African Farm News in Review

Violet Malunda’s small farm is bursting with colourful fruits. Pineapples, oranges, mangoes, avocados, and grapes sprout from every corner. There are seedlings growing in small boxes and plants growing up to the very boundaries of her farm.

Ms. Malunda operates a thriving fruit processing plant. In order to produce enough fruit, every bit of space must be utilized.

Ms. Malunda began growing fruits in the Mityana district of Uganda in 1977. The project started small, but has become a major livelihood – not only for her family but for her neighbours, too.

Her family of six provides the bulk of the labour. Their family home is the headquarters of Kiyinda Agro Food Enterprises. It’s fruit processing factory that makes wine, juice, jam, and sauce.

Ms. Malunda explains that she produces different products on different days. Some days wine, some days juice. Some days sauces with chili, other days sauces without.

The products are packaged in bottles or plastic bags. Glass bottles are very expensive and importing them is a big challenge. So Ms. Malunda has come up with an alternative to buying new bottles. Her family collects used bottles. They are washed, sterilized, and used for packaging.

She also has to import sealing materials. It’s a large expense, but one she can’t avoid.

In order to maintain her loyal clients, Ms. Malunda must keep supply steady and standards constant. To ensure she has enough fruit to process, she enlists the help of neighbouring farmers. She has a tree nursery on her farm and sells seedlings to her neighbours. The neighbours plant the seedlings and sell fruit back to Ms. Malunda.

Ms. Malunda is proud that her small factory has enabled her children to attend good schools. She also believes that it has saved her family from disease. Her children are healthy because they know the value of fruits, she declares.

Her neighbours, too, have relied on her business as a source of income. As a result, many have been able to educate their children and improve their health.

Ms. Malunda is now training other farmers to do the same kind of fruit processing. Her dream is to see her community become one of the most successful in Uganda. She adds: “Ugandans should know that our fruits are fresh and organic. So they should love them and use the good climate to grow them in plenty and fight poverty.”

Post your comment »

Elise Dibabo doesn’t look like a typical farmer. Her round, gold-plated glasses give her the look of a newly-gentrified intellectual. Yet it has been eight years since Elise Dibabo left the city and deposited her luggage in the small village of Nkol-Ngock – much to the dismay of her husband, an executive in the shipping industry. Her husband had acquired more than 100 hectares of virgin forest in Nkol-Ngock, 60 miles from the city of Douala. Painstakingly and courageously, Ms. Dibabo has reclaimed and developed the land.

It wasn’t long ago that Ms. Dibabo worked as a housekeeper in Douala. But since her arrival in Nkol-Ngock, she has employed scores of labourers to work the land. She speaks with pride of her vast crops. There are 65 hectares of palm, over 10 hectares of pistachio, three of yams, and two each of cocoa, pineapple, watermelon, and plantain. Fifteen hectares are used to grow maize, mostly to feed her flock of 1,300 broiler chickens.

The construction of a palm oil processing plant has been the hallmark of her success. It has allowed her to grow the plantation to the size it stands today.

Ms. Dibabo’s dynamism has won her friends in Nkol-Ngock, a small town where everyone knows everyone. Getting used to the intimacy of small-town life took time. It was a big change from the crowded and noisy streets of Douala. It took Ms. Dibabo a year to adapt and integrate.

Ms. Dibabo currently employs eight workers from the village. Today she jokes with her staff. Contagious laughter erupts from time to time. Ms. Dibabo’s chief of staff is asked to name his boss’ faults. He responds that he can think of none. He feels that Ms. Dibabo cares for them like a mother. In fact, she provides her staff with meals and lodging on the plantation.

But operating a large-scale operation in a rural environment has its challenges. Ms. Dibabo says the hardest part is coping with a lack of electricity. Harvested crops often rot before they can be transported to the city. This is especially a problem during the rainy season when Ms. Dibabo’s truck can’t get through. As a result of some of these problems, she had to abandon much of her palm and banana plantings to grass.

In the midst of this sometimes harsh environment, Ms. Dibabo always finds solace in her husband, her companion of 30 years. She affectionately calls him “papa,” to which he replies “mama.” They share a love which makes young couples pale in comparison. Though her husband remains in Douala for business, he visits Nkol-Ngock every weekend. During the week, SMS messages and phone calls bring comfort.

Today, Ms. Dibabo dreams of taking a break from it all. Of moving away to a place where she wouldn’t have to worry about such things as crop viruses. At the age of 53, she is exhausted by the heavy physical and moral investment she has made. She doesn’t know how much longer she will be able to use a cutlass. So, she would like a little help from the authorities to purchase machinery.

