivity, Ker said there is a need to return to regenerative and sustainable agriculture systems as the globe struggles with climate change and food security issues.

According to him, using natural remedies will lessen the need for conventional chemical treatments and salt fertilisers and increase the effectiveness, affordability, and plant nutrition of insect management.

“By using nature’s solutions, we can reduce the need for pesticides which in turn reduces pressure on the environment as well as production costs and makes for a more conducive farming environment.” he said.

The Andermatt demo farm is growing maize, Sukuma, potatoes, beans, tomatoes, wheat, sorghum, sunflower, and millet—Kenya’s most popular crops—in a control experiment to show how mass root stimulation and soil conditioning can result in increased productivity with limited investment.