Yearly Archives: 2019
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Boosting Farm Productivity is the Key to Unlocking the Full Economic Value of Ethiopia’s Agricultural Sector
Ethiopia’s agricultural sector is the bedrock of the economy, employing more than 70 per cent of the workforce, accounting for more than a third of GDP and serving as the country’s largest earner of foreign exchange 3506 Farmer plot at Butagera. (Image source: Corteva) Yet outdated farming practices and low productivity mean that agriculture in ... -
Innovation solutions vital for agriculture to combat climate change, says FAO director-general
During the tenth Annual Sustainable Innovation Forum at the COP25 climate summit in Madrid, FAO director-general, Qu Dongyu shared how vital it is to build resilience and competitiveness in agriculture and to meet the urgent challenges presented by climate change. He said global food systems had to greatly increase productivity and feed a growing population ... -
SA cannabis industry in urgent need of inclusive legislation
The Cannabis Convention was recently held at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg. The event hosted myriad exhibitors, speakers and industry leaders all exploring a wide range of industry-related topics including cannabis regulation, legislation, intellectual property rights of farmers, and plant and soil health. According to the African Cannabis Report, Nigeria and South Africa stand ... -
Can African smallholders farm themselves out of poverty?
A great deal of research on agriculture in Africa is organised around the premise that intensification can take smallholder farmers out of poverty. The emphasis in programming often focuses on technologies that increase farm productivity and management practices that go along with them. Yet the returns of such technologies are not often evaluated within a ... -
The Kenyan Food Event : 21 -23 April 2020
The Kenyan Food Event (KFE) is the premier exhibition serving the food industry across East Africa. With its inaugural edition taking place in April 2020 at the New Sarit Exhibition Centre in Nairobi, Kenya, this brand-new event will offer a pivotal platform for international companies looking to break into the market as well as an ... -
Land expropriation draft bill open for public commentary
The parliamentary committee on land expropriation has opened a new draft for public commentary over the holiday season. According to Dr Mathole Motshekga, head of the ad hoc committee tasked with the amendment of section 25 of the Constitution to allow expropriation without compensation, written commentary will be accepted until 31 January 2020. Land expropriation ... -
Unilever unveils €85m food innovation centre in the Netherlands
Unilever has invested €85 million in a new food innovation centre in the Netherlands, as the consumer goods giant looks to address “major global food system challenges Located on the campus of Wageningen University, an agri-food research hub, the centre opened on 6 December and has been named Hive for its location amidst academic research ... -
Agribusiness Confidence Index declines in Q4 of 2019
The Agbiz/IDC Agribusiness Confidence Index (ACI) fell slightly from 46 points in the third quarter to 44 in the last quarter of 2019. A level below the neutral 50-point mark implies that agribusinesses are still downbeat about business conditions in South Africa. This has been the case over the past six quarters, which is the ... -
South Africa is missing out on fresh fruit export growth. What it needs to do
South Africa’s urgent need to create jobs requires that the country take advantage of opportunities in the global economy that it can convert into quick wins. The fruit industry presents such an opportunity. The country’s fresh fruit industry is currently the largest exporter of agricultural products, contributing 52% of the value of South Africa’s agriculture export ... -
TOMRA Sorting Food: MAKING THE FUTURE OF FOOD SUSTAINABLE
Leuven, Belgium, 19 November 2019 – Nicolai Prytz, sustainability and strategy director at TOMRA, has looked at how businesses, consumers and policymakers can help make the future of food sustainable. With a rapidly growing population, adopting sustainable production practices on a global scale is an imperative to safeguard the future of our planet. The food ...
VEGETABLE GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS
Pupils trained on farming, making of agriprenuers
Kenya moves closer to goal of 100% renewable energy generation by 2030