Post your comment »

Following is a sample of past FRW stories looking at some of the issues facing rural women and celebrating successful women farmers and women’s groups that have overcome these challenges:

-“Uganda: Women fishers break traditions” (FRW #5, January 2008)

-“Mali: Women traders play crucial role in providing locally adapted seeds” (FRW #9, February 2008)

-“South Africa: Community gardens help women pensioners maintain their independence” (FRW #11, February 2008)

-“Burkina Faso: Women’s group finds new use for ‘green gold’” (FRW #13, March 2008)

-“Nigeria: Group advocates for women farmers’ rights” (FRW #17, April 2008)

-“Democratic Republic of the Congo: Women farmers process cassava to improve their livelihoods” (FRW #35, September 2008)

-“Uganda: Women farmers drive the economy with sunflower oil” (FRW #45, November 2008)

-“Rwanda: Women seek shared control of family assets“ (FRW #51, January 2009)

-“Cameroon: A woman agricultural engineer discusses her passion for mushrooms” (FRW #57, March 2009)

-“Swaziland: Women’s weaving co-operative gives ‘lift’ to communities” (FRW #77, August 2009)

-“Mauritius: Egg production is their path out of poverty” (FRW #86, November 2009)

-“Senegal: Rural women demand improved access to farmland” (FRW #91, December 2009)

Post your comment »

Small, furry rodents have been found in some Congolese homes. They eat kitchen scraps and breed often. But don’t worry, they’re not pests. They’re guinea pigs. And they can be an important source of protein for families.

Guinea pigs are native to South America. In many South American countries, guinea pig meat forms a major part of local diets. It has been compared in taste to pork, dark chicken meat, or rabbit.

No one knows how or when guinea pigs arrived in Africa. But, last year, an international research group discovered them in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Now, rural people in North and South Kivu districts are raising the rodents as “micro-livestock.”

There are many reasons why guinea pigs are well-suited to this part of the country. As part of ongoing conflicts, larger livestock are frequently stolen. But guinea pigs are small and easy to conceal. They are also hardy animals. They can survive off scraps. And they suffer from fewer diseases than pigs, chickens, or rabbits.

Guinea pigs reproduce often and grow quickly. A female can give birth to as many as 15 pups per year. The offspring reach one kilogram in about three months – ready to be eaten or sold at market.

Researchers at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, or CIAT, were looking for ways to boost livestock production when they found locals raising guinea pigs. The group had originally focused on pork and poultry.

Michael Peters leads the Forages Program at CIAT. He says no one had contemplated guinea pigs when the program started. Now, he believes the rodents could prove indispensible.

CIAT hopes to assist rural communities to improve animal feeding practices. This will result in larger, healthier animals. For example, they hope to identify periods when animal feed is in short supply, and find ways to fill the shortage. CIAT will also investigate which forages encourage guinea pigs to grow more quickly and produce more nutritious meat.

Post your comment »

In rural Rwanda, trees and hedges commonly grow along farmers’ fields. They are used to indicate property boundaries. But these boundaries can change. By moving trees, a farmer can try to extend his or her property at the expense of a neighbour. This is one of the problems that the Rwandan government hopes to fix through a national land registry.

Conflict over land is an ongoing problem in Rwanda. Population density is high. In southern Rwanda, there are as many as 1,000 people per square kilometre. In the village of Ruhango in southern Rwanda, a man killed his neighbour last year in a bid to take over his land.

Through the process of officially demarcating and registering land, land disputes are being settled. It’s not always easy to determine boundaries. So each owner is invited to show the borders of their plot. When the neighbours agree, the plots are officially measured and land certificates are granted.

To date, more than 20,000 plots of land have been registered. Evode Ngombwa is a spokesperson for the National Land Centre. He says the need to solve disputes has slowed the registration process. The government expects the process will take at least three years.

Mr. Ngombwa believes that land registration will help people greatly. With documents to confirm land ownership, farmers will be able to use their land as collateral for bank loans.

The land registration process is also a chance for women to assert their land rights. A local organization for the defense of genocide survivors is calling for its members, especially widows and children, to receive special protection through the process.

But not everyone is confident that land registration will resolve their conflicts. Tensions have been brewing since the return of refugees from the 1994 genocide. A resident of Ngoma in eastern Rwanda complained that authorities forced villagers to share land with returning refugees. But, over time, some returnees have been able to purchase more land. The resident argues that those refugees who have acquired more land should return the land they were originally given.

