Issue #90

We are delighted to once again welcome new subscribers from a variety of radio, news, and agricultural organizations across Africa. This week’s new subscribers are: Sanon David, from L’Essentiel du Faso in Burkina Faso; Daniel Odame, from Kings Radio in Ghana; Elizabeth Opudo, from the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, and Odera Wickliffe, from Radio Sahara, both in Kenya; Sonigitu Ekpe-Aji, from the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Nigeria; Richard Kambulu, from Shilohl FM Radio in Zambia; and Firoze Manji, from the pan-African news and advocacy organization, Pambazuka News.

This week’s news stories deal with two major livelihoods in eastern Africa – pastoralism and coffee farming. Our first news story looks at a major challenge facing pastoralists in the northern regions of Ethiopia and Kenya. An invasive tree species commonly known as the “devil tree” is taking over grazing lands and pushing out indigenous trees, forcing some pastoralists to find new ways to earn an income. Our second story turns to Uganda, where coffee farmers have discovered a way to boost their income by up to 50 per cent, simply by adding bananas to their fields. Their success has led to recommendations for coffee and banana farmers across eastern Africa.

Look to the Upcoming Events section to learn how to get involved in AMARC-WIN’s campaign during the 16 days of activism against gender violence. Turn to the Radio Resource section to read the declaration made by The People’s Food Sovereignty Forum, an alternative to The World Summit on Food Security, held in November. And for a final chance to have your voice heard in the 2009 Farm Radio Weekly Subscriber Survey, scroll to the Farm Radio Action section.

Happy reading!

-The Farm Radio Weekly Team

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African Farm News in Review

1. East Africa: ‘Devil tree’ forces pastoralists to consider new livelihoods (www.dankalia.com; SciDev.Net)

2. Uganda: Coffee and bananas make good neighbours (IITA)

Upcoming Events

-AMARC-WIN’s 16 Days of activism against gender violence continues through December 10

Radio Resource Bank

-‘People’s’ declaration on food sovereignty

Farm Radio Action

-Last chance to complete the 2009 Farm Radio Weekly Subscriber Survey!

Farm Radio Script of the Week

-Trees provide fodder for livestock

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Ahemedu Koka used to keep 30 cattle. Each week, he would herd his livestock through hundreds of kilometers of drylands. In this way, he made his living in Ethiopia’s Afar Region, just as his ancestors did for centuries. But gradually, Mr. Koka realized the landscape was changing drastically. And it was time for him to abandon his traditional livelihood.

The change Mr. Koka observed was the widespread appearance of a certain tree. The scientific name for the tree is Prosopis juliflora. But to pastoralists, it’s known as the “devil tree.” It is an extremely hardy tree that was introduced to Kenya and Ethiopia in the 1970s in an effort to rehabilitate old quarries. Because it thrives so well in harsh environments, it is taking over dryland areas, displacing indigenous vegetation. As a result, pastoralists struggle to find grazing land. Some are turning to new livelihoods.

For his part, Mr. Koka now makes a living from the so-called devil tree. He harvests the tree and sells charcoal. He earns enough money to feed his eight children, but not enough to send them to school. Mr. Koka says he would prefer to keep livestock. However, as he puts it, “the environment has forced us to change.”

Charcoal production is illegal in most of Ethiopia. The practice was wiping out indigenous trees such as neem and acacia. However, as the devil tree continues to spread its roots, the government has allowed charcoal production in the Middle Awash Valley.

In Kenya’s Rift Valley province, pastoralists are equally unhappy about the tree. Farmers in Baringo District are demanding compensation for grazing and arable land lost to the devil tree. They are suing the government for millions of Kenyan shillings.

Raphael Mworia is a spokesperson for the Kenya Forestry Service. He says the government is developing a policy to manage the tree. In the mean time, the forestry service is showing farmers and pastoralists how to live with it.
Devil tree pods can be crushed to make a nutritious animal feed. Crushing the pods has the side benefit of destroying the seed. Mr. Mworia also suggests a benefit to using the tree for fuelwood. It saves the indigenous acacia from being used for this purpose. According to Mr. Mworia, pastoralists must make use of the devil tree, instead of just looking at the negative aspects.

