African Farm News in Review

(Editor’s note: Ugali is a stiff porridge-like food, made from maize flour, and popular in East Africa)

In recent years, drought has become a fact of life for Tanzanian farmers. The village of Misigiri is in the Iramba district of Singida Region, in Tanzania’s central plateau. This year, the worsening drought has pushed its farmers to the edge of disaster.

Data from the Tanzania Meteorological Agency show that Singida received 580 millimetres of rain last season, the lowest the region has ever recorded. During the recent long dry spell, maize, a staple food in the area, was particularly hard hit. Thousands of farmers will need food handouts until the next harvest.

Majaliwa Mrisho lost his entire maize crop to the drought, despite having access to a borehole. He says: “I am very shocked. This is a completely new phenomenon. The rain is usually enough to bring us good harvests, but that is not the case this season.”

He believes that farmers on Tanzania’s central plateau must adapt to changing weather patterns to survive.

Maize prices have doubled in the last year, and rice and beans have seen similar increases in central Tanzania. Many people now struggle to afford cereals.

The Agriculture, Food and Cooperatives Ministry says that over 16,000 households in Iramba are unable to feed themselves. Dr. Parseko Kone is the Singida regional commissioner. He says food distributions will fill the gap until the next harvest.

Local officials say they have been trying to persuade farmers to grow drought-tolerant crops. Farmers argue that the government should have made contingency plans.

Boniphace Temba is an official from the Singida regional government. He says: “We have tried our best to advise farmers to change their mindset and start growing resilient crops, but the response is not that good.”

Mwajuma Zakayo is a farmer from Misigiri. He says, “We did not cause this situation … we need assistance to support our families and keep hunger at bay.”

Some farmers admit they have failed to heed government calls to grow crops such as cassava, sorghum and millet to cushion their families from the threat of drought and hunger.

Most Tanzanian families prefer eating maize. Several farmers said that they did not want to grow and eat unfamiliar foods. Jaka Naligia is a 47-year- old farmer in Iramba. He says: “My children like ugali more than anything else because it gives them a lot of energy. How on earth can I give them ugali made of millet?”

Dr. Honest Prosper Ngowi is an economist and lecturer at Mzumbe University in Dar es Salaam. He says, “There are several varieties of drought–resistant maize which could be of great help to farmers in times of drought.” Last year, farmers in Makutupora village in Dodoma – also in the central plateau –increased yields by up to 50 per cent by using drought-resistant maize. Dr. Ngowi suggests that these varieties could be introduced more widely so that farmers don’t need to grow and eat unfamiliar crops.

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Ms. Josephine Acen made a meagre living by making and selling pancakes and growing a few crops. She operated her small business for several years, but never earned enough. Her life changed when she received new land and new knowledge.

Ms. Acen lives in Aboke sub-county, in the Kole district of northern Uganda. She often earned less than 100,000 Ugandan Shillings (less than $40 US) a month from her work. This was not enough to allow her to pay for her family’s basic necessities, and further her four children’s education.

Although the government provides free primary education for all, Ms. Acen could pay for only one of her children to attend secondary school.

Her uncle allowed her to move her family onto his land. Ms. Acen says: “My earning has increased since I moved in here to stay at [my uncle’s] place because I now have enough land.”

The Ugandan government operates the National Agricultural Advisory Services, or NAADS. After attending workshops run by NAADS, Ms. Acen harvested 15 bags of soya beans from one and a half hectares of land. At 750 Ugandan shillings per kilo, she earned one and a half million shillings (approximately $600 US). The money helped pay for her son’s university tuition.

Extension workers introduced her to new crops and techniques, including composting, intercropping and crop rotation. Ms. Acen applied her new knowledge immediately. She says, “The following season, I planted maize on the same land and earned about 900,000 Shillings ($350 US) extra.”

Denis Oyap is the NAADS coordinator for Aboke sub-county. He taught Ms. Acen to make her own compost from whatever raw materials were available on her small farm. She uses maize stalks and leaves, and the compost has helped her pineapples grow well. This year, she expects to earn about three million shillings ($1,175 US) from selling the fruit. With this income, she plans to build a permanent house.

Ms. Acen thinks that growing more than one cash crop works because it protects farmers against fluctuating prices. If one crop drops in price, farmers have a second option.

Her success has inspired her neighbours. They now visit her for advice on how growing more than one crop can make the most of their land. They, too, have learned to leave enough space in their fields to grow more food crops for their families.

Ms. Acen knows she was fortunate to move onto her uncle’s land and attend trainings through NAADS. She says, “If I had not moved to stay with my uncle, I couldn’t afford to pay school fees for my children and get more food.”

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For many years, wheat fed Joshua Nyaruri‘s family and kept his income healthy. But lately he has been growing beans, a once-snubbed crop. Throughout the Rift Valley region, beans are growing in popularity.

Mr. Nyaruri has lived in Ole Leshua village in southwest Kenya for 60 years. He grew wheat, one of the most valued cereals in Kenya. But the unpredictable weather, possibly because of climate change, has led to a decline in wheat’s popularity.

He says: “When we expect rain, the dry season continues. When we need the sun to ripen the crop, continuous rains ensure the remaining grain wastes away in the [fields].”

A few farmers still grow wheat in this part of the Rift Valley. Charles Ngare has been growing the crop for almost three decades. He explains that at this time of year, wheat is normally blooming with fresh kernels. He says, “I think the slow maturity is because the rains [are] delayed.”