Post your comment »

African Farm News in Review

1. Sudan: Madi community fights land grab attempts (by David De Dau, for Farm Radio Weekly, in Juba, Southern Sudan)

2. Tanzania: Farmers improve livelihoods with chickens (Farm Radio Weekly)

3. Niger: Farmers plant trees to slow desert’s advance (Various Sources)

4. Zimbabwe: Livestock farmers adapt to new climate (Zimbabwe Standard)

5. Burkina Faso: Women’s group finds new use for ‘green gold’ (by Mahoua Hien, for Farm Radio Weekly, in Burkina Faso)

6. Mozambique: Farmers exchange locally-adapted seeds at seed fairs (LEISA)

Upcoming Events

-AMARC-WIN accepts submissions for International Women’s Day Broadcast Campaign

Radio Resource Bank

-Live from Africa: A handbook for African radio journalists

Farm Radio Action

-Farm Radio International shares favourite stories from the first 99 editions of FRW

Farm Radio Script of the Week

-Manure the magic worker and Organic fertilizer within easy reach

Post your comment »

Beatrice Okayo is standing near her kitchen hut, preparing to do some farm work. She cleans mud from the blades of her farm tools. Nearby is a small piece of land where she grows cassava and maize. She points to another plot of land. “Are you seeing that piece of land from there to there?” asks Ms. Okayo. A soldier from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, or SPLA, took it from her by force, she explains.

Ms. Okayo lives and farms in Nimule. It is the chief town of the Madi community in Southern Sudan, bordering Uganda. During Sudan’s long civil war, the Madi community hosted SPLA soldiers and people displaced by the violence. Ms. Okayo allowed a soldier from the SPLA to live on a piece of her land.

Sudan’s peace agreement was signed in 2005. Displaced people returned home. But in a hangover of lawlessness, many Southern Sudanese have seen their land illegally seized. The land in Madi is known for being fertile and free from mosquitoes. This made it a prime target for land grabbing.

Ms. Okayo asked the soldier to vacate her land so that she could resume farming. But he refused. He threatened to kill her if she reported him to any authority. She says there is too much grabbing of other people’s land in Nimule.

Another case involves a Somali petroleum company. The company built petrol stations on communal land reserved for farming activities. It is alleged that Major General Wilson Deng, a commander within the SPLA, sold the land to Somali investors.

The Madi community was determined to stop the company. Community elders summoned Mr. Deng, but he refused to make an appearance.

The community formed a group to follow up on the matter, headed by their chief, Alfred Gore. They issued a press release, hoping to encourage the government of Southern Sudan to intervene. The Juba Post published the community’s statement. This provoked Mr. Deng to arrest the journalist, who was later released with the help of media advocates.

Mr. Deng was reached for comment at his home in Juba. He said he fought for the rights of the people of Southern Sudan as part of the SPLA. “How can I again turn my back against the same principles of liberation which I risked my life for?” he asked. Mr. Deng dismissed the accusations against him as ethnic politics meant to taint his name.

At the time of publication (June 2009), Mr. Deng had yet to respond in court to the alleged land grab. It was clear to the Madi community that land grabbing was on the rise, and that the government of Southern Sudan had yet to formulate and enforce policies to stop it.

Chief Alfred Gore did not believe that the legal system would solve the problem. He said the community was prepared to demonstrate if the government of Southern Sudan failed to act on their behalf.

Post your comment »

Omar Msham proudly displays his chicken coop. It’s about half a metre high, so he has to crouch to check on the contents – only four chickens today, since he recently sold the rest. But it’s the coop itself of which Mr. Msham is most proud. Red bricks form three of the coop’s walls and a sturdy wire mesh encloses the front. The coop was a significant investment for the farmer, but he is confident it will pay off.

It was two years ago that Mr. Msham began to raise chickens. At the time, he and his wife were struggling to feed their three children. Their two hectares of maize provided food, and one hectare of sunflower provided income, but the family ate only two meals a day.

Then la year later, Mr. Msham purchased some baby chicks. Some chickens were used for food. Others were sold at maturity. With this operation, Mr. Msham earns about 20,000 Tanzanian shillings (about 15 American dollars or 11 Euros) every six months. The extra food and income means that his family now eats three meals a day.

The venture was not without problems, however. Chickens running loose are vulnerable. Every six months, Mr. Msham lost four or five chickens to disease or collisions with bicycles. Other chicken farmers in his village of Kitete in the Morogoro District of eastern Tanzania had similar problems. Many have invested in raising chickens but lose part of their stock each year to injury, disease, theft, and attack by animals such as birds and cats.

The farmers shared their problems with a local radio station, Radio Maria. This radio station is working with Farm Radio International on the African Farm Radio Research Initiative, or AFRRI. Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, AFRRI aims to discover the most effective ways of using radio to improve food security. As part of the initiative, Radio Maria asked the farmers of Kitete village about the challenges they face. The farmers confront many issues concerning the production and marketing of crops and livestock, but Radio Maria decided to first address the problem of chicken loss.

