Plai Ekachai wakes each day on a mound facing the portrait of the king and starts his day by eating Napier grass.

The ground beneath the canopy is almost bare but Mr Kariuki has planted napier grass, some arrow roots and maize a short distance away.

The “pull” comes from Napier grass, which attracts moths looking to lay their eggs, planted around the edge of the field to keep the moths away from the corn.

Among examples, thousands of Kenyan farmers were planting insect-repelling desmodium or tick clover, used as animal fodder, within corn fields to keep damaging insects away and sowed small plots of napier grass nearby that excretes a sticky gum to trap pests.