Agriculture | Page 26 of 32 | Best African News Online

AfDB joins forces with international organisations to help developing countries build resilience to extreme weather

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago06 mins

The African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) has joined forces with 11 other international organisations to assist developing countries to build resilience against the impact of natural disasters caused by extreme weather. Following a series of deadly weather events that have caused widespread destruction, especially in Africa, the institutions came together at the COP 25 climate change…

India Pulses and Grains Association to host the Pulses Conclave 2020

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago01 mins

India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA) is hosting the fifth edition of The Pulses Conclave 2020, its biennial event at Aamby Valley City, Lonavala, Pune, India from February 12th to 14th, 2020. The Pulses Conclave is the world’s largest conference-cum-exhibition on the Pulses sector and this year we expect over 1000 delegates from India and…

SeedCo extends corporate social responsibility to charitable organisations

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago5 years ago04 mins

By Anyway Yotamu and Tatenda Mujeyi Seed Co Zimbabwe has extended its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to selected charitable organisations on the 11th of December 2019 at the company’s Stapleford offices in Harare. The largest seed company in the Southern African region has partnered with Mutemwa Leprosy Center, Mother of Peace, Mashambanzou Care Trust and…

Comparative analysis of imported knowledge and indigenous knowledge

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago013 mins

By Charles Dhewa Due to continuous dependence on imported western knowledge, most African countries have not invested in understanding their own local knowledges. For instance, while these countries continue to lament that they do not have foreign currency and advanced technologies, they are not taking time to reflect and compare what they have in abundance…

Indian billionaire eyes agricultural investment in Zimbabwe

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago08 mins

By Anyway Yotamu and Joyce Mukucha Indian billionaire Mr Ravi Jaipuria, who is the chairman of Varun Beverages in Zimbabwe, wants to acquire vast tracts of land in Zimbabwe to diversify into production of key agricultural products. The Indian businessman recently made it into the top 100 of India’s billionaires magazine with a net worth…

Vaya Tractor seals strategic partnerships with CBZ, Cottco

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago5 years ago03 mins

Cassava Smartech’s EcoFarmer Vaya tractor has clinched strategic corporate partnerships with CBZ, the Cotton Company of Zimbabwe (Cottco) and farm equipment to provide tillage equipment for farmers and boost agricultural productivity. Cassava launched EcoFarmer Vaya Tractor earlier this year to help boost agricultural output and farm yields by providing farmers easy and convenient access to…

WFP expands emergency operations in Zimbabwe

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago04 mins

…As drought and economic hardship plunge millions into hunger The World Food Programme (WFP) is rapidly expanding an already sizeable emergency operation in Zimbabwe where drought, flooding and macro-economic meltdown have plunged 7.7 million people – half the population – into severe hunger. Funds are required immediately if WFP is to meet the growing needs of…

Plant with the onset of rains this December: Seed Co

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago05 mins

By Byron Mutingwende The company that has sustained agricultural and economic development in Africa, Seed Co, has bemoaned the late onset of the rains and encouraged farmers to plant seeds this December. Addressing journalists at a luncheon held at the company’s Stapleford factory, Mr. Denias Zaranyika, the Seed Co Regional Managing Director encouraged…

Climate Change Management Department Intensifies Awareness Campaigns on Mainstreaming Climate Change

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago06 mins

By Ronald Rungoyi Climate change is a significant threat to Zimbabwe’s socio-economic development, and the Government regards climate change mainstreaming as a priority in its devolution agenda. The country is witnessing increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, particularly droughts, prolonged intra-seasonal dry spells, and severe storms associated with widespread hail and flash flooding,…

Activism against GBV in full swing

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago03 mins

By Tendai Chisiri More than 4 000 women thronged the Gwanzura Stadium in Highfield on Saturday to commemorate 16 Days of Activism against gender based organised by the Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ). Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) under the theme, “Orange the World” held the commemorations with intent for the women to know their…

Tree planting a process not an event: Catholic Cleric

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago03 mins

Tatenda Mqetu Masvingo Region National Movement of Catholic Students (NMCS) were told that tree planting day should not be an event but rather a process which encompasses follow ups on trees planted with the purpose of motivating the nation to plant, care for, and conserve trees, as a way of ensuring sustainability in the management…

