http://www.agfax.net AGFAX Radio - providing an update of news and developments in tropical agriculture.en-gb Tue, 15 May 2012 11:09:54 +0100 Tue, 15 May 2012 11:09:54 +0100 Copyright: (C) WRENmedia, http://www.wrenmedia.co.uk s.thorp@wrenmedia.co.uk (Susanna Thorp) webmaster@wrenmedia.co.uk (AGFAX webmaster) http://www.agfax.net/design/agfax-rss.gif http://www.agfax.net 144 90 AGFAX Radio RSS feed In June 2011, a new information service for farmers was launched in Kenya. Called iCow, the service works by sending information in the form of SMS messages to mobile phones. Types of information the system can send include: prompts for dairy farmers, to ensure they are correctly managing their cattle during pregnancy; information on veterinary and insemination services in the farmer’s local area; and market information to enable trade of livestock and livestock products between users of the service. The iCow system was a winner of the 2010 Apps4Africa award, and a finalist in the 2012 Innovation Prize for Africa. Creator of iCow, Su Kahumbu, explains to Eric Kadenge more about how the service works and the importance of mobile phones for delivering information to farmers. 15/05/12 http://www.agfax.net/link.php?i=497&s=r AGFAX May 2012 www.agfax.net-audioId497 Tue, 15 May 2012 11:00:19 GMT In Malawi, climate change has been marked by less reliable rainfall patterns, higher temperatures and more extreme events like floods and droughts. The Malawi Lake Basin Programme is helping farmers to cope by use of sustainable land management practices, which help to retain more water in the soil, as well as by encouraging farmers to plant drought-resistant crops. Meanwhile, the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services is working to provide up-to-date weather forecasts that give farmers the information they need. But further investment is needed in high tech climate monitoring equipment, and the country also needs more young scientists to train in the skills of a weather forecaster. 15/05/12 http://www.agfax.net/link.php?i=498&s=r AGFAX May 2012 www.agfax.net-audioId498 Tue, 15 May 2012 11:05:13 GMT Farmers living in deforested and degraded land in Uganda have begun earning carbon credit payments by planting indigenous trees. The payments are made by companies in Europe and America who want to reduce their environmental impact by compensating for their carbon dioxide emissions. Local NGO, Ecotrust Uganda, provides technical support to the farmers, and calculates the payments they are entitled to – according to how much carbon is stored in the trees over their life span. Pauline Nantongo, Executive Director of Ecotrust Uganda, explains more about this valuable new opportunity, which is creating income for local farmers, restoring the degraded land and also helping to tackle global warming. 15/05/12 http://www.agfax.net/link.php?i=499&s=r AGFAX May 2012 www.agfax.net-audioId499 Tue, 15 May 2012 11:09:54 GMT In Nigeria, it is estimated that every year over 90,000 women and children die from illnesses caused by breathing smoke from open fires and cooking stoves. Felling of trees to provide the large amount of firewood used to cook food and keep warm is also causing deforestation, and this not only leads to soil erosion, but also contributes to climate change. The Nigerian Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, with support from its global partner, has launched an initiative to introduce clean and efficient cooking stoves to 10 million Nigerian households by 2020. At the launch event in Abuja, Aveseh Asough speaks to those involved in this ambitious project, and learns more about how new designs of cooking stove can improve the health of women, children and the environment. 11/04/12 http://www.agfax.net/link.php?i=493&s=r AGFAX April 2012 www.agfax.net-audioId493 Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:02:26 GMT In Kisumu, western Kenya, members of the Mond Ruoth Women’s Group are working together to keep livestock and grow vegetables, in order to support themselves and their families. But a period of dry weather has threatened these activities, reducing the grass available for their animals and making vegetable production difficult. All across the developing world, women tend to be more exposed to the threat of climate change, as they are normally more dependent than men on activities that require rainfall, such as subsistence agriculture and water collecting. Audrey Wabwire speaks to two members of the group, and also to the Ministry of Agriculture’s Wilson Songa, who explains how women’s needs are included in Kenya’s national climate change adaptation plan. 10/04/12 http://www.agfax.net/link.php?i=494&s=r AGFAX April 2012 www.agfax.net-audioId494 Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:09:18 GMT Eva Luwerekera began her working life as a high school chemistry teacher. She then spent some time working as a sales representative for a seed company, and this gave her a longing to help farmers solve their biggest problem – finding a market for their crop. She set up Kiva Agro Supplies Ltd. which not only sells farm inputs but also trains farmers in crop management and identifies buyers for their produce. From the smallest beginnings, Eva’s company now has an annual turnover of more than US$350,000 and she still has high ambitions for the future. She believes agriculture is ‘the way to go’ for young people, and encourages them to be innovative and creative, achieving something big using local resources. 