African Agriculture Archives - AfricaBusiness.com

6Aug

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Agriculture, Zambia News

Insurance has a crucial role to play in driving the sustainability of farming and give impetus to Zambia’s socio-economic development

With Zambia having recently commemorated Farmer's Day and the contributions and work made by farmers in the agricultural sector in the country, Hollard has highlighted the importance of ensuring the sustainability of farming in the country, by providing adequate disaster risk financing mechanisms as a means to protect farmers against natural and man-made disasters. Choolwe Sianyinda, Chief Operating Officer of Hollard says, “The long-term sustainability of the agricultural sector in Zambia and prospects for the country’s socio-development hinges on the adoption of adequate cover and protection to mitigate against the increasingly volatile and erratic weather patterns - which are largely attributed to climate change - placing an extra burden on food security.” The socio-economic developme...

18Apr

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Agriculture, Kenya News

Caribou Digital Launches New Book, The Platform Livelihoods Project: Research Exploring the Workplaces of the Digital Age in Africa & Indonesia

Research reveals an urgent need for digital “accidental marketplaces” to evolve into safer and more inclusive environments. Leading research and advisory firm, Caribou Digital, proudly announces the release of its latest publication, The Platform Livelihoods Project, a pioneering collection of studies on pervasive digital marketplaces, some conducted in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and others with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The study examines the sprawling digital economy and highlights the urgent need for a safer, more inclusive environment. It advocates for policymakers, companies, and other players in the ecosystem to leverage the study to drive investment into the future of the digital workplace, essential for the millions dependent on it for...

ThriveAgric Kicks-Off Phase Two Distribution of Agricultural Inputs, Targets 100,000 Farmers for 2023/2024 Dry Season Farming Cycle

16Jan

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Agriculture, Nigeria News

ThriveAgric Kicks-Off Phase Two Distribution of Agricultural Inputs, Targets 100,000 Farmers for 2023/2024 Dry Season Farming Cycle

Calls For Strategic Partnership To Optimise Dry Season Farming in Nigeria ThriveAgric, Nigeria’s leading agricultural technology company, has flagged off the ThriveAgric 2023/2024 dry season farming cycle with the distribution of agricultural input, targeting over 100,000 smallholder farmers in northern Nigeria to facilitate the production of over 300,000MT of grains. ThriveAgric would provide farmers with irrigation facilities, drought-resistant input, access to technology, storage, and premium markets to help optimise output in this farming cycle. The flag-off was announced at an event in Jigawa state, Nigeria. The event brought together various stakeholders including financial institutions, government officials, farmers, and representatives of the farming communities from Jigawa, Bau...

3Dec

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Agriculture, Nigeria News

AFEX launches $100m Food Security Fund

Financing will strengthen Africa's food security and optimise climate smart innovations across seven countries AFEX, Nigeria’s leading commodities market player, has today announced a new $100m 10-year bond called The Food Security Fund (FSF). The financing will strengthen Africa's food security and produce three million MT of food annually on the continent. AFEX’s fund will support the financing of 250,000 hectares of land for commercial and smallholder farming, initially consisting of 30,000 hectares in the Nigerian states of Kano, Kaduna, Oyo, Ogun, Cross River & the FCT, before covering markets across East and West Africa. The focus of the The Food Security Fund will be to explore and optimize climate smart innovations and high yield agronomy protocols to ensure more food is pro...

15Nov

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News, Tech

Vote for Stellenbosch’s Smartest City Solutions: Finalists announced in Stellenbosch Network’s second annual #IdeasForChange Challenge

For the past few weeks, Stellenbosch’s best and brightest minds have been pitching their novel ideas to turn Stellenbosch into a 'Smarter City' as part of the second annual #IdeasForChange Challenge. After much deliberation, the judges have announced their top three finalists who will now be entered into a poll on social media and vie for the chance to win the R20,000 grand prize and be named this years’ winner. Organised by Stellenbosch Network – and sponsored by Stellenbosch University and the SU Launchlab – the competition seeks to uncover creative, innovative and scalable ideas to improve municipal decision-making and the quality of life of citizens across a range of services and sectors. Says Stellenbosch Network Operations Manager and organiser of this years’ Challenge, Hanli Brink...

