New world agriculture census round to begin in 2016

Bimini1002015-11-07T21:10:42-05:00

A new global round of country-driven agricultural censuses is set to begin in 2016 to gather information and statistics on the sector Mobile phone applications and other user-friendly dissemination tools can help to ensure broader access to census results. To support the process, FAO has published a set of updated guidelines to assist governments in carrying out their national-level agricultural censuses, tailored to various different country needs and capacities. This is the latest edition of guidelines, which FAO provides every 10 [...]

November 18, 2015 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

US$12mn grant for maize production in sub-Saharan Africa

Bimini1002015-11-07T21:08:01-05:00

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has received a US$12mn grant to boost maize production in Nigeria, Ethiopia and Tanzania in the next four years The project will adapt modern technologies to promote maize value-chain strategies. (Image source: International Institute of Tropical Agriculture/Flickr) IITA has received the money in collaboration with the Taking Maize Agronomy to Scale in Africa (TAMASA) project, and the grant has been given by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. TAMASA was launched in May this year, [...]

November 16, 2015 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

New potato varieties to boost productivity in Tanzania, Kenya could borrow some tips

Bimini1002015-11-07T21:04:15-05:00

By Brian Moseti | Wed 04 Nov, 2015 Mtanga Farms Limited (MFL), in partnership with the Tanzanian government, has announced the registration of four new potato varieties – the first to be released in Tanzania in 30 years. MFL, a commercial farming operation in the southern highlands of Tanzania – rehabilitated in partnership with Thirty Degrees East, a Mauritian investment company, through impact investments by UK-based Lion’s Head Global Partners, U.S.-based Calvert Foundation, Nigerian investment firm Heirs Holdings and its [...]

November 11, 2015 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

Satellite data to help Ugandan smallholder farmers

Bimini1002015-11-07T21:02:23-05:00

The Technical Centre for Agriculture and Rural Cooperation (CTA) has launched a US$4.96mn project in Uganda to benefit more than 350,000 smallholder farmers The multi-year project will use satellite data to improve production and marketing of the value chains of maize, soya beans and sesame. This is in collaboration with six other partners, with support from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and will run till August 2018. Designed as a demand-driven, market-led, user-owned ICT4Ag-enabled information service, the programme aims to [...]

November 9, 2015 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

Electronic system to check fake agro products in Uganda

Bimini1002015-10-24T20:36:20-05:00

Uganda’s government plans to unveil an electronic system that will enable farmers determine if their agricultural inputs are genuine or counterfeits at the point of sale. The new system is called Uganda National Bureau of Standards e-tag Goldkeys Agro-verification. It will use the e-tag quality certification and auditing service of Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) and mPedigree’s Goldkeys serialisation and authentication engine. This would create a channel for verifying not only the source and supply chain status of agro-inputs, [...]

November 4, 2015 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

Ghana gets US $1.8 billion loan for cocoa sector

Bimini1002015-10-24T20:26:37-05:00

Ghana’s cocoa regulator, Cocobod, has signed a US$1.8bn loan with international banks to finance purchases for the 2015/16 season Cocobod hopes to start Ghana’s new cocoa season from 2 October. According to Cocobod spokesman, Noah Amenyah, the loan, signed in Paris by 23 lenders, will be used to purchase around 850,000 tonnes. The loan is the largest soft commodity deal in sub-Saharan Africa. Lead arrangers for the facility were Barclays Bank, Commerzbank, Deutsche Bank, French investment bank Natixis and Japan’s [...]

November 2, 2015 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

NDC launches US$111mn palm oil project in Tanzania

Bimini1002015-10-30T14:30:49-05:00

Nava Bharat Pte. Limited (NBS) in collaboration with Tanzania’s National Development Corporation (NDC) is investing US$111mn in a 10,000ha (hectare) Integrated Palm Oil project in Ruvu Basin Coast region near Dar es Salaam The palm oil project will be located near Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. (Image source: David Davies) A palm oil processing plant will also be set up to add value to the project, according to the NDC. The two firms have already acquired 6,000ha for the project expected to produce [...]

October 28, 2015 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

New drought-tolerant maize variety developed in Kenya

Bimini1002015-10-30T14:35:08-05:00

The African Agriculture Technology Foundation (AATF), in collaboration with Crop Africa Seeds, has developed a drought tolerant maize variety for Kenyan farmers. The maize variety has been named WE1101. It is said to be able to cope with drought conditions and still produce yields comparable with other commercial varieties. A survey conducted by AATF indicated that the WE1101 variety resulted in an average harvest of 4.5 tonnes of maize per hectare, which is more than double the national average of [...]

October 26, 2015 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

Uganda to get agriculture assistance from FAO and China

Bimini1002015-10-30T14:33:09-05:00

FAO, China and Uganda have signed a two year agreement worth almost US$2.5mn to support small-scale farmers in Uganda. The agreement marks the second phase of a partnership that was established in 2012 to make training and technical advice available to the Ugandan agriculture sector. It will help farmers in the African country boost their production and promote the use of sustainable technologies. Priority areas for the second phase of the project include developing crop, horticultural, livestock and aquaculture production, as [...]

October 21, 2015 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...

Case IH launches new Farmall JXM series tractors

Bimini1002015-10-02T13:54:01-05:00

UK-headquartered Case IH has launched a new series of Farmall JXM tractors that offer a balance of design and strength The optional 20x20 creeper transmission offers speeds as low as 280 metres per hour for specific applications such as trenching and mulching. (image source: Case IH) The Farmall JXM series is powered by the Iveco S8000 series engines which are available in two versions, 80 hp and 88 hp. The four-cylinder turbocharged powering is further enhanced by the intercooler in both [...]

October 19, 2015 Uncategorized Comments OffRead more...