New Agriculturist

Food for Thought

In Uganda, the Food for Thought programme aims to combine good agricultural practice, with formal education in schools, teaching children both good ideas, and good nutrition. The Programme is also linked with a Food for Thought programme in the UK, so that both Ugandan and British children appreciate good agricultural practice – and how they can benefit from it. Based in Gulu in the north of Uganda, James Anywar is headmaster of Keyo Primary School – but he is also Chariman of the Food for Thought Programme. On a tour of the school gardens, he explains how the programme works. Georgina Smith reports
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Article: Learning peace in Uganda

Orange-fleshed plantain for child health (part 2)

In Cameroon, the African Research Centre on Banana and Plantain (CARBAP) has been identifying varieties of banana and plantain that have high levels of carotenoids - the substances that make Vitamin A. These are now being tested by farmers in their own banana plantations under a High Density Planting system. The field trials are investigating whether it is possible to achieve higher crop yields by growing more plants on the same area of land, and what the fertiliser requirements of these plants would be. Mike Davison reports.
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Article: Going bananas for vital vitamins

Orange-fleshed plantain for child health (part 1)

Not getting enough Vitamin A in the diet has a serious impact on health. In Cameroon, for example, 40 per cent of children under five suffer from Vitamin A deficiency; this means that they become sick more easily, and may even die. While it is possible to take Vitamin A supplements, in the long term it is better to include more Vitamin A rich foods in the diet. For example, some varieties of plantain and banana have high levels of carotenoid, a substance that the body uses to make Vitamin A. The African Research Centre on Banana and Plantain in Cameroon (CARBAP) is investigating the potential of these varieties, at its research station in Njombe, Cameroon. The station also has an enormous collection of different types of banana and plantain, one of the biggest collections in the world. Food scientist, Dr Gérard Ngoh, took Mike Davison to see the collection, and Mike began by asking just how many different varieties the collection contained.
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Article: Going bananas for vital vitamins

Transforming agriculture in Africa

What are the ideas that could transform African agriculture – and make the lives and livelihoods of smallholder farmers across the continent better? A conference held recently in Johannesburg, South Africa, brought together farmers, donors, researchers, and businesses from all over the continent to discuss ways to make African agriculture more productive and competitive in a global economy. Neil Palmer reports with some of their ideas on what African agriculture needs for the future if it is to become the keystone to further economic growth on the continent.
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Article: Transforming agriculture in Africa

New Agriculturist podcast 2007-5

Much agricultural research lasts only a few years or so. But the Broadbalk fields at Rothamsted Research, UK, are home to the longest-running agricultural experiment int eh world. Professor Phil Brookes takes Susie Emmett to the heart of the trials to discuss how useful and relevant such a demonstration is to farmers today, more than 150 years since they began. From Uganda, Georgina Smith reports from a plot bursting with juicy pineapples and healthy vegetables as part of another on-farm experiment, and how it has benefited smallholders.
Audio link: http://wrenmedia.jellycast.com/files/audio/new-ag07-5.mp3
Article: Making soil matter , Editorial

Blooming business

Flowers are big business - so big in fact, that global trade in flowers has been growing by 20 per cent each year. With so much demand coming mostly from Europe, it is no wonder that farmers want to invest in the flower business, but is the option open to small scale farmers, as well as large commercial operations? Susie Emmett travelled to South Africa and Amsterdam in the Netherlands, where flowers from more than 80 countries are traded, to find out. She talks to the entrepreneurs seizing the opportunity to create an increasingly Blooming business.
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Article: The power of flowers

Getting research off the shelves

There have been many changes at the Department for International Development in recent months, with Douglas Alexander replacing former Secretary of State for International Development, Hilary Benn. Behind the scenes, research at DFID continues, and the launch of DFID's new research programme - Research into Use - is one of latest initiatives contributing to the growth of sustainable agriculture, a significant sector for Africa. In this interview Susanna Thorp talks to Dan Kisauzi, Director of capacity strengthening for the programme, about what putting research into use really means.
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Article: Transforming agriculture in Africa

Understanding the business of coffee

The world is difficult to imagine without coffee. In Europe in particular, in the coffee houses and cafes lining the streets of every city, or on the crowded streets of commuters making their way to work, the drink is often an essential part of everyday routine. But from the bean to the coffee cup, there is a long process of growing, quality testing, buying and selling. For one co-operative of farmers in Papua New Guinea, the process has yielded a success story. Georgina Smith spoke to the Directors of the co-operative Mainland holdings, and sent this report. Understanding the business of coffee explores what they have done right. What can farmers in Africa learn from them?
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Article: Matap Embaku of Mainland Holdings coffee company

Getting the best from bamboo

Bamboo is a highly useful plant, providing poles and timber for roofs, scaffolding, fencing and furniture, as well as many craft items. But it can also play a very valuable environmental role. Its complex root system, for example, can act as a fantastic water filter, removing nutrients and dangerous poisons such as heavy metals. As such, bamboo could have a lot to offer in slum areas, where it can be used to clean up waste water. And bamboo is also an excellent material for making charcoal. On the shores of Lake Victoria, bamboo charcoal is being used to smoke fish, reducing the pressure on forest resources. Professor Chin Ong has been working on bamboo in Africa for many years. In Getting the best from bamboo, he explains some of the lesser known values of this amazing plant to Susie Emmett.
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Article: African bamboo ready to boom

New markets for African Plum

The African Plum is the most widely eaten fruit in Central Africa. Known locally as safou, it is described as having a flavour that is both nutty and tangy, and is usually boiled or roasted before being eaten as a paste with plantains or fufu porridge. However, it is also possible to make a number of higher value products from the fruit, including cosmetic oil, cooking oil and crisps or chips. In addition, there are also strong markets for the fresh fruit within the region, as well as internationally. In Cameroon, the World Agroforestry Centre is working with safou growers, traders and processors to improve the marketing of the fruit. This has involved encouraging farmers to grow specific types of safou that meet the varying needs of processors, and supporting the establishment of growers and traders associations.
Audio link: http://www.agfax.net/radio/detail.php?i=107
Article: Branching out - safou goes global