According to Mr. Nyaruri, many farmers are now switching to crops that can withstand the pressures of climate change, pests and disease. He thinks growing wheat is a waste of effort.

Mr. Nyaruri gave up on wheat five years ago and has no regrets. He is now threshing his bean harvest. He says, “I planted the beans in mid-December last year, and by early March I was harvesting.” He planted two kilograms of a new bean variety, which yielded a harvest of 65 kilograms. The crop took just two-and-a-half months to mature.

The new varieties were developed by the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, also known as KARI. Animal pests appear to dislike them, which means that farmers face fewer pre-harvest losses. KARI scientists say the beans also need much less rainfall.

David Karanja is the coordinator of the green legume project at KARI. He explains that the new varieties need only 30 days from germination to flowering. Older varieties took 90 days. According to Mr. Karanja, the new varieties can yield twice as much as traditional legumes.

The new varieties also cook faster and are more nutritious. These factors endear them to people like Beatrice Kirui. She thinks they are a boost for her family’s diet. The 26-year-old mother of four cradles her four-month-old son and gently feeds him bean porridge outside her shop in Olereut village. She says, “I grind the beans into flour to make porridge. I use less firewood because this type cooks faster than the traditional one.”

As the climate changes in this area, new varieties offer hope for the future. With the beans proving popular with growers and consumers alike, farmers now have a crop which may give them a reliable source of income.

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In 2009, the Cameroonian government leased over 49,000 hectares of land to Cameroon United Forests, or CUF, a forestry company. Marcel Mindjana is from the village of Adjap in southern Cameroon. He had farmed ​​two hectares of land before it was leased to the CUF. He earned enough from his farm to feed his family and pay for his children’s education. He says, “The earth is my life and without it I am nothing. This is why I decided to fight to get back what was mine.”

With the support of two NGOs – Cameroon Ecology and Initiative for Rights and Resources – Mr. Mindjana and other community members developed maps that indicated their farmland. Using these maps, they are campaigning to reclaim their land.

In August 2012, they were partially successful. The government signed a decree reducing the area leased to CUF. At the same time, it gave indigenous people the rights to nearly 14,000 hectares. It was a decision that pleased Mr. Mindjana. He says, “When I read the decree of the Prime Minister, I gave a sigh of relief. I felt myself lighten, as if a burden fell off my shoulders.”

With a confident step, Mr. Mindjana walks up and down his field planting maize and cassava. From time to time he stops, checks his progress, then starts again. He states, “I’m so glad to have another opportunity to farm. It feels like a dream after three years …”

Although Mr. Mindjana can begin farming again, he does not yet own his own land. He would like to get a land title.

Marcellin Biang is the chief of Adjap village, and is in the same situation as Mr. Mindjana. He says: “This land is not ours. Every night when I fall asleep, I think that the next day, the state can come [for my land]. We want to secure our lands to be sure they are really ours.”

The law governing forests, wildlife and fishing is currently under review. Passed in 1994, the law gives ownership of forest land to the state. Martin Cyrille Nkié is a senior manager in the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife. He states, “The review process of the forest and land policy is underway … The development of the draft law is quite advanced.”

Mr. Mindjana finds it hard to hide his pleasure while he awaits the outcome of the legal review. He says, “I hope my harvest will be good. I have started to make plans and I am pleased to be able to dream again.”

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For many years, maize was Michael Moyo’s main source of food and income. But in recent years, a number of droughts have forced him to reconsider. Now he has started growing more drought-tolerant crops such as sorghum and millet.

Mr. Moyo is a resettled farmer in Zimbabwe’s province of Matabeleland North. Very little rain falls in the province. Recently, there has been even less rain and the farming seasons have become unpredictable. Mr. Moyo is one of the first farmers in the area to make the switch to drought-tolerant crops in order to reduce the impact of climate change.

Mr. Moyo’s maize suffers from insufficient moisture. He explains, “High temperatures are affecting my maize yields [while] at the same time giving weeds and pests room to creep in.” He was forced to invest more heavily in pesticides and weeding, but without rain his yields suffered.

Mr. Moyo approached the Department of Agricultural, Technical and Extension Services. He was advised to grow crops that do well despite low rainfall. He says, “The Department’s officials advised me to take up small grains. There are a few of us who have taken that advice.” Most farmers in the area have been reluctant to grow small grains such as sorghum and millet.

Sithabisiwe Ndlovu is a local farmer. She is adamant that she will not yet follow in Mr. Moyo’s footsteps. She thinks that small grains are too labour-intensive. She explains, “Small grains are difficult to harvest, especially the thrashing or processing stage where I would have to hire people to do it.” Mrs. Ndlovu recognizes that the situation is bad. But for now, she will continue growing maize.

Mrs. Sharlene Mabharani is the Agricultural, Technical and Extension Officer for the local district. She says the only way for small-scale farmers in Matabeleland to adapt to the effects of climate change is to shift to drought-tolerant crops. She continues, “Small grains are suitable for Matabeleland. We strongly encourage farmers to familiarize [themselves] with this kind of farming.”

But there is a downside. Mrs. Mabharani says, “Farmers say that the crops … are at risk of being pecked by birds.” She believes that this problem can be contained. She explains, “If most farmers in one area grow similar crops, the damage will be shared, instead of only one farmer suffering.”

