Sellina Naphwinya is chairperson of Tadala women’s fish processing group, which works on one of Lake Chilwa’s beaches. She and her group are now using solar fish dryers. She says they are far better than previous ways of processing fish. She explains, “Solar fish dryers improve hygiene and the quality of fish processed because, compared to other methods, the fish has good taste and comes out clean, since it is dried inside the tents.” Another important advantage is that  solar dryers reduce time for drying.

The shoreline of Lake Chilwa is dotted with small fishing villages, and provides 20 per cent of all fish caught in Malawi. For many years, fish processors around the lake relied on traditional open-air drying and smoking. But open-air drying exposes fish to flies. And smoking uses a lot of firewood, causing environmental problems.

To address these issues, the World Fish Centre designed a pilot project. They started by building solar dryers and handing them over to two women’s groups on Lake Chilwa. The pilot project was successful, and now women fish processors around the lake are calling for the program to be scaled up.

The chairperson of a group of women fish processors from Swang’oma beach says that solar dryers have many benefits. “Most women fish processors in my group have also liked this new technique because at the market, buyers now prefer fish from solar dryers to either smoked or open  sun-dried, due to the quality of fish processed.”

The solar dryers are small tent-like houses wrapped in transparent plastic sheeting. The sheeting allows the sun’s light and heat to dry small fish placed on racks inside the tent. Drying fish takes no more than 24 hours with the solar dryers, compared to two days using traditional means.

The solar dryers are now in high demand. Dr. Jamu is the director of the World Fish Centre. He states that the Centre is ready to collaborate and reach out to women fish processors on more beaches around Lake Chilwa. Dr. Steve Donda is Deputy Director of the Department of Fisheries. He says the technique will be scaled up to all the beaches on the lakes in Malawi.

Five years ago, farmer Omari Abdullah faced many challenges. Poor roads, limited transport facilities and, most importantly, a lack of storage facilities, forced him to sell his vegetables for whatever price he was offered.

Zanzibar is a small island with just over a million people, the majority of whom are subsistence farmers. Tourism has become the major industry in the last 20 years. But farmers like Mr. Abdullah are enjoying few benefits from the estimated one million tourists who visit the island each year. Eighty per cent of the vegetables supplied to the hotel industry are not grown on the island, but in mainland Tanzania. .

Things have changed for the better for some farmers over the last few years. With help from an international NGO, Umwamwema has started working with agricultural experts. The experts have helped in many ways. For example, they suggested that farmers kill harmful soil-dwelling pests by putting infested soil in a clear plastic bag and leaving it in the sun for a week. Local farmer Mama Mariam adds, “It’s really good feeling connected; knowing there are specialists on hand, both for the more routine stuff, but also for when we have problems.”

In October 2009, the Tanzanian Agricultural Productivity Programme, or TAPP, started training the farmers. The training is helping new farmers like Yasmin Mahmoud. It’s also educating experienced farmers on responding to supply and demand, and on choosing to grow products with a strong market, such as mint and basil.

Farmers are learning how to prepare their land, stagger their plantings, and use water harvesting and drip irrigation to strengthen their resilience to unpredictable rainfall. TAPP provides improved seeds to the farmers for free. Omari Abdullah adds, “We’ve also introduced compost-making, rather than relying on commercial fertilizer, which isn’t always that good.”

In the past, poor electricity supplies prevented farmers from keeping their vegetables cool and from using pumps to irrigate their crops. But by digging a well, farmers are no longer dependent on electrical pumps, and can move water by hand. This, plus a simple drip irrigation pipe, has reduced the amount of labour necessary to grow vegetables and improve crop security.

All these measures have increased the Umwamwema farmers’ productivity. And the increased productivity is paying off in improved food security and higher incomes.

Many farmers intercrop trees with maize to provide moisture-preserving shade for the growing maize. Others bury tree leaves in the ground to make the soil more fertile and help retain moisture at planting time.

Between April and June, Mr. Kawelama digs planting holes. In them, he places fresh or dried leaves from Gliricidia sepium trees. The fast-growing trees grow close to his house, and do well in a wide range of conditions. When the rains come around September and October, he opens part of each hole and plants his seeds.

