agriculture is the savior of the farmer if he will use modern methods of farming and follow the principles of protecting the environment to adapt to changing weather so our organization provides environmental education and teaching methods of modern farming and finding alternative fuels for use in homes so we sought friends were unfaithful invested in wind electric energy, biogas electricity we welcome all of good will and to invest in this energy scenario
l'agriculture est le sauveur de l'agriculteur s'il utilisera des méthodes modernes d'agriculture et de suivre les principes de protection de l'environnement afin d'adapter à l'évolution des temps si notre organisation fournit des méthodes de l'agriculture moderne d'éducation environnementale et de l'enseignement et de trouver des carburants de remplacement pour une utilisation dans les maisons que nous cherchions amis ont été infidèles investis dans l'énergie éolienne électrique, électricité biogaz nous accueillons tous de bonne volonté et d'investir dans ce scénario énergétique
Landwirtschaft ist der Retter der Landwirt, wenn er moderne Methoden in der Landwirtschaft verwendet wird, und die Grundsätze des Schutzes der Umwelt folgen zu ändernden Wetter so unsere Organisation in der Umweltbildung und Lehrmethoden der modernen Landwirtschaft und die Suche nach alternativen Kraftstoffen für den Einsatz in Wohnungen anzupassen, so haben wir versucht, Freunde waren untreu in Wind elektrische Energie investiert, Biogas Strom wir alle guten Willens begrüßen und in diesem Energieszenario zu investiere
la agricultura es el que da el agricultor si va a utilizar métodos modernos de cultivo y seguir los principios de la protección del medio ambiente para adaptarse a los cambios de tiempo por lo que nuestra organización proporciona educación y enseñanza del medio ambiente los métodos de la agricultura moderna y la búsqueda de combustibles alternativos para su uso en hogares, de modo que buscamos amigos fueron infiel invertidos en energía eléctrica eólica, biogás electricidad que recibe todos los días de buena voluntad y de invertir en este escenario energético
Monday, 29 February 2016
agriculture is the savior of the farmer if he will use modern methods of farming and follow the principles of protecting the environment to adapt to changing weather so our organization provides environmental education and teaching methods of modern farming and finding alternative fuels for use in homes so we sought friends were unfaithful invested in wind electric energy, biogas electricity we welcome all of good will and to invest in this energy scenario
l'agriculture est le sauveur de l'agriculteur s'il utilisera des méthodes modernes d'agriculture et de suivre les principes de protection de l'environnement afin d'adapter à l'évolution des temps si notre organisation fournit des méthodes de l'agriculture moderne d'éducation environnementale et de l'enseignement et de trouver des carburants de remplacement pour une utilisation dans les maisons que nous cherchions amis ont été infidèles investis dans l'énergie éolienne électrique, électricité biogaz nous accueillons tous de bonne volonté et d'investir dans ce scénario énergétique
Landwirtschaft ist der Retter der Landwirt, wenn er moderne Methoden in der Landwirtschaft verwendet wird, und die Grundsätze des Schutzes der Umwelt folgen zu ändernden Wetter so unsere Organisation in der Umweltbildung und Lehrmethoden der modernen Landwirtschaft und die Suche nach alternativen Kraftstoffen für den Einsatz in Wohnungen anzupassen, so haben wir versucht, Freunde waren untreu in Wind elektrische Energie investiert, Biogas Strom wir alle guten Willens begrüßen und in diesem Energieszenario zu investiere
la agricultura es el que da el agricultor si va a utilizar métodos modernos de cultivo y seguir los principios de la protección del medio ambiente para adaptarse a los cambios de tiempo por lo que nuestra organización proporciona educación y enseñanza del medio ambiente los métodos de la agricultura moderna y la búsqueda de combustibles alternativos para su uso en hogares, de modo que buscamos amigos fueron infiel invertidos en energía eléctrica eólica, biogás electricidad que recibe todos los días de buena voluntad y de invertir en este escenario energético
Cultivation of the fruit is expected and many also raise the economy as well as build our health farm this relies on rain or water reservoirs flower rivers by being watered so as you can see these farmers in one of the green house as they grow seedlings so you these seedlings will be helped protect the environment
Monday, 22 February 2016
Africa gets new agricultural innovation centre
Africa has a new innovation centre aimed at boosting agricultural productivity, increase incomes of smallholder farmers and create job opportunities for the youth and women in various African nations
The
innovation centre will focus on boosting agricultural produce of rice
as well as create jobs for women. (Image source: Steve Evans/Flickr)The Green Innovation Centre, inaugurated at Benin’s AfricaRice, will particularly help Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Togo, Tunisia and Zambia.
Through this initiative, the exchange of knowledge and interaction between researchers and development experts in 17 communities will take place. The centre will focus on strengthening the agricultural innovation system by promoting partnerships and developing an operational framework for innovation. Researchers will develop a set of services and innovation that will serve as youth training tools and help increase sustainable productivity and incomes of agricultural producers.