Lilian Manyuka has volunteered with Radio Maria for more than five years. She now hosts a weekly program called “Busy Village.” Kitete’s farmers say they always find time to listen to her show on Saturday morning. It has taught them some of the details of building chicken coops, such as what dimensions a coop should be, and how many chickens can be kept in a coop.

Mr. Msham was one of the first in Kitete to construct a chicken coop, at the cost of 50,000 Tanzania shillings (about 38 American dollars or 28 Euros). Other farmers are now building coops to protect their chickens.

Havintishi Salumu started raising livestock last year when she purchased one chicken. She now keeps about 12. It used to be difficult for Ms. Salumu to obtain meat, but now her family eats eggs twice a week and chicken twice a month. The chickens are an important source of protein for her family. Still, she is frustrated with having chickens stolen and baby chicks killed by birds.

Ms. Salumu built the framework of a chicken coop with sticks her oldest son gathered in the forest. She planned to complete the coop within two months. Her hope was that, with fewer chickens lost, she would earn enough money to send her oldest son back to school.

Post your comment »

Ibrahim Danjimo is a Nigerien farmer in his 40s. He has been working the sandy, rocky soil of his small village since he was a child. Some 20 years ago, Mr. Danjimo began to realize that the trees were disappearing. The Sahelian winds blew strongly across his land. The sand dunes threatened to engulf his hut. His water well dried up.

During the 1970s and 80s, a severe drought combined with a population explosion and destructive agricultural practices stripped bare vast expanses of land. The desert seemed determined to swallow everything.

Mr. Danjimo and some other farmers from Guidan Bakoye village in Niger took a decision that seemed radical at the time. They would no longer rip young trees out of their fields before planting seeds, as their families had done for generations. Instead, they protected the trees, and carefully ploughed around them when sowing millet, sorghum, peanuts, and beans.

Over time, more and more Nigeriens came to value and plant trees, and some of the effects of desertification were reversed. Ibrahim Idy is a Nigerien farmer in the Zinder region. Some 20 baobab trees grow in his field. Mr. Idy sells the leaves and fruit of the baobab, earning about 300 American dollars, or 200 Euros, each year. He used these extra earnings to buy a motorized water pump to irrigate his cabbage and lettuce plants. As a result, his children do not have to gather as much water for the farm, and Mr. Idy can afford to send them to school.

Dr. Mahamane Larwanou is an agroforestry expert at the L’Université de Niamey in Niger. He believes that the more trees are grown in Niger, the better people will be able to adapt to climate change. He says that, by planting trees, farmers can take control and limit the impact of changes on their land. For example, planting trees can help prevent crop destruction and floods because tree roots hold water in the ground, preventing it from running off across rocky, barren fields and creating gullies.

To this end, a company called Tree Nation is asking people to fund the planting of trees in Dosso, Niger. According to the company’s website, it’s as easy as choosing a tree, buying it online, and naming it. The cost? It depends on which tree you buy. A Senegalese acacia tree costs 10 Euros, or about 15 American dollars, while a baobab tree costs 75 Euros, or about 115 American dollars. Tree Nation says it will work closely with local communities, nurseries, and organizations to ensure the best possible environment for the trees to grow. Tree Nation hopes to plant eight million trees in Niger, as part of the United Nations Environment Programme’s Billion Tree Campaign. As of February 2010, they’ve planted over 100,000.

Post your comment »

Raphael Shirto farms in an arid region of Zimbabwe, in western Matabeleland Province. In recent years, the effects of climate change on his dairy farm have become obvious. Pastures are browning and dusty in patches. Thorn scrub is growing where grass used to grow. Boreholes are becoming weaker and weaker.

Mr. Shirto has been forced to make major changes to the way he feeds his animals and grows his crops. He can no longer rely on rain to water pastures or crops.

Standing in one of his several cow pens, Mr. Shirto explains that he now practices zero grazing. Rather than grazing in rain-fed pastures, his livestock are confined to pens and he brings food to them.

Mr. Shirto had never irrigated his fields of sorghum and millet in the past, but now he must. He has learned the technique of drip irrigation. This method delivers water directly to the roots of the plant, making efficient use of scarce water.

Professor Ntombizakhe Mpofu is a livestock specialist researching the effect of climate change in. He says the area has always been dry, but rains are becoming more unpredictable. In early 2008, rains came suddenly as flash floods.

Joseph Ndlovu is also a grain and livestock farmer in Matabeleland. He says the rainy seasons are not the same as before. In 2008, flash floods, followed by drought, destroyed his one acre of maize.

Mr. Ndlovu’s sorghum and finger millet fields survived and promise a good harvest. He says he’s thinking of switching all of his fields to millet and sorghum, because these crops are more resilient. He’s also considering short-season maize varieties.

