AGFAX - Recent highlights

In Kafue district, Zambia, food shortage has been the norm for eight years. Now, 126 smallholder farming families have pooled their land and leased part of it to a commercial farming company. In return for using part of the land, the company is installing irrigation equipment over the entire area, allowing the smallholders to produce maize and vegetables. This pilot project is a new way of financing small-scale farming to tackle food insecurity, but could pave the way for similar schemes elsewhere.

Quails - a small species of game bird - are mostly found in temperate areas. However, with the right management they can be a good source of food and income for farmers in tropical regions. Their eggs, in particular, can fetch good prices, and quails are not prone to some of the diseases that can devastate other poultry flocks. They also need less space, being much smaller than chickens. Belinda Tabenyang, an agricultural technician from Yaoundé, Cameroon, recently went into quail farming and is making a success of it. She explains how she got started.

Can organic farming ever produce enough food to feed Africa's growing population? Chemical fertilisers may be expensive - and likely to become more so - but are they essential to raising crop yields? There's no simple answer, of course. The relative importance of organic or inorganic soil management will vary from place to place and crop to crop. Two experts, a senior officer responsible for environment and sustainable development at the FAO, and the African Union commissioner for rural economy and agriculture, discuss the value of organic farming methods in Africa.

Artificial insemination has been used in Africa for over 60 years, to improve cattle breeds and boost production of milk and meat. In Kenya, the cost of inseminating an animal using AI could vary from around US$8 to as much as US$20. For a small-scale farmer, that is a huge investment - so is it worthwhile? Dr Josh Odhiambo, who is the Kenya representative for the international AI company, World Wide Sires, explains why he thinks AI is the right technology even for farmers with just a few animals.

Yogi Botanicals Ghana Ltd exports organically certified ginger to Europe, and is currently working to get organic certification for lemongrass, chilli and orange peel. According to Daniel Mensah, managing director, the market for organic herbs and spices is much greater than his smallholder suppliers can currently meet. As a result he is planning to expand the business from 1000 farmers at present to as many as 5000. For the farmers, he is a reliable buyer, and for young people in the area, the company processing factory is a valuable source of employment.

Drying fruit and vegetables can be an excellent way to increase their shelf life and add to their value. Many smallholder farmers use the power of the sun to do the drying, but what if harvest time does not coincide with fine weather? There is a high risk that the produce may rot or go mouldy, instead of drying - a huge risk for farmers to take. But in North West Cameroon, a new type of drier has been introduced, which is allowing farmers to dry their chillies, ginger and garlic in just a few hours.