The leaves decompose in the ground, and the resulting compost boosts the soil’s fertility and traps moisture around the maize plants like a sponge, helping the crop grow more vigorously.

Kufasi Shela is with the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development. She says, “Plants growing in such an environment are more likely to give a farmer a better yield as they don’t wither easily because of (lack of) moisture.”

Bettie Lungu of Mzimba in northern Malawi plants Tephrosia vogelii trees amongst her maize. These trees increase the amount of fertilizing nitrogen in the soil. They do not grow taller than the maize plants, so they don’t over shade and stifle their growth, according to Mahara Nyirenda, an agriculture coordinator for the Development Fund of Norway.

Nyirenda says, “The leaves falling from the trees cover the ground. When it rains, this layer traps the raindrops, preventing them from accumulating into runoff. They also aid percolation into the soil.” He adds that the tree canopies shade the ground in sunny weather and the fallen leaves help keep moisture in the soil.

According to the World Agroforestry Centre, nearly 150,000 small-scale farmers in Malawi are using fertilizer tree systems. Several species are used, though the most popular is Gliricidia sepium.

Killar Kawelama is very happy with the results. When he used chemical fertilizers, Kawelama harvested 20 sacks of maize, each weighing 50 kilograms. Since switching to tree fertilizers, his yields have declined slightly to 18 sacks.

“But I am better off now because I am saving over 24,000 Malawian Kwacha (about $150), which I used to spend on chemical fertilizers,” he explains.

Residents of Kirundo Province, in northeastern Burundi, had been facing a growing water shortage. The region has low rainfall and frequent droughts. Marcien Nzoia is a local community development officer. He says, “There are no water sources, no drinking water points, and people had to travel more than 15 kilometres in search of water.” Local resident Martha Kankindi adds, “Since we were very young, water has always cost us a lot, both in time and energy.”

The new program is called “Drinking water for all.” It has reforested bare land, and set up systems to collect water for household purposes and for farming.

The program was set up by the residents of Kirundo province, with the support of the state, and funding from a German aid organization, Welthungerhilfe. The residents received 45,000 Euros to develop systems for collecting rainwater.

According to a Welthungerhilfe representative, the program aims to collect rainwater, but also to encourage greater water infiltration in soils. This is why reforestation is an important component of the program. Reforestation helps to prevent runoff and soil erosion.

As residents benefit from the program, they are realizing the value of forested land and making efforts to protect it. Alphonse Marimbu is a local resident. He learned how to install plastic tanks to catch rainwater. He welcomes the tanks because he no longer has to carry water from distant sources. Also, the water quality is generally better than water from streams and creeks.

In the collection system, water from rooftops is piped into collection tanks. This works best with tiled roofs. Residents simply open a tap on the tank when they want water.

The tanks are easy to install, especially because residents bring stones and sand to help build them. A domestic tank costs about US $110, and stores between 500 and 1000 litres. Larger tanks for communities or schools are available, and hold up to 10,000 litres.

However, misconceptions have hindered the program’s expansion. Some believe that drinking rainwater leads to sterility. Another belief is that girls who drink rainwater will find it hard to find a husband. As part of the program, Welthungerhilfe tries to overcome these misconceptions. They recognize that people who have never lived with running water or sanitation lack basic knowledge of good hygiene practices.

Since 2000, many families have deserted the area because of drought and water supply problems. Through this program, people are gradually returning.

According to resident Martha Muhimbare, the tanks guarantee an independent water supply. Households do not need to depend on community or public suppliers. Her life is easier because the tank saves her time, money and energy.

In mid-December, 140 trucks of food were intercepted in areas controlled by Shehab. The ICRC is urging a quick release of the convoys, which carry food aid for 240,000 people.

The ICRC is working to restore supplies as quickly as possible. Patrick Vial is head of the ICRC delegation in Somalia. He says, “We are actively seeking the cooperation of local authorities to restore the conditions for a resumption of activities suspended as soon as possible.” ICRC’s deputy head of operations in East Africa, Benjamin Wahren, did not hide his concern: “The longer we wait, the more the food will deteriorate.”

Patrick Vial continues, “The suspension will remain valid until we have received assurance from the authorities controlling these areas that distribution can take place unhindered and reach everyone in need.”