In Matabeleland, farmers traditionally depend on growing maize. But Mr. Moyo believes that, if farmers are to survive, there is an urgent need to look beyond maize. He explains: “I have to send my late brother’s children to school as well as mine. My only source of income is through farming. With maize not working out, I have to look at other avenues.”

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Many years ago, an ailing chief from a village in eastern Ghana was admitted to the 37 Military Hospital in the capital city of Accra. According to local legend, he was accompanied by fruit bats from his locale, as a sort of “honour guard” for the dying man. In time, the chief passed on. But, so says the legend, the bats are still waiting for him to be discharged so they can accompany him back home.

The straw-coloured creatures are the second largest of Africa’s 13 species of fruit bats. However, they stir up controversy with Accra residents and visitors alike. The site they have chosen has become a tourist attraction, as their evening departure for night-time roosts provides ample opportunities for photography.

But their noise and droppings have caused a lot of anxiety and environmental concern. In 2002 and 2005, the military resorted to shooting them down from the mahogany trees where they spend their days. Hospital authorities have repeatedly tried to remove them. But they keep coming back.

Bats usually prefer to live in caves. But caves are often invaded by humans looking for limestone and other minerals. Their other main habitat is trees like those around the 37 Hospital. Trees, however, provide little protection against humans and other predators. Humans often kill colonies because of misconceptions about disease transmission and vampirism.

The Kumasi Centre of Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine, or KCCR, investigates bats and their interactions with humans. Some bat species are known to carry rabies and the Ebola virus, both of which are potentially fatal to humans and other animal species.

But KCCR’s project has shown that bats play an important role in pollination and dispersal of seeds. The larger species feed on fruit, plucking it from trees or bushes and carrying it to safe places to eat. This transports seeds and pollen to new areas.

Ghana exports timber from the iroko tree, one of Africa’s most valuable and threatened hardwoods. Up to 90 per cent of the straw-coloured fruit bat’s diet is iroko fruit. Bats are the tree’s effective seed dispersers. At night during peak fruiting time, the bats disperse more than 300 million iroko seeds across thousands of square miles.

Bats also forage for pollen and nectar. After foraging, they are covered with grains of pollen, which they transfer from plant to plant. This helps to pollinate over 130 species of plants, including plantain, bananas, mangos and avocados.

About 70 per cent of bat species eat insects which attack crops and humans, including mosquitoes, which often carry malaria. So bats are an efficient and environmentally friendly solution to insect problems.

Bat droppings, called guano, can be used as fertilizer, and are an excellent source of nutrients for farmers’ crops. Bats are an important part of our ecosystems, and should be welcomed, not chased away.

The writing of this story was assisted by funding from Friends of the Year of the Bat Campaign. The Year of the Bat was a two-year awareness raising campaign run by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (UNEP/CMS) and the Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European Bats (EUROBATS).

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In this week’s story from Zimbabwe, a farmer switches from growing maize to growing small grains, including sorghum, because small grains tolerate drought better than maize. Many farmers across Africa are faced with a similar decision.

Our script of the week focuses on a dry area of Karamoja in northeastern Uganda, where drought and hunger are regular features of life. Sorghum and millet provide most of the community’s nutrition.

In this script, we hear from a farmer who reports that his usual variety of sorghum is not doing well. He decides to plant a new, drought-tolerant variety. The switch proves to be a success! With the new variety, the farmer can feed his family and buy needed household goods. The new and improved quick-maturing type of sorghum is called Sekedo. Using Sekedo and other drought-tolerant varieties can help farmers adapt to shorter rainy seasons.

http://www.farmradio.org/archived-radio-scripts/?rscript=84-1script_en

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Mouigni Hassan was born seventy years ago in Nvouni Ya Bandani, a village 25 kilometres north of Moroni, the capital of Grande Comore. He decided recently that he was getting too old to farm alone, and decided to go into partnership with younger farmers. He explains: “With my age and my energy, everything became difficult. This is why I am associated with these young people.”

He believes that this decision has worked for everyone involved. Mr. Mouigni says: “My associates do not have enough land to build their farming businesses. My proposal allows them to earn more money.” He is happy because he earns more now than he did when farming alone.

In 2011, Mr. Mouigni joined forces with younger farmers to grow tomatoes and chillies, both of which are highly sought after in the local market. His partners are responsible for the physical work which Mr. Mouigni used to do. They plough the ten-hectare field, sow the seeds, carry irrigation water 500 metres from a well, and tend to the plants.

Mr. Mouigni supervises the production. He is also responsible for marketing the harvest to wholesalers and hotels in Moroni. He and his partners share the profits. Mr. Mouigni explains, “I take 40% of revenues for myself, and my partners share 60%.” There are three harvests per year. Each earns the group between 900,000 and one and a half million Comoran francs ($2,400 – 3,950 US).

Mohamed Youssouf is one of the younger farmers. He admits that growing tomatoes and chillies is hard work and requires skill, endurance and long hours. He says: “We leave the house at six in the morning to get to the field at seven … We get back to the village at six in the evening. It’s tiring, but we work as a team so we don’t really feel it.”

Ibrahim Issa is another partner. Like his comrade Mr. Youssouf, he is satisfied with the arrangement. He explains: “It was Mr. Mouigni who decided how to split the profits. I find it normal that old Mouigni takes 40% of the profits because not only is it his field, but he also manages the business.”