10/04/12 http://www.agfax.net/link.php?i=495&s=r AGFAX April 2012 www.agfax.net-audioId495 Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:24:46 GMT In Kenya, the average age of a farmer is 57 years and few young people are interested in making a business in farming. Some farming activities can be more attractive to the young; mushroom farming and beekeeping need less labour than more traditional crops, and can earn good income. But even these may not be attractive enough to pull in many young entrepreneurs. Geoffrey Onditi investigates the challenge that countries like Kenya face in ensuring they have a farming future, which will be so important to food production in the coming years. 10/04/12 http://www.agfax.net/link.php?i=496&s=r AGFAX April 2012 www.agfax.net-audioId496 Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:57:29 GMT In 2007, scientists in Kenya carried out a study across the country to identify areas with high potential for wind energy. That information is now being used to support the government’s plan to expand wind energy production. In the Ngong Hills close to Nairobi, there are now six wind turbines generating power which is fed into the national electricity grid. A massive wind farm is also planned in the Lake Turkana area. Dr Christopher Oludhe, a meteorologist who was involved with the wind mapping research, explains more about Kenya’s plans for wind power. An elder from the Ngong Hills also voices his support for wind energy, and the hope that it can provide power to rural communities such as his own. 05/03/12 http://www.agfax.net/link.php?i=488&s=r AGFAX March 2012 www.agfax.net-audioId488 Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:05:09 GMT Radio Ada, a community radio station in the Greater Accra region of Ghana, broadcasts in the local language to an audience composed largely of farmers and fishermen. High on their programming agenda are issues connected to climate change. With support from local extension services, the radio station has raised awareness about the need for crop diversification, use of irrigation and the importance of building soil health with manure and mulch. The station also advises listeners on suitable planting times, relaying up to date weather information. These strategies have helped people in the community increase their farming yields, despite the challenge of unpredictable rainfall. 05/03/12 http://www.agfax.net/link.php?i=489&s=r AGFAX March 2012 www.agfax.net-audioId489 Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:05:09 GMT In Malawi’s northern district of Karonga, cattle farmers have struggled to get a good price for their animals. But in 2007, work began to construct a modern abattoir in the district, with funding from the EU’s Farm Income Diversification Programme. Livestock farmers formed a committee to run the abattoir and staff from the local community were recruited, trained and employed. The abattoir follows rigorous standards and pays a fair price for animals. Local consumers are also benefitting from high quality, clean meat, available on a daily basis. Excello Zidana visits the abattoir to learn about the difference it has made to livestock farmers and their customers. 05/03/12 http://www.agfax.net/link.php?i=490&s=r AGFAX March 2012 www.agfax.net-audioId490 Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:05:09 GMT In February 2012, representatives of governments, NGOs and civil society organisations from Africa, Europe, and Asia set off from Nairobi on a learning journey across Kenya and Tanzania. They travelled for 12 days in harsh, dry conditions, staying in community-run lodges and tented camps and holding discussions with pastoralist communities. The purpose of the journey was to understand the problems faced by pastoralists (and other rangeland users) in accessing resources, and to learn about successful strategies in improving community ownership and management of land. At the beginning of the journey, four participants from Sudan, Uganda, Kyrgyzstan and India described the challenges pastoralists face in their home countries, and what they hoped to learn from the journey ahead. 05/03/12 http://www.agfax.net/link.php?i=491&s=r AGFAX March 2012 www.agfax.net-audioId491 Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:05:09 GMT In February 2012, 23 participants from Africa, Europe and Asia undertook a learning journey in the pastoral lands of Kenya and Tanzania. Over 12 days they visited pastoralist communities, and learned about land use systems, natural resource management and the challenges local rangeland users face in maintaining their livelihoods and their culture. At the end of the journey, four participants reflect on what they have learned, including messages for policymakers, their favourite moments, and how their thinking has been changed by the learning journey. 05/03/12 http://www.agfax.net/link.php?i=492&s=r AGFAX March 2012 www.agfax.net-audioId492 Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:05:09 GMT