8Nov

By Joseph MainaNo Comments

Agriculture, Burkina Faso News, Kenya News

GMOs have lessened pesticide poisoning and improved yields in Africa, says report

A report by a top caucus of experts in the United Kingdom shows that many countries have benefited from improved economies and healthier populations by farming genetically modified (GM) crops. Most significantly, the low pesticide use associated with GM farming is linked to fewer incidences of pesticide poisoning among farmworkers—particularly for small-scale farmers, observes the Report on Genetic Technologies released in September by the UK’s Regulatory Horizons Council. In India, for instance, the report cites a 50-70% reduction in pesticide applications on insect-resistant cotton, which has led to significant health benefits for farmers. “It has been estimated that this GM crop helps to avoid several million cases of pesticide poisoning per year,” the report noted. “There have als...

25Oct

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Agriculture

Fairtrade Farmers Increasingly Threatened by Climate Change, Warns ‘Alarming’ New Study

BONN, Germany – The intensifying impacts of climate change pose a serious risk to global agricultural production and directly threaten the livelihoods of millions of Fairtrade farmers around the world, a new Fairtrade study has revealed, adding that increased investment in climate adaptation and resilience measures are critical if plummeting incomes for Fairtrade farmers are to be prevented. Released ahead of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, the report, titled Fairtrade and Climate Change and conducted by researchers from VU Amsterdam and Bern University of Applied Sciences, paints a bleak picture of the future of some of the world’s most beloved commodities, including bananas, coffee, and cocoa, and explicitly identifies how climate change will im...

15Jul

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Agriculture

Avanti Communications and Clear Blue Technologies partner to deploy rural connectivity across sub-Saharan Africa

Expected to deliver rural network coverage for up to 400 million of the unconnected over the next 3-5 years London, July 15, 2021 - Avanti Communications (“Avanti”), the leading provider of high throughput satellite capacity across EMEA, today announces a partnership with Clear Blue Technologies International Inc. (“Clear Blue”) (TSXV: CBLU) (FRA:0YA) (OTCQB: CBUTF), the Smart Off-Grid™ company, to enable Mobile Network Operators and Telco Tower Companies to deliver rural network coverage to areas across sub-Saharan Africa. Within the next three to five years, the partnership is expected to deliver mobile network coverage to the 400 million people that currently cannot access mobile broadband services. Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to become one of the largest telecom markets in the wo...

2Jul

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Agriculture, Energy, Green Energy

EnDev and the IKEA Foundation launch renewables project at Vienna Energy Forum to support smallholder farmers

EnDev is launching a renewables project in partnership with the IKEA Foundation on 6 July at the Vienna Energy Forum. This three-year project aims to empower the agricultural sector by working closely with smallholder farmers, agri-businesses and solar enterprises in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda. The IKEA Foundation has provided an €8 million grant to support EnDev’s efforts to demonstrate the feasibility of productive use of renewable energy. Through the initiative, the IKEA Foundation and EnDev join forces to improve access to renewable energy solutions. In turn, this can enable smallholder farmers and people in rural communities to afford a better life and increase their resilience to climate change. Upcoming pilot projects will include work on agricultural activities such as milk cooling...

10Jun

By Joseph MainaNo Comments

Agriculture, South Africa News

South Africa has reaped significant gains through genetically modified white maize

By Joseph Maina South Africa has reaped significant gains through genetically modified (GM) white maize in the past two decades, with significant gains recorded in the welfare of smallholder farmers who depend on the crop. The successful cultivation of the crop has led to improved food security and pits South Africa as a continental success story in plant biotechnology, given that it was the first GM subsistence crop producer in the world following its adoption of the cultivar in 2001-2002. South Africa’s total welfare benefits attributable to GM white maize between 2001–2018 amount to $694.7 million, notes a study conducted by a combined team from University of Arkansas and Kansas State University in USA, Agricultural Research Council, South Africa, and Ghent University, Belgium. White m...