Initially, four major commodities – rice, soybeans, small ruminants and poultry – will be focused on, but the centre will encourage inputs on other commodities as well.
The centre is supported by the Federal German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in partnership with Benin Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, and AfricaRice.
Aside from water and fertiliser, agriculture needs knowledge and innovation, stated BMZ minister Gerd Müller. The organisation has given around US$3mn to AfricaRice to implement the centre’s activities in 2016 and 2017, according to AfricaRice knowledge management specialist Bernard Marc Winfried.
According to David Arodokoun, the director-general of National Agricultural Research Institute of Benin, African nations are yet to comprehend or develop technologies that could make agriculture and livestock production easier, productive and efficient.
ORO AGRI rolls out new packs for small-scale farmers in Africa
ORO AGRI has launched new 200ml crop protection products which are easily available to growers in Africa
ORO AGRI has launched 200ml crop protection packs for farmers in Africa. (Image source: K. Trautmann)
According to the firm, small-scale farmers usually do not have the financial resources or transport facilities to purchase large quantities of pesticides.
The pack has been developed to allow small-scale growers to mix four to five backpacks from one bottle, said ORO AGRI.
“We have launched this new pack size to provide a product that is affordable, user-friendly, robust and able to withstand being transported in a basket on the back of a bicycle without breaking,” stated Johan Coetzee, general manager, sub-Saharan Africa.
"While every effort was made to find a suitable bottle in South Africa, we were eventually able to utilize the global footprint of ORO AGRI to source a bottle meeting our exact requirements," added Coetzee.
ORO AGRI has also created a special booklet label system, which allows the user to read the directions for use without having to remove the label from the container so as to prevent contamination, the company said.
‘Time for Africa’s own Green Revolution’
The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) hosted a planning meet with a delegation from Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) to revitalise and transform agriculture
The
bank’s partnership with CGIAR and FARA hopes to revive and
revolutionise agriculture with the goal of feeding Africa within the
shortest possible time. (Image source: martapiqs/Flickr)The meeting was also attended by the consulting firm Dalberg Global Development Advisors, which has been contracted by the bank to develop the African Agricultural Transformation Strategy.
Raising agricultural productivity depends on a number of factors, but the most critical one is new knowledge and technology generated from research.
AfDB director of agriculture and agro-industry department Chiji Ojukwu spoke about the numerous studies that show the GDP growth generated by agriculture can be up to four times more effective in reducing poverty than growth generated by other sectors.
He also observed that the Asian Green Revolution saw increases in agricultural productivity resulting from the widespread adoption of new, high-yielding rice and wheat varieties, together with the increased use of fertilisers, irrigation and other inputs.
“It is time for Africa’s own ‘Green Revolution’”, he said.
Solving the soil erosion problem
Soil erosion is a silent threat to our food supply; conservation practices offer a solution to long-term productivity
Soil erosion is a silent threat to our life on this planet, or at least our food supply. For it is not an immediate threat, and may not have as sudden and irreversible effects as climate change for example, it does not make the top news nor is it a common topic around dinner tables – nevertheless, it is sneaking up on us.
Soil erosion is a process in which soil quality and fertility diminishes, and the nutrient levels vital for food crop production are gradually depleted. Such degradation will eventually result in declining crop yield. Coupled with an increasing world population such decline in agricultural productivity may result in serious problems for our food supply. Therefore, it is now perhaps more important than ever to adopt conservation tillage practices to preserve soil quality and agricultural productivity.
Intensive production
Soil erosion happens from water, wind or over tilling in agricultural cultivation. For example in Europe, where intensive agricultural production is still largely the norm, farmers often cultivate their fields in multiple passes (stubble conditioning, plowing, and seedbed preparation) between harvesting a field and planting new crop.
The result is very appealing to the eye: enormous fields look like the best managed home gardens with their surface raked to perfection. However, the excessive soil disturbance in this mode of cultivation results in significant loss of fertile matter and moisture. Moreover, since the topsoil lies unprotected it is also exposed to rain and wind induced erosion. The ongoing climate change and the resulting extreme weather conditions have recently worked to exacerbate the situation resulting in the acceleration of the loss of topsoil. Therefore, agricultural producers worldwide must adopt conservation tillage practices to battle soil erosion to preserve topsoil and maintain or increase output levels.
Mulch tillage
Conservation tillage is a set of methods for soil cultivation that are designed to preserve and improve the topsoil. One form of conservation tillage is mulch tillage, which is also a kind of minimum tillage; as such, it provides a cost efficient alternative for modern high-yield agricultural production while ensuring that soil is properly managed to maximize long-term productivity.
