Malawi begins solar-powered irrigation

Bimini1002016-01-23T16:54:48-05:00

Malawi has begun solar-powered irrigation in arable land expanses along the Lake Malawi Solar-powered irrigation is more relevant in Malawi now than ever, mainly due to the drying up of the Malawi lake bed. Malawian minister for agriculture irrigation and water development Allan Chiyembekeza said the ministry is implementing the country's first ever irrigation and investment master plan that was launched formally in September 2015. The main solar-powered schemes include Chitindi, Lemero and Ndembwera, constructed using resources amounting to US$93mn from the [...]

January 27, 2016 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

UN declares 2016 the International Year of Pulses

Bimini1002016-01-23T16:49:20-05:00

The United Nations 68th General Assembly declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses (IYP) and FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) has been nominated to facilitate the implementation of the Year in collaboration with Governments, relevant organizations, non-governmental organizations and all other relevant stakeholders. The IYP 2016 aims to heighten public awareness of the nutritional benefits of pulses as part of sustainable food production aimed towards food security and nutrition. The Year will create a unique opportunity to encourage connections throughout [...]

January 20, 2016 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

Digital Agriculture: The Future is Now

Bimini1002016-03-02T10:07:57-05:00

By Anna McConnell DES MOINES, Iowa (Agriculture.com) -- Digital agriculture is here and will continue to advance production farming in the U.S. and worldwide. “The world is digitized, and we’re going to see the same digitization on the farm,” said Michael Stern of Climate Corporation. On Thursday at the World Food Prize, a panel of representatives weighed in on precision technology that is helping farmers work more efficiently without producing more waste. At Climate Corporation, technology is developed based on field measurements, [...]

January 18, 2016 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

Ignitia teams up with BCtA to deliver text message weather forecasts to farmers

Bimini1002016-01-08T22:08:55-05:00

Social enterprise Ignitia has joined the Business Call to Action (BCtA) to deliver tropical weather forecasts via text messages to farmers in West Africa Iska, Ignitia’s forecasting model, creates reliable, GPS-specific weather forecasts. Two-day, monthly and seasonal forecasts are sent to customers via text. By the end of 2017, around 1.2mn small-scale farmers in West Africa will receive such text updates, said BCtA. A global initiative backed by the United Nations, BCtA helps businesses like Ignitia engage with economically-backward sections of [...]

January 13, 2016 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

Ugandan university designs low-cost multipurpose tractor

Bimini1002016-01-08T22:05:25-05:00

Uganda’s Makarere University has designed the MV Mulimi – a multipurpose tractor for African farmers The MV Mulimi has been created by the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) in the Makarere University, following the rising need to develop low-cost farming solutions in Uganda. The tractor, according to officials from CAES, can thresh maize, pump water from a depth of seven metres to a height of 33 metres, plough gardens, transport 20 adults and their goods for a reasonable distance [...]

January 11, 2016 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

AgDevCo’s initiative to boost smallholder farmer incomes in Africa

Bimini1002016-01-09T10:03:29-05:00

AgDevCo, in partnership with The MasterCard Foundation, has announced a US$15.4mn initiative to boost the incomes of smallholder farmers in seven African countries AgDevCo’s mission is to reduce poverty and improve food security, and it has invested over US$50mn in 49 agribusinesses in sub-Saharan Africa until now. Activities in Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia will include providing training and better quality inputs to farmers, implementing mobile technology solutions, and brokering long-term purchase contracts. AgDevCo, specialist agriculture impact investor, has [...]

January 6, 2016 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

Sustainable machine design recommended by

Bimini1002015-12-29T15:03:18-05:00

Integrating sustainability in machine design will go a long way in ensuring environmental safety standards are maintained A range of agriculture and forestry equipment can be designed specifically to ensure minimal environmental damage. A recently-published ISO standard on sustainability principles for tractors and machinery for agriculture and forestry will aid designers and manufacturers integrate best practices in machine design. Titled ISO 17989-1:2015, Tractors and machinery for agriculture and forestry – Sustainability – Part 1: Principles, the guide is specially applicable to [...]

January 4, 2016 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

Brazil’s harvest for 2016 estimated at 209.3 million tons, slight drop from 2015

Bimini1002015-12-17T21:32:51-05:00

Brazil's harvest in 2016 will reach 209.3 million tons, which is 0.5% less than in 2015 according to the estimates from the Brazilian stats institute, IBGE. The fall is related to less crops of oilseeds, cereals and legumes in the centre west of the vast country, which is also the main farming area, as well as in the north. The harvest includes 101.5 million tons of soybeans; 28.8 million tons of corn and 12.2 million tons of rice. The three [...]

December 30, 2015 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

Brazil in recession, but farming is booming with the 29% fall of the Real

Bimini1002015-12-17T21:29:34-05:00

Financial and political turmoil that have Brazil on the brink of a depression is also contributing to one of the best years ever for domestic farmers. Economic stress and a weak currency has facilitated export revenue for everything from soybeans to beef to coffee. Even as global surpluses spark a commodity slump, the drop in the Brazilian Real against the dollar is so steep that farmers still come out ahead. Agriculture revenue will rise to a sixth straight annual record [...]

December 28, 2015 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

Case IH shows off product improvements at Agritechnica

Bimini1002015-12-17T21:24:58-05:00

Case IH showcased the latest features in its Quadtrac tractor and Axial Flow combines at the recently concluded Agritechnica The Case IH Quadtrac now features transmission efficiency rating of between two and five per cent, and approximately 40 per cent faster shuttle, compared to the previous model. This has been made possible by improved features such as a new steering that enables fewer rotations until full lock in the field, the new automatic differential lock for the front and rear [...]

December 23, 2015 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...