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

FAO/Giulio Napolitano

Potagurt - sweet potato yoghurt

Groups of women in Ghana have recently started selling a new milk-based product. Potagurt is made from a blend of milk and sweet potato, which is pasteurised and turned into a nutritious and filling type of yoghurt. IFAD’s Root and Tuber Improvement and Marketing programme has provided assistance, including grants and loans in the form of yoghurt-making equipment, as well as training on hygiene, business development and record keeping. And by providing a new market for sweet potato, the initiative is also promoting greater cultivation of the crop in Ghana. Kofi Adu Domfeh speaks to some of those involved.

published: December 2011

HarvestPlus

Vitamin A to fight hidden hunger

In Zambia, the HarvestPlus programme has used conventional crop breeding techniques to develop five new varieties of maize which are rich in Vitamin A. The varieties produce orange coloured maize cobs, and in farmer trials they have been found to yield up to six tons per hectare - similar to hybrid white maize varieties. The maize meal can be used to produce a range of foods, including the Zambian staple food nshima. With much higher levels of Vitamin A compared to normal maize, the spread of these varieties, three of which are likely to be released in 2012, will be a major weapon in Zambia’s fight against Vitamin A deficiency.

published: October 2011

Martin Malungu

Orange sweet potato for Vitamin A

One in five children in Uganda suffers from Vitamin A deficiency, which causes night blindness, slow growth and weakens the immune system. The HarvestPlus programme is promoting four varieties of orange-fleshed sweet potato, which have high levels of Vitamin A. Eating the sweet potatoes on a regular basis gives adults and children the required amounts of this essential vitamin, as Wambi Michael learns when he speaks to a nutritionist from the programme. He also learns about how the crop is being spread, speaking to an agronomist, a marketing adviser, and one of the farmers who has been growing the crop since 2007.

published: September 2011

FAO/Erick-Christian Ahounou

Urban agriculture - part of the plan

In much of Africa, growing food crops on small plots of land within the city is frowned upon by urban authorities. However, in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, a more positive attitude to urban agriculture is developing. A multi-stakeholder forum has been established to lobby for urban farming, and the city council is in the process of developing a strategic plan, as well as policies and by-laws, to optimise urban farm production. Two urban farmers and an economic adviser to the forum discuss some of the challenges and solutions for city-based agriculture.

published: September 2011

The Queen of Subtle/Flickr

Neglected no more - improving Africa's leafy vegetables

For several years, vegetables breeders in Malawi, Kenya and Tanzania have been developing improved varieties of indigenous African vegetables, which are both high yielding and highly nutritious. Now, in a three year project, Bunda College and World Vision International are working with farmers in three districts in central Malawi, to scale up production of these improved varieties. Farmers are multiplying the seed for sale to NGOs, and supplying the vegetables to several markets - as well as benefitting from their own consumption. George Kalungwe speaks to those involved, including farmer Bester Nkhoma and Dr Weston Mwase of Bunda College.

published: September 2011

Never Ending Food

Crop diversity to beat drought

Planting a wide diversity of crops, rather than relying on a single staple, is the best way to beat drought and guarantee a varied supply of food throughout the year, according to permaculture practitioners Luwayo Biswick and Kristof Nordin. George Kalungwe visits their Never Ending Food farm on the outskirts of Lilongwe, to learn more about how rural communities are using local plant resources instead of relying on commercial seed, in order to earn income and maximise production from their land in a sustainable way.

published: June 2011

WRENmedia

Modern milk processing in Maasai land

Since 2007, the Engiteng Dairy Products company has set up five milk processing factories in Tanzania's Maasai land. Each sources hundreds of litres of milk every day from individual local suppliers, milk which is processed using modern equipment and sold to supermarkets and tourist lodges in Arusha, as well as to local customers. Having a reliable market for milk is making a big difference to Maasai women. Some are even increasing their herd sizes in order to make more profits. Lazarus Laiser reports from Terrat, where the oldest of the five dairies is located, speaking to unit manager Nasinyari Marko and pastoralism expert John Kuluo.

published: February 2011

VVOB

Healthy learning for primary school children

Kenya's Healthy Learning programme, running in 30 schools in eight arid and semi-arid districts, aims to improve child health and teach valuable skills for life. From simple activities such as hand-washing to production of crops for food and income, the programme integrates important life skills with academic learning, and encourages children to take what they learn at school and implement it at home. Geoffrey Onditi reports from Narumoru Primary School, where he speaks to the head teacher and to some of the pupils about the programme, and the benefits it is giving them.

published: February 2011

FAO/M.Bleich

Soya bean processing for maximum value

With a protein content of up to 40%, soya bean has the potential to be a vital nutrition crop in Africa, and an excellent low-cost alternative to meat. But chemicals called trypsin inhibitors, found in the outer coating of soya beans, stop the body digesting protein properly. In order for soya beans to be fully digestible, they need to be carefully heated before other processing is done, and farmers can earn more from their crop if they do this processing themselves. Chenwi Bernard, a soya bean processer from Cameroon, explains some of the factors that need to be considered when processing this valuable legume crop.

published: February 2011