Mulch tillage uses the large amount of plant residue left on the fields after harvesting to protect the soil from in adverse conditions and to maintain its nutrient levels. The key implement in this mode of cultivation is the mulch cultivator, which is used after harvesting to manage the stubble and create a seedbed most often in a single pass. The cultivator efficiently cuts the residue left on the fields and incorporates part of it into the soil, while leaving the remainder on top creating the so called mulch layer. The residue incorporated decomposes over time, thus increasing the concentration of organic matter and nutrients directly in the root zone. Such recycling of material minimizes the need for fertilizers and the application of chemicals aimed at soil improvement. The residue incorporated also increases the water absorption and retention capability of the soil, mitigating the effects of adverse climate conditions. The mulch layer created on top of the soil works to enhance this effect as it is essentially a protective layer in heavy winds and rain, and it also prevents overheating a drying out of the soil on hot weather conditions.
Cheap and easy
As in most cases of change, the adoption of mulch tillage and conservation tillage practices is not an easy or inexpensive transition. By virtue of incorporating several tillage functions the implements for these cultivation methods are often large machines requiring considerable tractor power. Therefore, the transition may require considerable and carefully planned investment. Luckily, as a form of minimum tillage, mulch tillage offers operational savings in man-hours as well as fuel costs, which in the long term more than offset the initial costs of shifting to this method of cultivation.
To conclude, with current trends of hectic weather conditions, climate change, rising energy costs and an ever-growing demand for food, it is clear that the future of agriculture lays in conservation cultivation methods that offer high-yields at the least costs in the long-run. As a minimum tillage method that ensures high agricultural productivity through improving and protecting topsoil mulch tillage is clearly a cultivation method that we will see gain ground in the future.
Soil erosion is a silent threat to our life on this planet, or at least our food supply. For it is not an immediate threat, and may not have as sudden and irreversible effects as climate change for example, it does not make the top news nor is it a common topic around dinner tables – nevertheless, it is sneaking up on us.
Soil erosion is a process in which soil quality and fertility diminishes, and the nutrient levels vital for food crop production are gradually depleted. Such degradation will eventually result in declining crop yield. Coupled with an increasing world population such decline in agricultural productivity may result in serious problems for our food supply. Therefore, it is now perhaps more important than ever to adopt conservation tillage practices to preserve soil quality and agricultural productivity.
Intensive production
Soil erosion happens from water, wind or over tilling in agricultural cultivation. For example in Europe, where intensive agricultural production is still largely the norm, farmers often cultivate their fields in multiple passes (stubble conditioning, plowing, and seedbed preparation) between harvesting a field and planting new crop.
The result is very appealing to the eye: enormous fields look like the best managed home gardens with their surface raked to perfection. However, the excessive soil disturbance in this mode of cultivation results in significant loss of fertile matter and moisture. Moreover, since the topsoil lies unprotected it is also exposed to rain and wind induced erosion. The ongoing climate change and the resulting extreme weather conditions have recently worked to exacerbate the situation resulting in the acceleration of the loss of topsoil. Therefore, agricultural producers worldwide must adopt conservation tillage practices to battle soil erosion to preserve topsoil and maintain or increase output levels.
Mulch tillage
Conservation tillage is a set of methods for soil cultivation that are designed to preserve and improve the topsoil. One form of conservation tillage is mulch tillage, which is also a kind of minimum tillage; as such, it provides a cost efficient alternative for modern high-yield agricultural production while ensuring that soil is properly managed to maximize long-term productivity.
Mulch tillage uses the large amount of plant residue left on the fields after harvesting to protect the soil from in adverse conditions and to maintain its nutrient levels. The key implement in this mode of cultivation is the mulch cultivator, which is used after harvesting to manage the stubble and create a seedbed most often in a single pass. The cultivator efficiently cuts the residue left on the fields and incorporates part of it into the soil, while leaving the remainder on top creating the so called mulch layer. The residue incorporated decomposes over time, thus increasing the concentration of organic matter and nutrients directly in the root zone. Such recycling of material minimizes the need for fertilizers and the application of chemicals aimed at soil improvement. The residue incorporated also increases the water absorption and retention capability of the soil, mitigating the effects of adverse climate conditions. The mulch layer created on top of the soil works to enhance this effect as it is essentially a protective layer in heavy winds and rain, and it also prevents overheating a drying out of the soil on hot weather conditions.
Cheap and easy
As in most cases of change, the adoption of mulch tillage and conservation tillage practices is not an easy or inexpensive transition. By virtue of incorporating several tillage functions the implements for these cultivation methods are often large machines requiring considerable tractor power. Therefore, the transition may require considerable and carefully planned investment. Luckily, as a form of minimum tillage, mulch tillage offers operational savings in man-hours as well as fuel costs, which in the long term more than offset the initial costs of shifting to this method of cultivation.
To conclude, with current trends of hectic weather conditions, climate change, rising energy costs and an ever-growing demand for food, it is clear that the future of agriculture lays in conservation cultivation methods that offer high-yields at the least costs in the long-run. As a minimum tillage method that ensures high agricultural productivity through improving and protecting topsoil mulch tillage is clearly a cultivation method that we will see gain ground in the future.
Soil Erosion Problems in Tanzania
Soil erosion occurs when environmental factors wear on and remove soil particles. Soil erosion has become a concern worldwide, causing serious problems for food production and other agricultural crops. It is also at the heart of other environmental issues.
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