The Red Cross is one of the few organizations distributing aid in the most inaccessible areas of southern Somalia. Since October last year, they have distributed food to more than 1.1 million people and provided seeds and agricultural support to more than 100,000 farmers.

For further news, visit:
-“UN Aid Coordinator: Somalia Still in Crisis” http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/UN-Aid-Coordinator-Somalia-Still-in-Crisis-137292198.html

-“Somalia: ICRC temporarily suspends distributions of food and seed” http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/news-release/2012/somalia-news-2011-01-12.htm

-“Somalia Islamists force ICRC food aid suspension” http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/12/us-somalia-food-redcross-idUSTRE80B1HM20120112

The Kenyuni Women’s Group has shown that bananas are not only for cooking or ripening, but are versatile and easily processed. The 20 women now make cakes, bread, biscuits, crisps, ugali flour, banana porridge and banana jam. They decided to start processing bananas for sale after they discovered that middlemen were exploiting them by giving them as little as 100 Kenyan shillings (just over one US dollar) per bunch of bananas.

Everline Onserio is the group leader. She says, “We have varieties which are only used for ripening and those [used] for baking. Each member has planted some [of each] in her piece of land to avoid a shortage.”

Mrs. Onserio explains that when the crop is ready, it is carefully harvested and cleaned with salt water. Then the bananas are transported on a motorbike to the groups’ mini-bakery, one kilometre away. At the bakery, they make bread, chapati and snacks from ripened bananas. The women sell these products to the public at affordable prices. Mrs. Onserio says, “Even though we face many challenges in our business, we are committed to making our families earn a living through our small income.”

The group leader says that most of their products are purchased by the locals who flock to their bakery from morning to evening. Their customers appreciate the quality of the products. She explains, “Our products are chemical-free. That is why we encourage people to buy and consume them.”

Residents praise the group, saying that their products are local and original compared to those sold in supermarkets. Many locals have changed their eating habits, and often buy the group’s products because they are nutritious.

Mrs. Onserio explains the value in keeping good records, “We keep records on daily transactions because we want to establish whether we are making progress or not. Initially when we didn’t have such records, it was difficult for us to know the position of our business.”

Veronica Nafula is the financial record keeper. The group sponsored her training in financial management. Mrs. Nafula explains one of the charts in their office, which shows that the group used to make nearly 300,000 shillings (about 3450 US dollars) annually. Now that they are adding value to the bananas, they rake in more than double that amount. To celebrate their progress, a group member has composed a Kiswahili poem which praises the banana as a plant that can help the community jump out of poverty.

Patrick Siro is deputy mayor of the town of Kisii, and a patron of the group. He is optimistic that the women will be successful in the long run. Mr. Siro said there is a need for more funding so that members can attain food security and improve their economic base. He expressed optimism that the ongoing construction of a banana factory near Kisii town will help the group and other banana growers.

At a time when Kenyans are suffering from inflation, Mrs. Onserio says that food security can be attained if growing bananas and adding value is embraced. “I think [the] time has come for Kenyans to change their eating habits and embrace ugali cooked from banana flour instead of maize flour.”

Dadi Yadete is a 72-year-old farmer from the village of Thefebanti. Three years ago, he took a gamble and began to grow apples, a fruit he was unfamiliar with. Hesitant and doubtful at first, he planted only 12 trees. But his experiment paid off. Apples thrive in the temperate climate of Ethiopia’s highlands.

Mr. Yadete, who has two wives and nine children, now has 70 flourishing apple trees on his half-hectare plot, plus a large avocado tree. He also grows barley, a few coffee bushes, sweet potato, green pepper and bright red hot chillies.

“Life was very difficult when I was trying to grow maize and barley,” says Mr. Yadete. “I was producing nothing and I was receiving food aid. Now I don’t need food aid.” He receives about $600 US dollars a year from the sale of his apples, and he owns four cows and two oxen. This makes him a relatively wealthy man.

Others in the village, which has about 200 households, are also prospering by selling apples and growing seedlings.  A few steps away from Mr. Yadete’s plot, women nursery workers fill pots with soil and compost. A regular market and proximity to the main road give the village an advantage over remote villages higher in the mountains.