Farm Shop expands branch network

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago04 mins

Farm Shop, the one-stop agricultural shop, continues to grow its footprint by expanding into new areas by opening 4 more branches in locations where it is convenient for those communities to access their products. It opened the new branches in the last two months in Murehwa, Mount Darwin, Dotito and Bindura to serve farmers in…

Uganda’s next agricultural tech entrepreneurs win government business with flagship project

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago06 mins

Start-ups and innovators pitched for funding, business and support in front of a jury of experts at the Disruptive Agricultural Technology (DAT) Challenge and Conference. A new generation of Ugandan entrepreneurs has won business opportunities with a flagship government project to help drive forward the digital revolution in agriculture. At an event in Kampala…

How informal food markets express African-oriented realities

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago014 mins

By Charles Dhewa When you visit an African city and want to see practices that portray African identity and knowledge don’t believe what you see in hotels, colleges, formal schools or government departments. Your most important eye-opening destination is the informal mass market preferred by the majority. Besides farming communities and forests, informal markets are…

Cassava Smartech unveils the EcoFarmer Diaspora Agriculture Finance Plan

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago04 mins

Cassava Smartech today launched the EcoFarmer Diaspora Agriculture Finance Plan (DAFP) that is set to allow Zimbabweans living in the Diaspora to remit funds which directly go towards the purchase of farming inputs for their families in Zimbabwe. Cassava Smartech, which already has over 2 000 tractors on the Vaya Tractor platform and has to…

Agricultural transformation critical for sustainable development

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago08 mins

By Byron Mutingwende Agricultural transformation plays an important role in eradicating poverty and hunger, fighting inequality and discrimination as well as tackling climate change to promote peaceful and inclusive societies to achieve sustainable development. The Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement, Mr. Vangelis Haritatos revealed this at the National Dialogue…

President Emmerson Mnangagwa Commissions multi-million dollar sugarcane project in Chiredzi

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago5 years ago04 mins

By Anyway Yotamu in Chiredzi President Mnangagwa on Saturday commissioned a US$40 million sugarcane project which is expected to create more than 2 000 jobs in the country. In a joint venture between Government, Tongaat Huletts, and a consortium of local banks, the Project Kilimanjaro will see 4 000 hectares of virgin land being turned…

African food traders have better techniques than PhD graduates in Economics

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago5 years ago021 mins

By Charles Dhewa Academics like economists rely on authors and literature based on research conducted within a given time frame. Such literature has no room for adjustments as new events and knowledge emerge. For instance, Keynesians economics was based on theories of John Maynard Keynes whose research revolved around the laws of supply and demand,…

President Mnangagwa to launch US$40 million Sugarcane Project in Chiredzi

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago5 years ago04 mins

President Emmerson Mnangagwa will this Saturday officially launch the US$40 million Kilimanjaro sugar cane project in Chiredzi that will see Tongaat Hulett Zimbabwe opening over 3 000 hectares of land into cane fields. The project has already started and is expected to be completed by mid 2020. The fields will be handed over to Government…

Senegal Receives US$23.1m From African Risk Capacity Insurance Limited Cheque for Drought Response

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago07 mins

The Government of Senegal yesterday received symbolic cheques of US$23.1 (equivalent of FCFA 13.9 Billion) from the leadership of African Risk Capacity Insurance Limited. The cheques, given in two parts of US$12.5million (FCFA7,494,937,500) and US$10.6million (FCFA6,355,707,009) to the Government and StartNetwork assist in providing early action to support the people affected by drought during the…

Disaster Risk Solutions Crucial For Eastern and Southern African Region

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago09 mins

By Joyce Mukucha The Eastern and Southern African (ESA) region remains heavily impacted by effects of climate change which continue to be dire resulting in food and water insecurity, loss of lives and livelihoods, displacement of people among other direct impacts especially on the vulnerable population groups with Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique among other region…

Vaya Tractor proving to be popular with farmers

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago06 mins

EcoFarmer Vaya Tractor has proved popular with farmers across the country, who are voicing their satisfaction and preference for the service, which was launched last month with the promise to help farmers plough one million hectares within a year. “We are very excited with the Vaya Tractor service because we do not have a…