Mr. Issa says he benefits from working with Mr. Mouigni. He says: “For good production, not only do you need a large area, but the financial resources to pay for seeds, fertilizers and so on.” Mr. Mouigni had the land and the resources to purchase the inputs. He says the money he earns from the partnership pays for school fees and other family needs. He is also able to take an active role in his neighbourhood rotating savings and credit group.

Mr. Mouigni would like to expand the initiative into the larger community, and encourage other farmers to form groups to improve their businesses. He notes that many farmers in other parts of the Comoros have successfully formed associations.

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Hadjara Moussa used to spend a lot of time and energy grinding baobab leaves with a mortar and pestle. She processed up to twenty kilograms of baobab flour every week to sell at the market.

Mrs. Moussa is a member of a women’s group in Miriah, in southern Niger. One year ago, the group purchased a mill to grind baobab leaves. Now, the women no longer grind the leaves by hand. The hard work is now done by machine.

Mrs. Moussa pays the group a yearly membership fee of 3000 FCFA (about $6 US). She says the fee is well worth it. With the mill, she can now produce up to five times more flour.

Baobab flour is very popular in Nigerien kitchens. Cheap and readily available, it is also reputed to have medicinal properties. Mamane Lawal is a traditional medical practitioner. He says, “The sauce made from baobab flour treats haemorrhoids.”

During the winter months between May and September, the women pick baobab leaves on their family plots. The leaves are then dried in the sun and stored in attics. When the dry season starts in December, they are processed into flour.

Every Friday, Mrs. Moussa goes to Miriah’s market to sell her flour. Traders from across Niger and from neighbouring Nigeria come to buy 50-kilogram bags. Selling the flour earns Mrs. Moussa a living, and the mill has helped reduce her workload.

The economic benefits to the flour producers are clear. Mrs. Moussa says: “With this activity, I am not asking too much from my husband. I have furnished my bedroom with quality furniture, and every month I can save more than 20,000 CFA ($40 US).” Since she started making and selling flour, her husband has needed to buy only staple foods. Mrs. Moussa buys all other foods with her own income.

Hadiza Ali is another member of the group who has benefited financially. With a smile on her face, she says: “I have resumed building our family home. I have a herd of goats and sheep. And every year, I pay the tuition for my grandson who is in high school.”

Saley Issoufou is an environmentalist with a local NGO. He is worried that increased demand will lead to the over-exploitation of the baobab trees that abound in Miriah. He says, “We need to emphasize the preservation and conservation of these trees.”

Any thoughts of limiting the production of baobab flour are far from the minds of the women in the group. They share the dream of one day having a small processing plant to maximize their production and income. Mrs. Moussa says, “We already have a group. We just need the authorities and NGOs to help us to develop this activity.”

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May 3 is recognized around the globe as “World Press Freedom Day.” This year is the 20th anniversary of its inception in December 1993, and an opportunity to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom.

Focussing on the theme “Safe to Speak: Securing Freedom of Expression in All Media,” World Press Freedom Day 2013 will highlight journalist safety, crimes against freedom of expression, and securing a free and open Internet as the precondition for online safety.

The day is also an occasion to assess the state of press freedom throughout the world, defend the independence of the media, and pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of work.

Rob Mahoney is the Deputy Director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, or CPJ. Presenting CPJ’s annual report in February of this year, he noted that 70 journalists were killed in 2012. He also pointed out that at least 232 journalists were imprisoned, the highest number since the CPJ started compiling statistics in 1992.

CPJ says that 15 journalists have already been killed in 2013. This includes Somali radio journalist Rahma Abdulkadir, who was reportedly shot and killed by unknown attackers in Mogadishu on March 24.

Many more journalists have been violently assaulted. In January, Elisabeth Olofio was severely beaten, and her home in the Central African Republic ransacked. Also in January, Malawian journalist Anthony Masamba was assaulted when his interviewee grabbed the recorder and began punching him. Only a few weeks ago, the chairman of the Tanzania Editors Forum was brutally assaulted outside of his home.

In Tanzania, many believe the media is being threatened by government forces in the lead-up to the 2015 election. The country’s information minister deemed the Swahili-language newspaper, MwanaHalisi, too critical of the government, and suspended its publication under the Newspaper Act, 1976.

MwanaHalisi was previously banned for reporting on a plot to unseat President Kikwete in the 2008 elections. There is concern that the newspaper’s dedication to investigative journalism has made it a prime target of the Tanzanian government. Since 2008, several members of the organization have been attacked in their own newsroom.

Henry Maina is a media reform activist and director of Article 19 Eastern Africa, an NGO which promotes free speech, and citizens’ rights to participate in decision-making and make informed choices about their lives. He says the ban on MwanaHalisi violates the fundamental right to freedom of expression. Press freedom activists and media scholars in Tanzania are calling on the government to lift the ban on MwanaHalisi, and to abolish the Newspaper Act.

On May 3, journalists, press freedom activists and media organizations from across East Africa will meet in Arusha, Tanzania, for a conference to celebrate World Press Freedom Day. The conference organizers − the Coalition of Media Organizations − will highlight gender issues and the need for media reforms throughout Africa. They are especially concerned about the situation in East Africa where, along with rising violence against journalists, there appears to be a growing intolerance of independent journalism.