Mr. Yadete and his fellow villagers are the beneficiaries of Meret (from the Amharic word for “land”), a joint venture between the UN’s World Food Programme, called WFP, and the Ethiopian government. Meret originated as a response to the food crises of the 1970s and targets chronically food insecure communities. The WFP provides food to each participant – three kilograms of cereals every work day.

Population pressure has led to overfarming in Ethiopia’s highlands. Trees have been cut down, allowing water to flow downhill instead of being retained in the soil. In parts of the region, the terraces look bone dry and the sorghum stunted. Meret provides technical advice to farmers on reforesting barren hillsides and building or refurbishing terraces.

Meret staff talk to farmers, discussing their problems and helping them determine the steps they need to take.  With Meret’s help, Mr. Yadete and his fellow farmers agreed to stop farming or grazing on the top of the mountain above their village for two years. They planted trees, built or repaired terraces, and dotted the slopes with mini water barriers made from stone and earth. These help to retain water and heal the land.

Ethiopia is devoting 17% of its national budget to farming, well above the 10% commitment agreed to by African governments. The country’s ambitious growth and transformation plan calls for more than doubling the production of key crops to nearly 40 million tonnes by 2015.

Despite Ethiopia’s dependence on rainwater, agricultural experts see no reason why the country cannot be Africa’s breadbasket. “As long as you can control the water, you can grow whatever you want,” says a private investor who is leasing land for dairy cows.

While government officials and other experts grapple with policy issues in Addis, Mr. Yadete is doing his bit for Ethiopian agriculture by growing his apples. Despite successfully growing a fruit he had never tasted until three years ago, he and his wife hardly eat their apples, which he describes as tasting like bananas. “I don’t eat the apples,” he says. “Whenever I see them, I see money.”

Every year in Cameroon, thousands of trees are cut down for wood and charcoal. These are the main sources of cooking fuel for the rural dwellers who make up over 65 per cent of Cameroon’s population. Livestock farmers, like other rural people, are starved for electricity. But they have plenty of manure. Now, that manure is yielding valuable methane gas when processed in biodigesters.

Forty-six-year-old Juliana Mengue was widowed five years ago. She cares for 40 cows by herself, on her half-hectare farm in Bafut village in northwest Cameroon. Traditionally, cattle manure is used as fertilizer for crops. But a new government program, established with the help of global non-profit Heifer International, is turning her animal manure into fuel. As a result of the cheap biogas she now produces, Mrs. Mengue is able to spend more on medical care, education and increasing her animal stock. She says, “We also use (the biogas) for lighting and heating, replacing our local bush lamps and the use of wood fuel.”

The project has established demonstration biogas production centres in her village and two nearby villages. Many farmers say the technology has brought meaningful changes in their lives and to their community, especially given the spiralling cost of fuel.

Henry Njakoi is country director for Heifer International in Cameroon. He says that building biogas digesters on demonstration farms can generate enough gas for whole communities. Farmers pay only a quarter of the $120 US dollar cost of a manure biodigester, with Heifer International and the Ministry of Agriculture picking up the rest of the tab.

To produce biogas, farmers collect dung from their livestock and carry it by wheelbarrow to the biodigester’s tank. They mix the manure with an equal amount of water and stir. The mixture is left to decompose for several weeks, and the resulting methane gas settles in an upper compartment of the tank. At the end of the process, the manure is removed, dried and used as fertilizer. The technology is affordable enough that many livestock farmers can integrate it with traditional practices without major financial assistance.

Mr. Mengue says her family has not only gained financially from the project, but that she now has a greater understanding of the connection between the environment and climate change. “We were not aware how much destruction the decomposing dung was doing to the environment. Now we have been told it releases tonnes of methane gas that is very harmful,” she says.

Methane released from manure is a potent driver of climate change. Global efforts to curb its release range from capturing the gas to produce biofuel, to changing livestock diets to produce less methane.

Micheal Mbu raises pigs and goats and cares for 50 cows. He says the biodigestion process is simple enough for any farmer to understand. He believes that it will ensure a consistent profit, especially for those who use the new source of energy in income-generating projects. Mr. Mbu has connected the methane pipes to 10 cookers with two burners each, which ensures a constant supply of fuel. He adds, “I use the energy to bake potatoes and flour cake and bread. This cottage baking industry employs five persons.”