Mr. Ndlovu’s search for drought-resistant varieties also extends to his beef cattle. He says extension officers have advised him to consider crossing his indigenous breeds with exotic ones to enable them to better cope with dry conditions.

Professor Mpofu has an additional suggestion for livestock farmers coping with the uncertainty of climate change. He says farmers should preserve more stock feed in bales or silos to prepare for poor pastures and poor feed harvests.

1 Comment - Post your comment »

The shea tree has long been known as “green gold” to women in Western Africa. Many parts of the tree are harvested, but the greatest economic value lies in the shea nut. The butter produced from shea nuts is used in local homes and is now in demand around the world.
Until very recently, though, the green shea fruit had been discarded in the process of making shea butter. Women and their children snacked on the fruit as they worked in the field, but most fruit went to waste. All that changed when a women’s group in Burkina Faso decided to preserve and sell the fruit they enjoyed.

L’Association Songtaab Yalgre has earned worldwide acclaim for being the first to produce and sell shea jam. Sold under the brand name Karidelice – a combination of the French words for “shea” and “delight” – the new product has boosted employment in the highly successful women’s cooperative.
Marceline Ouedraogo is the President of L’Association Songtaab Yalgre, or ASY. She explains that shea fruit was known locally as a seasonal delicacy. By creating Karidelice, ASY found a way to preserve a fruit that grows in abundance for only a short period each year.

The company created two shea jam recipes. One uses honey to bring out the natural flavour of shea, which is similar in taste to a date or fig. Another is sold with no sugar added.

Mass production of shea jam became possible after an industrial engineering student from Canada worked with the women to develop quality control procedures. Karidelice is sold in Europe, and, as of March 2008, ASY was looking to market the product in the United States.

ASY holds the copyright for Karidelice and is still the only organization to process and sell shea jam. The innovation has won the organization numerous awards. Mrs. Ouedraogo explained that the money and fame brought by these awards would allow the organization to pursue other ways to process and market shea products.

ASY began more than 15 years ago, when 30 women got together to learn to read and write. Now, more than 3,000 women work as part of the organization, processing and selling shea jam and shea butter. ASY also operates an information centre aimed at improving women’s health – providing training on maternal health, preventing the spread of HIV, and combating the practice of female genital cutting.

Post your comment »

Shaded from the sun, farmers gather for a special kind of market. They lay out mats and brightly coloured fabrics to display their goods. But today they are not selling heaps of fresh crops. Instead, they display smaller quantities of dried seeds and cuttings. The farmers are participating in a seed fair in the province of Nampula in northeastern Mozambique. Rather than leaving with money in their pockets, they will take home locally-adapted seed varieties and knowledge of how to grow them.

Ana Leite participated in a fair for the first time in 2009. She took home three new seed varieties. One was a light-skinned cassava. This variety was much sought after because it is not bitter and can be eaten raw. Ms. Leite also purchased a cutting for a kind of sugarcane she had never seen before. The farmer who sold the sugarcane explained how to cultivate it.

Seed fairs expand on a traditional farmer practice. It’s common for neighbouring farmers to exchange seed varieties. At a seed fair, the exchange happens on a larger scale. Seeds and cuttings are sold at a nominal price – much less than they sell for in shops.

In 2002, the Union of Agricultural Cooperatives in Nampula organized its first seed fair in the province. The union noticed that local people were turning away from local crops such as cassava, sweet potato, sorghum, and millet. They wanted to provide farmers with an opportunity to exchange locally-adapted seeds, as well as knowledge of growing methods. For example, a farmer may find varieties that are known to mature quickly or resist common pests. They may find crops that are suitable to the soil and water conditions on their farm.

Over the years, the seed fair has become very popular and the farmers’ union has grown. Now, the union organizes five fairs simultaneously in different parts of the province. Over 700 members of the farmers’ union participated in the latest fairs.

Margarita Amisse took part in her third seed fair. She brought groundnuts to the market and returned with sesame, cowpea, and rice. She also purchased some maize seeds for her neighbour. Ms. Amisse confirms that seeds at the fair are less expensive and available in much greater variety than those sold in shops.

Post your comment »

Richard Arap Yegon uses a wooden walking stick to gesture at the terrain around him. He points to the lake that spreads into the distance. Lake Bogoria is a body of water dotted with pink flamingos. “That is where the sun rises,” Mr. Yegon says. “We belong to the eastern part,” he adds.

Mr. Yegon is speaking about his people, the Endorois. They are a semi-nomadic people who make their living as pastoralists. Mr. Yegon’s people called the land around Lake Bogoria home until the 1970s. Then, the Kenyan government decided to turn the area into a tourist attraction. The Endorois were evicted from their land.