Zimbabwean aeronautical engineers assemble new crop spraying drone

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago012 mins

By Wallace Mawire Two Zimbabwean aeronautical engineers have initiated a new crop spraying drone technology to provide a more efficient, effective and sustainable crop spraying service for Zimbabwean farmers. According to Piwai Chikasha, Managing Director at Alley Capital Group, a Zimbabwean engineering company offering crop spraying services using precision spraying drones, agriculture is one of…

New Report Lays Out Action Plan for Making Land Sector Carbon Neutral by 2040

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago015 mins

Protecting forests, planting trees, reducing food waste and changing diets critical to cool, liveable planet; the US, the EU, China and Brazil among countries that can lead on efforts to slash land sector emissions A new report published in Nature Climate Change today unveils a land sector roadmap laying out critical actions on forests, farming and food systems the…

Building knowledge driven succession pathways

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago5 years ago08 mins

By Charles Dhewa The survival of African informal markets is hinged on fluid succession pathways based on indigenous knowledge systems. Old people who inherited trading stalls from their parents smoothly move out of the market after training their children or relatives to take over. Those taking over will have taken years under-studying those retiring and…

Vaya Tractor helping commercial and contract farmers countrywide

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago5 years ago07 mins

Farmers from around the country have paid tribute to EcoFarmer Vaya Tractor, saying the service had come in handy in helping with mechanised equipment, and assisting them to meet delivery deadlines, especially for contract farmers. Vaya Tractor – which officially launched its services to the nation earlier this month at a ceremony attended by the…

7 Plant-based Foods to Optimise Muscle Growth and Recovery

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago08 mins

The population of vegans is increasing as people are leaning more towards plant-based foods to stay healthy. We can witness the transition happening around among athletes too. There has been a delusion that only meat is the best source of protein. But nutritionists believe that even plant-based food contains abundant nutrients to assist your fitness…

No soil left behind: How a cost-effective technology can enrich poor fields

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago07 mins

By International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) farmers across sub-Saharan Africa try to coax crops out of sandy soils that are not ideal for holding water and nutrients. Their harvests are predictably poor. A traditional approach would have them apply more fertilizers and use irrigation, but both of these options require access to resources and…

AfDB approves $1 million grant to children’s food and nutrition security programs

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago02 mins

The Bank’s intervention will complement a separate therapeutic and supplemental feeding program for vulnerable households The African Development Bank (https://AfDB.org/) has approved a grant of $1 million to boost a children’s food and nutrition security program in Bié province in Angola. The resources are from a special relief fund to the government of Angola, in…

Contract and commercial farmers turn to Vaya Tractor

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago03 mins

High demand for tractors through Vaya Tractor by large commercial farmers and organizations that do contract farming has surprised the Cassava management team as the service takes off. “We thought all the demand would come from smallholder farmers, who don’t own tractors. But even large commercial farmers are coming to us enquiring for the service….

Corruption in Command Agriculture Programme: MDC

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago09 mins

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has said recent announcements by the government, that it would disburse $2.8 billion for the Command Agriculture and issuing some $300 million in Treasury bills is a serious cause for concern, judging by the murkiness that has surrounded the same over the years. The opposition party said the regime…

New Fertiliser Blending Plant Commissioned

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago06 mins

By Joyce Mukucha and Anyway Yotamu Driven by the commitment to play a pivotal role in the revival of the nation in the agriculture industry, the country’s largest manufacturer and supplier of fertilisers and agricultural chemicals, Zimbabwe Fertiliser Company(ZFC) Limited has invested in a new fertiliser blending plant . The plant valued at US$500 000…

Vaya Tractor plans to plough one million hectares this year

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago03 mins

Vaya Tractor plans to plough at least one million hectares of land for smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe this year. The On Demand Logistics platform, developed by Cassava, already has 3 000 tractors on its platform and over one million smallholder farmers registered with its EcoFarmer network. Cassava Smartech Zimbabwe CEO Eddie Chibi said the platform…