Even if pastoralists – or governments – wanted to eradicate the devil tree, the task may be impossible. The tree makes very deep roots and re-grows quickly if chopped down. Australia’s attempts to rid its land of the devil tree have been unsuccessful. They have tried various chemical solutions and now manage the tree with controlled burning.

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Ugandan coffee farmers have discovered that there’s room for something else in their fields. By intercropping bananas, they’re boosting their incomes by up to 50 per cent.

A study by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Ugandan National Agricultural Research Organization uncovered the secret to their success. They first found that coffee farmers who plant bananas produce about the same coffee yield. They had less room to plant coffee, but each coffee plant produced more.
Piet van Asten is a scientist with the institute. He explains why coffee and bananas make good neighbours. Coffee plants thrive in shade, which is provided by tall banana trees. Banana trees also add biomass to the soil, acting as a natural fertilizer.

Since coffee yields remain about the same, the income from bananas is a bonus. Coffee provides substantial income twice a year. But bananas provide food and modest cash flow throughout the year.

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture is promoting intercropping in Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They urge coffee farmers to add banana trees to their fields and banana farmers to add coffee plants to their plantations.

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The following Farm Radio International scripts provide more information on the benefits of intercropping complementary crops:

-Biological pest control: Reduce pests naturally (Package 36, Script 6, April 2005)
-Radio spots: Can you control pests without pesticides? (Package 72, Script 3, September 2004)
-Diversity beats disease in the rice field (Package 58, Script 3, January 2001)
-Diversify crops to keep your family healthy (Package 65, Script 1, October 2002)

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On November 25, the Women’s International Network of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC-WIN) launched an internet campaign as part of the international effort, 16 days of activism against gender violence (November 25-December 10). The theme of this year’s international campaign is “Commit – Act – Demand: We CAN End Violence against Women! ” The AMARC-WIN campaign aims to denounce gender violence in the media and transform media into a catalyst to end violence against women.

Community radio stations from Africa, and around the world, are dedicating these 16 days to programs that highlight the efforts of women and men working to put an end to gender violence. The audio files of some of the participating community radios and production groups are available online at: http://www.amarc.org/index.php?p=16_Days_Against_Violence_on_Women_2009_audios.

All community radio stations are encouraged to get involved in the campaign by re-broadcasting these programs.

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From November 13-17, while heads of state met at The World Summit on Food Security in Rome, social movements held an alternative forum on food sovereignty. The People’s Food Sovereignty Forum included men and women farmers and fisherfolk, as well as representatives from social movements, NGOs, and CSOs.

At the close of the People’s Forum, a declaration was made, stating that “food sovereignty is the real solution to the tragedy of hunger in our world.” The “people’s declaration” further asserts that “all people have a right and responsibility to participate in deciding how food is produced and distributed” and that “governments must respect, protect and fulfill the right to food as the right to adequate, available, accessible, culturally acceptable and nutritious food.” It also sets out a series of civil society commitments to defending food security.

The entire declaration has been posted on Pambazuka News, and can be found here: http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/60527.

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At the beginning of this month, we sent out the 2009 Farm Radio Weekly Subscriber Survey. The results of this survey are extremely important to us. They will help us shape future editions of FRW to better meet your needs.

There are still a few days left to complete the survey. By doing so, you will not only have your voice heard…you will also be entered into a draw for a Sansa MP3 Player! The draw will be held on Dec. 4. This is the last day to complete the survey.

Here is the link for the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=IpSQ1mtcHun23z5Tbaypvw_3d_3d

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email us: farmradioweekly@farmradio.org

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Our news story from eastern Africa looked at Prosopis juliflora, also called the devil tree, an invasive species that is overtaking drylands in Ethiopia and Kenya. While this tree has made it more difficult for pastoralists to find grazing land, it does provide a source of fodder in its seedpods.

This week’s script explains why livestock owners may wish to plant (specially chosen) trees on their farm – including the fact that the right trees can provide fodder when other sources of feed are scarce. Read on to learn other reasons why the script characters call a stand of trees a “tree shop.”

You may also find this script online at:http://www.farmradio.org/english/radio-scripts/74-5script_en.asp.

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