For decades, the story of the Endorois went unheard. Only in recent years has their tale of expulsion been documented. In fact, video documentation became key evidence in a hearing by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Earlier this month, the commission made its ruling. In a landmark decision, it found the eviction of the Endorois to be a violation of their human rights. It ordered the Kenyan government to restore the Endorois to their land and compensate them for their loss.

Now, Endorois people like Mr. Yegon and Kipchumba Kibon look forward to returning to their traditional homeland. Mr. Kibon is a younger man. He only knows what older members of his community have told him about their land. There was plenty of grass for grazing and natural salt to promote animal health.

In the decades that the Endorois were forced to live elsewhere, they had no dry-season pasture for their cattle. Near Lake Bogoria, they managed their livestock by moving to more fertile areas during the dry season. Forced to live in more harsh terrain, the livestock starved.

An Endorois woman laments that the cattle were so weak they cannot stand on their own. Every morning, they had to be helped to stand. The poor health of the cattle translated into poor health for the community. With much less meat and milk, the Endorois lacked both food and income. At times, they have relied on food aid. Water was also more difficult to come by. Women walked up to 20 kilometres each day to collect water.

The court ruling will not only restore the Endorois people to their traditional lands and livelihoods. They will also receive a substantial portion of tourism revenue earned at Lake Bogoria.

Korir Singo’ei is Director of the Centre for Minority Rights Development. His organization documented the Endorois story, with the support of the NGO, WITNESS. He says the ruling is important for all African indigenous peoples. In particular, it challenges Kenya’s Trust Lands Act. This act puts the government in charge of lands used communally by pastoralists and other indigenous people. This means the government, and not the people, decide how land may be used.

Following the commission’s ruling, Mr. Singo’ei expects many indigenous groups to come forward and claim their land rights. He says his organization would like to work with the government to reform the law and move forward.

Post your comment »

Bishop Joseph G. Gathonjo presses three- five- five- five on the worn-out keypad of his blue and grey Nokia phone. By texting these numbers, Bishop Gathonjo answered “yes” to the question, “Have the seeds germinated?” His text response is part of his farmer organization’s involvement in a project called The DrumNet.

DrumNet is an SMS-based support service for small-scale farmers. It aimed to improve farmer access to agricultural information, markets and loans in order to boost agricultural productivity.

Dr. Julius Okello is a researcher at the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Kenya. He worked on the DrumNet project. He explains that farmers involved in the initiative were introduced to sunflower farming. In order to grow and sell sunflowers, the farmers needed information and suppliers. DrumNet connected farmers to good seed suppliers and buyers, all through text messaging.

The project started by organizing farmers into a group. The group was entered into the DrumNet system and farmers were sent an SMS informing them that they were members of the project. As members, they could access inputs such as sunflower seeds. The farmers were also given technical advice via their mobile phones. At planting time, farmers received an SMS asking, “Have you planted yet?” The farmers texted or called back to say “yes” or “no.” Each farmer spent one Kenyan shilling to send an SMS.

Farmers received additional information at different points in the growing season. They received messages reminding them to weed and asking them if they had harvested their sunflowers. Dr. Okello says the text messages acted as a reminder for the farmers. It also allowed DrumNet to keep track of what was going on in the field. The biggest problem for the farmers was bats eating the sunflowers. So, the farmers were sent an SMS asking, “Are you chasing the bats?”

Every farmer in the project also opened a bank account. The bank provided them with loans to purchase inputs. They were also linked to a buyer, giving them access to a reliable market that paid a good price. All this was achieved through mobile phones.

The farmers earned more money because they were better linked to markets and didn’t have to deal with intermediaries. An evaluation of the DrumNet project showed that the farmers also had better access to food and medical care, and were better able to pay their children’s school fees.

Though the DrumNet project ended last year, many farmers are still very excited about the opportunities that SMS technology has created. The buyers they connected with through DrumNet continue to purchase from them. In some cases, buyers have offered the farmers agricultural financing, all through their continued use of SMS.

Ellyphalet Osuri Omoro is a farmer in Nyanza province who participated in DrumNet as part of the Kinyanya Farmers Group. He says farmers are very happy with what DrumNet has allowed them to do. He explains: “Once our first harvest was collected, our registered numbers doubled.” As a result of the project, many other farmers want to register with the Kinyanya group and to grow sunflower too.

Post your comment »

At the Gouro Adjamé market in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, women unload bananas from a truck. Isabelle Lou Kouhelou is one of them. She’s a trader who specializes in bananas. These days, she’s looking to expand her market.