Cassava unveils platform for hiring farming equipment

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago05 mins

Cassava Smartech has introduced a new, EcoFarmer Equipment hire platform, that is set to transform agriculture in Zimbabwe by allowing farmers to hire farming equipment for use on their farms, using their mobile phones. The platform will enable farmers to hire a wide variety of farming equipment, including ploughing, discing, planting, fertilizer-spreading, ridging, boom-spraying and…

Key characteristics of a home-grown African economy

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago019 mins

By Charles Dhewa A home-grown economy is all about identity and some identity features start from a country’s name. During the colonial era Rhodesia had its own meaning and image associated with Cecil John Rhodes. Come independence in 1980, Rhodesia became Zimbabwe, derived from Zimba raMabwe – a house built of stones. Naming a country is often…

Global Resilience Partnership announces 16 new Innovation Challenge winners

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago06 mins

Mentoring scheme supports innovators working on novel solutions to build resilience in the Horn of Africa, the Sahel, South Asia and Southeast Asia The Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) has announced the 16 winners of their Innovation Challenge, focused on surfacing resilience solutions across Africa and Asia. Challenge winners receive three months of technical advice, mentoring and…

The attack on agro-ecology

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago08 mins

By Sujatha Byravan Powerful lobbies with vested interests see agro-ecology as a threat to their influence on farming systems Agro-ecology is recognised worldwide as a system that enhances fertile landscapes, increases yields, restores soil health and biodiversity, promotes climate resilience and improves farmers’ well-being. Its practices are supported by many agricultural scientists, the Food and…

UNGA: Strong plea to boost food security through South-South cooperation

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago05 mins

Leaders gathering for the United Nations General Assembly from 17-30 September 2019 in New York have made a strong plea for enhanced South-South cooperation to strengthen food security during a session co-hosted by the African Development Bank (https://AfDB.org/en). Speaking as part of this session on the role of South-South cooperation to achieve sustainable development for…

UNGA 2019: Scaling Up Nutrition Lead Group meets to chart way forward

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago07 mins

The meeting of the group’s leaders took place at the UNICEF headquarters in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly “Energy, passion and a lot of young people who care about nutrition” will underpin the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement’s newest phase, alongside stronger private sector engagement, members of the Lead Group…

UN Summit on Sustainable Development Goals kickstarts ambitious action to deliver for people and the planet

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago07 mins

States, businesses and civil society gear up for decisive decade for Agenda 2030 Four years after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and with efforts off track for meeting its objectives, world leaders today called for a decade of ambitious action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 and announced…

USAID Provides Additional US$41, 9 Million to Boost Zimbabwe’s Food Security

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago06 mins

By Joyce Mukucha The United States(US) Government through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided an additional of US$ 41, 9 million to respond to the critical food security situation in Zimbabwe. The fund is meant to ensure that more than one million rural vulnerable Zimbabweans in sixteen districts have access to…

The flip side of participatory methodologies

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago011 mins

By Charles Dhewa While the importance of involving communities in solving their own challenges has been supported for decades, the limitations of participatory methodologies have not received enough attention. Usually participatory methods emphasise the participation of individual people as opposed to communities. Unfortunately, many people may have limited capacity to interpret information and knowledge. It…

EU, CARIFORUM and ITC scale up support to the Caribbean coconut industry

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago05 mins

The momentum for the Caribbean coconut industry is set to continue. The European Union (EU), the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) and the International Trade Centre (ITC) announced today in Bridgetown, Barbados, the continuation of the Alliances for the Coconut Industry Development Expansion and Enhanced Support for the Caribbean project (Coconut II), which aims to ensure that…

Rural Communities Survive on Wild fruits as Food Shortages Increase

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago06 mins

By Joyce Mukucha According to surveys and researches, it is estimated that 70 percent of the Zimbabwean population reside in rural areas and approximately, 80 percent of the rural population’s livelihoods are dependent on rain fed agriculture making them highly vulnerable to climate change induced weather extremes, variability and climate impacts. Due to the fact…

How knowledge is different from technical expertise and more powerful

Byron Adonis Mutingwende5 years ago09 mins

By Charles Dhewa African countries have been taking advice from foreign technical experts for generations. If technical expertise was a solution, the majority of countries and poor communities would have moved out of poverty by now. The fact that poverty levels have remained the same and in some cases worsened indicates a need for developing…