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Under a blazing sun, Thiao Bonkoho picks precious cotton bolls with his bare hands. His family and hired labourers help. His field is over 12 hectares, the work is tedious, and the harvest poor, yielding less than one tonne per hectare. Visibly disappointed, he says: “I will get little more than 11 tonnes. This is not a good season for me.”

Mr. Bonkoho lives in Bouéré, a village 280 kilometres west of the capital city of Ougadougou. The economy of this area has revolved around cotton for decades. Whole families are involved in the production of “white gold.” This year, local farmers planted ​​over 300 hectares of cotton. But, like Mr. Bonkoho, many are disappointed at harvest time.

Tiny Boni is one of them. For the fourth time in eight years he will not make a profit. He switched to genetically modified, or GM, cotton in 2009, hoping for higher yields and profits.

During the mid-2000s, cotton farmers in Burkina Faso were desperate. The selling price was steadily declining, the rains were irregular and profits virtually non-existent. The government, along with bio-tech companies Monsanto and Syngenta, promoted the benefits of new GM cotton varieties. Mr. Boni remembers: “The GM cotton was presented as resistant to pests and drought. These reasons convinced us.” Mr. Bonkoho says, “Many farmers were heavily indebted after harvest. Conventional cotton was no longer a solution for us.”

But four years later, GM cotton farmers are still waiting for the rewards. Some say production costs have increased significantly, contrary to what was advertised.

Mr. Bonkoho says: “The main advantage of GMOs is the reduction in our workload. I can grow cereals with the time saved. But the expense? It is a different story … The GM cotton costs more to grow. I spend on average 125,000 Francs ($250 US) per hectare.” He spent only 90,000 Francs ($180 US) per hectare for conventional cotton.

The farmer is also disappointed that GM cotton is not as heavy as conventional cotton. GM cotton bolls have a smaller seed than conventional varieties, so they weigh less. The heavier the bolls, the more the farmer is paid at the weighing station.

Bamba Adama is the technical officer at SOFITEX, a state-controlled agro-industrial and commercial agency involved in the entire cotton production cycle. He dismisses the farmers’ claims, arguing that they are not growing GM cotton properly. He argues: “Producers are not playing fair. They use fertilizer to produce grain. But GM cotton requires an equally rigorous application of technical standards.”

Many farmers continue to grow conventional cotton. Mahamady Dabo lives in Samandéni, 160 kilometres west of Bouère. He has grown cotton for twenty years and makes a profit of more than one million francs ($ 2,625 US) every year. He says his secret is simple: “For good cotton harvests, it must be produced on large areas. This minimizes the cost of production.” Mr. Dabo plants an average of 20 hectares.

But the farmers who have switched to GM cotton see it as their future. Tiny Boni says he will not abandon GM cotton, and blames last season’s poor harvest on erratic rainfall. Thiao Bonkoho agrees, and says: “I do not regret switching to GM. If I had sown conventional seeds, last year’s pest attacks would have cost me everything. It is thanks to GM cotton that I have a harvest at all.”

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Near the source of the Nile in central Uganda, even little children can find the home of Muhammed Hassan Magumba. The thirty-six-year-old is one of the leading farmers in Jinja district. But ten years ago, it was a different story.

Mr. Magumba was a grocer in the village of Butiki-Kyekidde, but realized that his business was failing. Although he worked hard, too many people took advantage of him. He remembers, “People who came to buy from the grocery took goods on credit … I could not resist.”

In 2004, Mr. Magumba decided that his business was not working. He visited Charles Ebong, a farmer in neighbouring Kayunga district. There he learned new farming methods, including how to use animal wastes. He took a risk and started growing vegetables.

He bought a cow and used the manure for his crops and the urine to replace pesticides. Mr. Magumba says that urine was particularly successful in countering bacterial wilt disease in bananas. His yields increased until he was making a profit of 40,000 Ugandan shillings ($15 US) per day.

Within a year, he had saved seven and a half million Ugandan shillings ($2,900 US). Mr. Magumba used the money to enlarge his farm to almost three hectares, and diversified into growing bananas and raising goats. With this increased capacity, he started to supply hotels in Jinja and Kampala. He also sells to traders from Juba, in South Sudan. Mr. Magumba provides several of his neighbours with both planting materials and business advice.

Hajji Suliman Bagalana is the agricultural officer for Jinja District. Mr. Magumba often questions him on new or improved technologies. Mr. Bagalana says, “Magumba is an enterprising farmer who is always consulting experts.”

Mr. Magumba has three and a half hectares of bananas, one hectare of horticultural crops and two hectares of cassava and potatoes. He also grows maize on two hectares rented from neighbours.

He employs nine people on the farm. His wife is in charge of records and accounts, and keeps the books up to date. Mr. Magumba says: “The problem many upcoming farmers face is that they are not good at bookkeeping. They consume both capital and profit, leaving nothing to keep the business running.”

Daudi Migereko is the local Member of Parliament and the Ugandan Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development. In February 2013, he directed community leaders in Jinja District to promote Mr. Magumba as a role model in horticulture.

The farmer says that growing vegetables is a very sensitive enterprise which requires a lot of care and commitment. He believes that farmers often do not spend enough time on their gardens. Without due care, he says, it is possible to lose half your investment before the plants even make it to the fields.