A large percentage of Ivorian bananas are exported. Many to the European Union. But new trade regulations mean that Ivorian bananas will face greater competition. Tariffs have been lowered on bananas exported from Latin America to Europe. Ivorian banana producers expect a 14 per cent drop in European exports.

Some farmers and traders see a regional solution. They want to market their bananas to other West African countries to make up for losses in the European market.

Ms. Lou Kouhelou believes Cote d’Ivoire is well positioned to sell bananas to Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Senegal. She says she could buy a bunch of bananas locally for 300 CFA and re-sell it regionally for 2,000 CFA.

Doulaye Savadogo is a banana farmer in southern Cote d’Ivoire. He doesn’t want to wait for the European market to collapse. He plans to be proactive in seeking a regional market.

Mr. Savadogo is originally from Burkina Faso. He says that Burkinabes have a growing taste for bananas. It’s becoming a staple food product, so the market potential is strong.

To turn the idea of regional marketing into a reality, Ivorian banana farmers and traders may need help. Ms. Lou Kouhelou is concerned that road and railways problems in the region could hamper efforts for regional marketing. She says the government should support efforts to market Ivorian bananas to the region.

Post your comment »

Scientists may have found the solution to a tiny pest that can devastate coffee plantations. The answer is - an even smaller insect that eats the pest.

The coffee berry beetle is the most serious pest facing coffee farmers. It’s also known as the coffee berry borer. The beetle drills holes into coffee berries and deposits eggs. When the eggs turn into larvae, they eat the fruit from the inside out.

The pest causes the most trouble in Kenya. Farmers around Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro are hardest hit.

Dr. Juliana Jaramillo is with the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology in Nairobi. She was dissecting coffee berries one day when she discovered something interesting. The coffee beetle isn’t the only creature that dives into the coffee berry. An insect called Karnyothrips flavipes will go in after the beetle to eat its eggs. The thrips eat beetle larvae, too.

Thrips are found naturally around the Kisii District of southwestern Kenya. It’s the first predator of the coffee beetle ever found in Africa. Dr. Jaramillo and her colleagues believe that thrips could be an important tool for managing the coffee beetle.

Post your comment »

Tapia Molley will never forget that fateful day when caterpillars invaded his farm. He remembers watching the caterpillars eating his cabbages. He cried at the sight of his crops being destroyed. It seemed that all his effort was in vain.

It has been one year since caterpillars invaded Liberia’s Bong County. They devoured crops, contaminated water sources, and took over buildings. Villagers fled and the government declared a state of emergency.

It was a heavy blow to farmers in this important agricultural area. But they have recovered, finding hope and replanting their fields.

“Thank God we are moving ahead with our lives since the incident,” Mr. Molley said. His neighbours helped him prepare his land. The cabbages are growing again. Mr. Molley is proud to say that his crop is valued at $5,000.

Annie Yarkpawolo is another farmer grateful for the help of neighbours. She is a single mother of five children. Ms. Yarkpawolo said she almost gave up on life when the caterpillars took over her sweet potato field. But she later found courage. With the support of other villagers, she replanted her potatoes. She expects to harvest 20 bags of potatoes in February. These will provide food for her family and planting materials for next season.

Terry Tamba actually expanded his planting following the caterpillar invasion. He admits it was frustrating to start from square one. But he got a loan from a local agricultural bank. He and his family replanted their pepper crop. This time, it is even larger. He is happy to see the peppers grow. The proceeds from this crop will feed his family and send his two children to school.

Food grown in Bong County is not only important for locals, but for other counties as well. Much of Liberia’s cassava, eddoes, plantains, bananas, and potatoes are grown here. Farming is a livelihood and a way of life.

Lorpu Kollie says no amount of caterpillars could prevent her from farming. She says: “I love doing it. This is what my parents taught me to do.” She was troubled when caterpillars devoured her rice. But she put it behind her and redoubled her efforts. Many people from Bong County relied on emergency food relief when they were displaced from their homes. Now, Ms. Kollie looks forward to harvesting and eating her own rice.

The Liberian government has set up a task force to determine how to prevent future caterpillar invasions. They are awaiting the task force’s report.

Post your comment »

John Mwangi was not happy with his coffee harvest this year. His trees produced only 350 kilograms of berries. Normally, he harvests more than ten times that amount. But this year, his crop was attacked by pests known as green scales.

Many coffee farms in Kenya’s Nyeri District have been attacked by green scales. Local agronomists say crops were particularly vulnerable after the recent drought.

Robert Thuo is an agronomist with the Kenya Heartland Coffee project. He explains how green scales damage trees. The insects attack during the dry season, sucking fluid from the trees. They then excrete onto the leaves, leaving them black. The trees become stressed and may die.

