By David Njagi For the first time in Africa, farmers in Ghana are using farm produce as collateral to get loans from lenders. But exploitative brokers are fighting back. After harvesting, the farmers store their produce in a licensed warehouse, where they are then issued with a receipt by the Ghana Grains Council (GGC) as…
Kenyan Farmers ripping big from small-scale agricultural irrigation-cum-value addition project
By Joseph Abuje, Charles Njeru and Henry Neondo With the outbreak of coronavirus in March of 2020, the agricultural sector got badly hit. The agricultural sector provides a livelihood for about 80 per cent of Kenya’s population, most of whom are subsistence farmers in rural areas. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the sector contributes about…
GIZ-funded project establishes 60 cassava commercial seed entrepreneurs to cushion the impact of COVID 19
The GIZ-funded Cassava & Maize Value Chain Project has established 60 cassava commercial seed entrepreneurs in Ogun and Oyo state as part of efforts to revamp the seeds system and create jobs in local communities. The project, which is under the Green Innovation Centers of GIZ was created in response to the economic fragility due…
Organisation’s plea as drought hits Turkana Pastoralists hard
The drought situation in Turkana is getting worse. The latest situation report by the Government show deterioration in the condition of vegetation in the Pastoral and Fisheries livelihood zones. Further, the weather outlook for November points to the likelihood of maximum temperatures oscillating at 360 C and therefore minimal recovery likely to be witnessed. Daniel…
National Summit Bring Cassava Seed System to the Front Burner
Today, stakeholders from the private and public sector including researchers are gathering in Abuja—Nigeria’s capital – for a national summit to discuss and seek ways to improve cassava seed system with a view to transforming the root crop into a cash cow for the nation. The national cassava seed development summit would listen to case studies…
AFGRI leverages technology to help local farmers build a sustainable future
There’s a misconception that the agriculture industry is behind the curve when it comes to technology adoption. In fact, the opposite is true, although unfortunately often at the expense of the individual farmer. So said Pierre Durand, Head of IT and Innovation at agricultural services company AFGRI Agri Services, in recent conversation with Datacentrix CEO, Ahmed…
$4 billion increased investment in climate-smart agriculture and food systems innovation announced at COP26 Climate Summit
The Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate) – a major new initiative led by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and United States (US) with the support of over 30 governments – officially launched today and announced an “early harvest” of $4 billion of increased investment to accelerate innovation for climate-smart agriculture and food…
Experts task processors to invest in cassava seed system
Sufficient investments must be made in the cassava seed sector to address the challenges plaguing the supply of quality cassava roots as raw materials to industries, says Dr Godwin Atser, an Advocacy, Promotion and Outreach Lead with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). In a presentation titled “Harnessing Opportunities in Cassava Seed System for…