He says, “I do not think that I would have been able to pay school fees without farming.” The farm allows him to provide for his family’s needs, support his neighbours’ businesses, and meet market demand.

Once a failing grocer, Mr. Magumba is now a successful farmer. His diligence has proved to be his fortune. Mr. Magumba was wise enough to know when to stop throwing good money after bad, and where to get the knowledge to re-start his career.

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In February of this year, farmers in Madagascar’s southwestern province of Tulear were hit hard by a natural disaster. A cyclone caused major flooding, destroying forty per cent of their crops. Now, swarms of locusts have arrived, threatening food security in a region already among the poorest in the country.

According to the UN Food and Agricultural Organization, or FAO, the cyclone not only damaged crops and homes; it also provided favourable conditions for locusts to breed. About half of Madagascar is now infested by billions of the plant-devouring insects. FAO estimates that about two-thirds of the island will be invaded by locusts by September if no action is taken.

The National Anti-Locust Centre has not been able to carry out necessary prevention work for several years, mainly due to a lack of funds. FAO is trying to raise US$41 million to respond to the current emergency and to implement a three-year campaign to prevent future infestations.

Mr. Tsitindry is a 52-year-old farmer in Fenoarivo, a community about 100 kilometres south of Tulear city. He usually earns a reasonable living from his seven hectares of land. He says, “When the rains were good, I could produce 100 bags of rice and 70 bags of beans.” He sold his crops and bought what his family needed. He also managed to save enough money to buy four cows.

But the cyclone flooded and completely destroyed Mr. Tsitindry’s rice and maize fields. He had to sell two of his cows to raise money. He lost the other two to thieves. Mr. Tsitindry planted vegetables once the water receded, but now these plants are at risk from locusts. He says: “Every morning we all go into the fields and clap to frighten the insects away … we all stay to make sure the locusts don’t come back and eat the leftover crops.”

Dieu Donne Hajasoa is a technical adviser at an information centre for farmers and fishermen in St. Augustin, a fishing village 35 kilometres from Tulear city. He says, “In the last weeks we’ve had many farmers from the remote villages coming here to ask for help.” The authorities in Tulear do not have the resources to help. Farmers need advice on how to clean up their fields, and pesticides to treat the locusts.

The World Food Programme, also known as WFP, says that over 50,000 people in the region were affected by the cyclone. WFP reached 32,000 people with emergency aid, and more than 13,000 are now enrolled in food-for-work projects.

CARE International and WFP set up one such food-for-work project which enables people to earn food for their families by cleaning up Tulear city. But the program will last only one month.

Clementine Claudette and her eight children are among the 3,500 beneficiaries of the CARE project. While her husband tries to replant maize, she receives food in return for work. The project will end soon, but it will be four months before her family can harvest a crop. Mrs. Clementine says, “We’ll try to live off little jobs, like transporting wood to the city and making charcoal.”

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Are you a natural storyteller with a passion for social justice and journalism?

Global Press Institute is hiring women from 22 countries around the world, including several African countries, to take part in their journalism training program. The training will qualify the participants to work as full- or part-time professional reporters for the Global Press Institute Newswire.

No prior journalism experience is required. English language skills are not required to join GPI’s team of reporters. GPI lists the two main requirements as basic literacy skills in your native language and the passion to make a difference.

More information is available at this link: http://globalpressinstitute.org/node/6342

GPI has not indicated an application deadline on its website, but it is always a good idea to apply as soon as you can to catch the attention of the selection panel.

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Welcome to Farm Radio Weekly issue #242.

This issue brings stories from Uganda and Burkina Faso. In Lira District, northern Uganda, Mr. Odongo George had been struggling to feed his family while growing cotton as a cash crop. But a neighbour showed him that, by switching to sunflowers, there is money to be made from the soil.

Breastfeeding women in Burkina Faso are going back to school! To counter malnutrition, the women have learned how to supplement their diets – and those of their breastfeeding infants – by growing vegetables in school gardens, then applying their lessons at home.

April 17 is the International Day of Peasant Struggles. Across the world, people are losing their lands and habitats to corporate and multinational interests. This week in Tanzania, Maasai people will be ejected from a fifteen hundred square kilometre area of the Serengeti. In what is being described as a “green grab,” the pastoralists face dislocation from their traditional grazing lands in the name of conserving wildlife habitat. But is there another reason for the decision?

Keep broadcasting!

-          The Farm Radio Weekly Team

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Seventy-four-year-old Odongo George has worked hard his whole life. But a shortage of land and low cotton prices in his native Uganda have kept him poor.

Mr. Odongo hails from Abongoamone village, about 25 kilometres north of the city of Lira in northern Uganda. He started growing cotton in 1960 on less than half a hectare of land.

For many years, Mr. Odongo rarely grew food crops or other cash crops. His family frequently went hungry because cotton occupies land for six to seven months before it is ready for sale.

For five decades, Mr. Odongo harvested and sold his cotton. And each year, he was forced to use all his income to pay back the debts he had accumulated during the growing season.

In 2010, he planted one and a quarter hectares and received his best ever harvest. He sold 400 kilograms to the Cotton Development Organization, but received only $148 US. He says: “I used the money to pay for the beans and maize I borrowed from a neighbour for family consumption. My children couldn’t go beyond primary school because I could not afford to pay school fees for them in secondary school.’’