The manure generated by the biodigester is high in the nutrients needed by plants, and is an effective fertilizer. Eugene Ejolle Ehabe works with the Institute of Agricultural Research and Development in northwest Cameroon. He says that making biogas from manure and other waste matter could reduce the large volumes of fuel wood used for cooking. He continues, “The production of biogas will reduce emissions of greenhouse gas, reduce deforestation, help preserve the forest and soil fertility, and above all improve the livelihood of farmers.”

Masy Ramazoto is a farmer in Fitampito, a village in central Madagascar. “Because of our customs, I never thought that I would one day have the chance to farm,” she says. ”Now that I can work just like my husband to improve our living conditions, I put my whole heart into it.”

Since women started farming in a few isolated villages in the High Matsiatra region, yields have improved significantly. In three years, rice yields have increased from two tonnes per hectare to five tonnes.

Faly and Noro Ndremazoto are farmers from the town of Vohitrafeno. Noro is responsible for growing vegetables, while her husband Faly builds ox-drawn plows. The living conditions of the couple have improved greatly since Noro began farming. Faly says, “I now understand how certain aspects of tradition can hinder development. Since my wife starting helping me, I finally have the opportunity to return to my passion, which is woodworking.”

The main crops women grow in the area are rice, cereals, fruits and vegetables. To help get them started, women attended trainings offered by local associations. The trainings focused on growing rice and vegetables. The women have learned the rice growing system called SRI, or System of Rice Intensification. They carefully follow SRI procedures by weeding regularly, transplanting and re-planting failed seedlings. Njaka Harivelo is a trainer with Santatra, an association involved in educating farmers. He explains, “SRI requires more work than traditional rice-growing techniques, but it guarantees better production.”

In addition to SRI, the women farmers were asked to adopt hybrid rice. Farmers in some communities had yields of eight tons per hectare when they combined SRI with hybrid rice varieties imported from China.

Veromanitra Soazanany is a farmer from the town of Anjoma Itsara, near Vohitrafeno. She welcomed the training. “With the training we have been given, I am very comfortable in my work.” She passed on everything she learned and convinced her husband to abandon less productive farming practices. The couple grows a wide range of vegetables in addition to rice. Her husband Besa Narisaona is even considering raising cattle now that his wife has mastered growing vegetables. He is happy: “I’m glad my wife was trained in farming, or we would not be where we are now.”

Mr. Sylla is not the only one who is impressed by the new variety. Many tomato producers are happy. The income they earn by selling Moungal tomatoes is solving everyday problems  such as paying children’s school fees.

According to Mr. Sylla, this variety is more productive than others, is easy to grow, and farmers can grow it in any season. In the dry season, it can be grown in the lowlands. During the rainy season, it thrives on upland  slopes. It grows in all kinds of soil. Moungal is  new to this part of Guinea.

Moungal was developed during trials at the Foulaya Agricultural Research Centre, in Guinea. It was introduced to Koliada in 2000 through farmers’ associations.

Thierno Hamidou Camara is a researcher at the Foulaya Agricultural Research Centre. He is full of praise for Moungal tomatoes. He says, “We began tests to find  the qualities requested by the farmers, and  chose the best from  25 tomato varieties.” Five varieties were selected, and Moungal was developed from these. According to Mr. Camara, one hectare of Moungal grown with appropriate farming practices yields up to 25 tonnes of marketable tomatoes.

Before Moungal, tomatoes were only grown on higher slopes during the dry season. But now, growers can plant in the rainy season too.

But Moungal risks becoming a victim of its own success. Overproduction is now a serious concern. The only major market is in Conakry, and this market is almost saturated. There is little opportunity for processing excess production. For example, Guinea  has no cannery to manufacture tomato paste.

To protect the farmers from the effects of overproduction, the Foulaya Agricultural Research Centre recommends that growers produce only enough to satisfy existing orders from major cities.

As for Mr. Sylla, he avoids the problem by producing other crops. He explains, “Next to my cherished Moungal tomatoes, I grow maize in April in the lowlands. ” He sells his maize in the local market, and uses the money to help his family through the lean period before harvest. He says, “The drop in sales does not take me by surprise, I always have something in the ground.”