Green scales are an unwelcome arrival in Nyeri. But they are not a new pest.

Dr. Chrispine Omondi is a former researcher with the Coffee Research Foundation. He says green scales are manageable and no cause for alarm. He suggests solutions for the short- and long-term.

In the short term, ladybird beetles (sometimes called ladybirds or lady beetles) can be introduced to coffee plantations. The ladybirds eat green scales, controlling the pest in an environmentally-friendly manner.

To protect future crops, Dr. Omondi recommends intercropping coffee with shade trees. The intercropped trees should be taller, providing shade for the coffee. When coffee bushes are protected from the hot sun, they are less vulnerable to pest attack. They also mature more slowly, producing a better berry.

Dr. Omondi explains that intercropping has other benefits. It prevents soil erosion, improves soil quality, and offers crop diversification.

Several agro-chemical companies are trying to find a chemical pesticide that will control green scales. To date, they have had no success.

You may also be interested in this related FRW article on intercropping coffee and bananas:

-“Uganda: Coffee and bananas make good neighbours” (FRW #90, November 2009)

-For links to Farm Radio International’s scripts on pest management, go to: http://www.farmradio.org/english/radio-scripts/pest.asp.

Post your comment »

Ayele Okine grills fingerlings on Jamestown Beach in Accra, Ghana. Smoke billows from her charcoal fire. She tells the story of how her husband became a criminal. He was a fisherman, but fishing became unprofitable. Illegal fishing vessels were depleting stocks and damaging small-scale fishing equipment. Ms. Okine’s husband became frustrated and depressed. Then one day he was arrested for robbery.

Ms. Okine’s husband is one of thousands of small-scale fishers who have given up fishing along Accra’s coast. They feel they cannot compete with foreign trawlers – especially those that use illegal practices.

But local fishers were recently presented with a tool to fight back. The Ghana Fisheries Commission has given them cameras to help document illegal fishing.

Mike Kwabena Akyeampong is chair of the commission. He says the government doesn’t have the capacity to monitor the shoreline around the clock. So they need the eyes of small-scale fishers. They train fishers to gather intelligence and report back to security agencies.

The initiative paid off almost immediately. In December, local fishers reported two foreign vessels operating illegally. Both of the vessels were fishing inshore, an area protected by law for local, small-scale fishers. Fishers presented evidence that, by deliberately entering protected water, the foreign trawlers destroyed the nets of local fishers. Both foreign vessels had their licenses suspended.

Ghana’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food is seeking amendments to the fisheries law to raise fines for illegal fishing. They also want to make it more difficult for foreign trawlers to obtain a fishing license.

The ministry is in the process of acquiring two patrol boats so that the Navy can arrest illegal trawlers. In the meantime, local fishers use their new cameras to monitor the shores.

Post your comment »

Hame Saidu is a pastoralist in Nigeria’s Plateau State. He speaks passionately about his livelihood. He says: “Our herd is our life, because to every nomad life is worthless without his cattle.”

Mr. Saidu also explains how this passion can lead to violence. With each passing year, desertification and rising seas engulf more and more land. The amount of fertile land is shrinking. Pasture disappears as farmers seek land to grow crops. This is when conflict occurs.

“What do you expect from us when our source of existence is threatened?” Mr. Saidu asks. He calls the encroachment of farmers onto traditional grazing fields “a call to war.”

Violence between farmers and pastoralists has been on the rise in Nigeria. In mid-December, 32 people were killed during a clash in Nasarawa State. Scores of homes were burned to the ground. Disputed farmlands went up in flames.

But in another part of Nigeria, a hopeful trend is emerging. Yobe State has found a way to reduce conflict between pastoralists and farmers. By establishing livestock grazing routes, the state has controlled conflict throughout the cropping season.

Mustapha Gaidam is manager of the Yobe State Livestock Development Project. He says fighting between farmers and herders used to be incessant. This is the first year that designated livestock routes were used. Herders had land to graze their livestock and did not travel beyond it. There was peace between pastoralists and farmers.

Mr. Gaidam sees this as a step towards maintaining pastoralism. In turn, he believes that local cattle, sheep, and goat species will be preserved. Meat and milk will continue to enter the market, boosting the local economy.

Gambia recently inaugurated its livestock routes with similar goals: to reduce conflict, keep pastoralists employed, and bolster food security. Designated grazing areas were established in three states: Nianija, Kang West, and Niamina East.

Gambia’s livestock routes were created as part of a regional initiative called the Regional Project for Sustainable Management of Endemic Livestock in West Africa, or PROGEBE. PROGEBE aims to enhance local productivity in the face of pressures such as drought, deforestation, and farming. PROGEBE also works in Guinea, Mali, and Senegal.

Post your comment »