Mr. Livingstone Otto is a 42-year-old school teacher from Abongoamone and former cotton farmer. After graduating from a National Teachers’ College in 1999, he planted cotton to supplement his income. He says, “I grew cotton for two years, but gave up after realizing that my profit dwindled every year.’’ Mr. Livingstone decided to switch from cotton to sunflowers. Prices were much better and he made a profit after only two seasons.

After seeing Mr. Livingston’s success, Mr. Odongo decided to give the new crop a try. He planted two acres and harvested thirteen 90-kilogram bags in the first six months, worth 90,000 Ugandan Shillings ($35 US) each. His harvest sold for more than a million Ugandan shillings, three times what he had earned from cotton. In 2012, he grew soya beans alongside his sunflowers, and earned $1500 US from the two crops.

Now that he grows sunflowers, Mr. Odongo’s house has much more food. He says, “My family now has enough food because we have time to grow beans, cassava, maize and sweet potatoes for home consumption.’’

Sunflowers have rekindled hope in Mr. Odongo’s life. He is able to pay for his third-born son to study at Comboni College in Lira, and now owns a pair of oxen and an ox-plough. He says, “My new source of income has enabled me [to] set [up] a two-bedroom permanent house. I no longer have to worry about my financial stability.’’

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The heat of the burning midday sun is unbearable in the village school’s garden. In one arm, Risnata Yonaba holds her six month-old child. In her other hand, she holds a watering can. As she waters her garden, she stops for a moment to breastfeed her crying baby.

In Burkina Faso, deficiencies of nutrients such as vitamin A, iron and zinc are common in children, and also in pregnant and breastfeeding women. An international NGO called Helen Keller International or HKI introduced village school farms to counter the high levels of malnutrition. Mrs. Yonaba is a member of one such project introduced in 2010 to Fonghin, in eastern Burkina Faso.

Ms. Yonaba and thirty other women in Fonghin are learning improved farming techniques, which they will use later in their own gardens.

In this tiny, one-quarter hectare school farm, Ms. Yonaba is learning how to grow okra, onion, spinach, sorrel leaves and beans. Production is small-scale and mainly for family consumption.

Ms. Yonaba says she is learning to grow vegetables so she can feed her child properly. She understands that breastfeeding women have to eat well in order to produce enough milk for their children. She explains: “Vegetables give more milk than beans and lentils. This is good for breastfeeding women. Fresh vegetables are also good for malnourished children. It helps to strengthen them.”

Fonghin is one of 30 villages that HKI works with. The NGO trains mothers of children between three and 11 months to grow fruits and vegetables that are rich in food nutrients.

Azara Moyenga recently registered for the project. She is already seeing the benefits: “When you cut a few leaves of spinach, onion and cowpea and prepare without salt, [and] you add a little peanut when you eat, your milk starts flowing.” Mrs. Moyenga now regularly prepares spinach leaves in her kitchen.

Ousmane Tiendrebeogo is one of the researchers hired by HKI to monitor the food situation in the villages. He says, “We [have] recorded fewer cases of severe anemia in the 30 intervention villages.”

The women’s farm schools have been established as demonstration plots, and serve as places where the mothers can learn improved farming techniques. Once trained, the women receive seeds and cuttings to use in their own gardens.

Now that Mrs. Yonaba has been trained, she plans to set up a garden beside her house.

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The government of Tanzania is preparing to create a “wildlife corridor” in Serengeti National Park, which will deny local Maasai access to their traditional grazing lands.

The Serengeti, chosen in February 2013 as one of Africa’s Seven Natural Wonders, is home to the largest migration of land animals on the planet. Over two million wildebeest and zebra, along with thousands of gazelle, travel over 800 kilometres across the endless plains of the Serengeti.

The area is home to over 70 species of larger mammals. But this week, Tanzanian authorities are seeking to exclude two species in particular: humans and cattle.

Tanzania’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism announced last week that it would no longer allow Maasai and their herds to enter a 1500 square kilometre section of the Loliondo Game Controlled Area. Opinion is divided as to the purpose of the plan.

Local Maasai herdsmen say their cattle cannot survive without access to traditional dry season grazing land. The government says the land is needed as a wildlife corridor between the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Land grabs are not new. Often, land without an official title deed is bought by, or granted to, private companies engaged in commercial agriculture. But the Tanzanian government’s plan has been referred to as a “green grab,” in which land is set aside for conservation purposes. It will affect the lives and livelihoods of over 30,000 Maasai people indigenous to the area.

Khamis Kagasheki is Tanzania’s Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism. He argues: “There is no government in the world that can just let an area so important to conservation to be wasted away by overgrazing.” However, many people think that there is more to the decision than ecological concerns.

One of these is Sarah Gilbertz. Ms. Gilbertz works for Survival International, a London-based group that works for the rights of tribal people worldwide. She says: “Although the government claims that the land is needed as a corridor for wildlife, the area is leased to the Ortello Business Corporation of the United Arab Emirates to use for trophy hunting.”

Robert Kamakia is a Maasai who claims that the restriction will mean the end of the local community. He points out that 90 per cent of the population affected by this restriction depend on pastoral activities such as herding cattle and goats for their income.

The Tanzanian government says they will send the secretary of the ruling party to the area to discuss the issue. But the Maasai say there is nothing to discuss. They want their land back, and believe that there is corruption in the air, from the national to district levels.

