Neil Palmer (CIAT)

Iron-rich beans to combat anaemia

Beans are a staple food in Rwanda. Normal varieties only have low levels of minerals, but the HarvestPlus programme has supported the Rwanda Agriculture Board to breed new varieties rich in iron and zinc. The beans are also high yielding and popular with consumers because of their colour. And with high levels of iron, they can help in tackling anaemia, which affects up to 30 per cent of women in Rwanda and more than half of children under five. By making the new beans available in small packs, HarvestPlus aims to distribute them to 200,000 farmers per year. It is also supporting iron-rich bean breeding in other countries, such as Uganda, DRC, Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya.

published: February 2012

WRENmedia

REDD+ - financing forest protection

Ghana is one of several African countries taking a keen interest in the REDD+ scheme, which offers payment for planting and protecting forest areas. Adoption and promotion of REDD+ presents challenges however, and farmers are among those who are concerned as to whether they will ever receive the promised financial benefits. Kofi Adu Domfeh speaks to some of those involved with Ghana’s uptake of the scheme about the challenges and rewards that REDD brings, including the benefits it could offer in terms of local climate as well as the global picture.

published: February 2012

INBAR

Charcoal from bamboo - the greener option

Charcoal made from bamboo burns more evenly and efficiently, and with less harmful smoke than normal charcoal made from wood. In Ethiopia, Tanzania and Ghana, the International Network on Bamboo and Rattan works with farmers and charcoal makers in order to improve management of bamboo and to introduce simple machinery to pulverise bamboo charcoal and make it into conveniently sized briquettes. This can increase rural incomes while also helping to tackle climate change, since fast-growing bamboo absorbs carbon dioxide more quickly than many other plant species, and will re-grow after harvesting. In the exhibition hall at the international conference on climate change in Durban, Wambi Michael learns more.

published: February 2012

N2Africa

Making nitrogen fertiliser the natural way

Nitrogen is an important element in creating protein, the building block for our bodies. Plants also depend on nitrogen in order to grow well. However in Africa, nitrogen concentration in farmland soils is often low and few farmers can afford to buy chemical fertiliser to address the problem. Legume plants, such as beans, soya and groundnuts, have a natural capacity to extract nitrogen from the air and convert it into a solid form that they and other plants can benefit from. So planting a legume as part of a farm’s crop rotation boosts soil fertility and reduces the need to use chemical fertiliser. Gloria Kasongo of the N2Africa project, which aims to increase planting of legumes in African farms, explains more to Excello Zidana.

published: February 2012

Allianz SE

Medicinal trees - worth more standing

Members of the Tigithi Aloe Group, who live in semi-arid Laikipia, on the leeward side of Mount Kenya, have diversified into growing medicinal plant species, particularly trees. They are working with Desert Edge, a company which trains the farmers in cultivation and sustainable harvesting techniques, and buys their plant products. Through value addition, Desert Edge can pay a good price for the medicinal products, making the trees more valuable as a sustainably harvested resource than as timber or charcoal. Group chairman Simon Wachira and Desert Edge business development manager, Maxwell Lumbasi explain more about how cultivating indigenous medicinal plants can earn income and protect the environment.

published: February 2012

WRENmedia

Climate-smart agriculture at COP17

Agriculture was a key topic at the COP17 climate talks in Durban. In particular, people were discussing the concept of climate-smart agriculture, and what it might consist of. For example, is climate-smart agriculture about adapting farming systems to cope with climate change, or emphasising the need for agriculture to reduce emissions and therefore contribute less to global warming? For Lindiwe Sibanda, head of a policy analysis organisation, climate-smart agriculture must do both things. She explains her view, in particular the benefits of minimum tillage conservation farming systems, to Wambi Michael.

published: January 2012

Heico Neumeyer/Flickr

Coastal tourism - the climate change threat

Kotu Strand in The Gambia is a beach area with many tourist hotels, attracting visitors from around the world. But in recent years, erosion by the sea has washed much of the sand away, leaving narrower beaches and threatening local hotels, bars and restaurants with flooding. Saidou Mballow is the manager of Solomon’s Fish Hut, which has been serving tourists for many years. He describes what he and other business owners are doing to protect their buildings, and urges the national government and international community to take urgent action to tackle coastal erosion, sea level rise and climate change.

published: January 2012

Neil Palmer (CIAT)

Soya meat - tasty, nutritious and affordable

Through a simple processing technique, Demangam Victorine Luekam converts soya milk into a meat-like product. She then fries the soya meat in oil, which it allows it to be stored for up to a week, and sells cubes of it on sticks to a growing number of customers. Martha Chindong, who interviews Demangam, finds that soya meat is tasty as well as nutritious. It’s particularly good for menopausal women, as it contains natural oestrogen hormone. Eating soya products regularly helps to reduce the hot flushes that are a common symptom of menopause. And as a legume crop, soya also boosts soil fertility.

published: January 2012