The Maasai warn that they will fight for their land. Seventy-year-old Elirehema Saakai is a Maasai resident of Ngorongoro. He says that animals in Tanzania face extinction through hunting and export. He warns, “It will be like other countries which are able no longer to offer wildlife safaris because they’ve allowed their animals to be hunted or removed to extinction.”

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Bonaventure Nkemogne measures beans with a glass and then pours them into a plastic bag. Smiling broadly, he says, “I am trying to sell my excess harvest. I had three 25-kilogram bags of beans and more.”

Mr. Nkemogne grows beans and maize in Bafoussam, a city in western Cameroon. He says, “I wanted to stop because my bean crop plants became very susceptible to disease and attacks from caterpillars which gnawed leaves and seedlings.” He was spending too much on insecticides, so as soon as he heard about new disease-resistant varieties he decided to try them.

The Institute of Agricultural Research for Development, also called IRAD, is the agency responsible for conducting agricultural research in Cameroon. Last year, IRAD promoted seven new bean varieties across the country. Mr. Nkemogne attended training sessions and spoke to IRAD agents at the beginning of the 2012 planting season. He selected one of the varieties, Mac-33, because he liked the shape and colour of the beans. He says he owes his good harvest to the new variety.

Between 2006 and 2012, IRAD conducted field tests at their experimental stations and in farmers’ fields. Nguegim Martin is a researcher at IRAD who helped test the new beans. He says the first batches of new seeds were selected and officially released during the 2012-2013 cropping year.

Pierre Tenfouet also works at IRAD. He says: “The performance of these new varieties is doubled. The old seeds produce about one and a half tonnes per hectare while the new seeds produce up to three tonnes per hectare.” The new varieties have been bred to be more nutritious, richer in protein, iron and zinc. The plants are also less susceptible to attacks from pests and disease.

Pierrot Simo is a farmer in Bafoussam. He heard about the new bean varieties but was hesitant at first. He explains: “I’m a little afraid of ‘new.’ First, I want to see the results that others will get before I commit.” But his curiosity led him to try out the new variety. The results were good and his verdict was clear. He says, “The taste is the same as [is] the cooking time. I think the big difference could be in [the] level of productivity.”

Mr. Nkemogne confirms that he has experienced an increase in production. He says that, over the past several years, he harvested about 12 bags of beans. However, in recent years his harvest had declined until he was only harvesting nine sacks.

He says, “With the new variety, I had 15 bags. I’m happy because my goal was mainly not having to spend too much money for the purchase of insecticides.”

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Tsotleho Befole is a 24-year-old man from Lesotho who travelled to South Africa twice in the past year to find work. But neither trip was successful.

Many migrate to neighbouring South Africa to search for work in the mines. Jobs are scarce in Lesotho, with an estimated third or more of the population unemployed. The peak of this migration was in the late 1980s, when about 125,000 Basotho worked in South African mines.

Mr. Befole points his finger towards a fish farm at the Katse Dam, part of the $16 billion US, 30-year Lesotho Highlands Water Project. He says, “The only work is down there.” The dam is beginning to offer an unexpected benefit: jobs.

Mabusetsa Lenka is head of the water, justice and environment programs at a national NGO called Transformation Resource Centre. He says that when Katse Dam was built, longer-term employment opportunities were not considered. The potential economic benefits from tourism or improving farming practices with local irrigation were ignored.

However, says Mr. Lenka, “Right now, something that is being tried is fisheries. This could be a viable employment opportunity.”

Mpiko Ncholu is a 49-year-old man who makes his living catching yellowfish, a bony fish with little commercial value beyond local consumption. He says, “On my best day, I caught 60 fish and sold them for 700 maluti ($90 US).” On bad days, he catches nothing.

Mr. Ncholu’s meagre catch with hook-and-line fishing contrasts starkly with the output of Katse Fish Farms, also known as KFF. The company was the first to introduce aquaculture to Katse Dam. Employing more than 30 staff, KFF produces 300 tonnes of rainbow trout each year. The company aims to boost production to 1200 tonnes by 2017, and expects that higher production will mean more jobs.

Jobs are available for people without a fishing background. Jabari Kadafi is a former taxi driver who now works for KFF, earning a monthly salary of 1,500 maluti, or $164 US. This is a good income in Lesotho and allows him to support his three children.

A second fisheries company, Highlands Trout, has created 62 jobs. The company has established processing facilities to gut and fillet fish. There are plans to smoke and cure the trout, which would further increase job opportunities for local people.

Chief Mamphole Molapo presides over eight highland villages. She says the dam is a mixed blessing. There are some jobs and roads, but dam waters have drowned the trees on which the people relied for fuel and timber. Chief Molapo says, “When we want wood, we have to put our hand in our pockets. There are shops now and some benefits from tourism, but then there is a lot [of] crime.”

An agreement between KFF and the community stipulates that about one-half of one per cent of the value of KFF’s production be deposited in a community trust. The trust is managed by a steering committee, which includes representatives from the local community and the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. The first initiative the trust supported was the rehabilitation of the local drinking water system.

As well as jobs, local people have received another bonus from the fish farms: a new type of fish to eat. Through the agreement, the community receives fish after each bimonthly harvest. Chief Malapo says this is a benefit because the local people, especially the elderly, prefer eating trout to yellowfish. She says, “The elderly have no teeth, so they can’t eat yellowfish because they are too bony.”

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