Below are some current developments on agriculture in Africa:
Agricultural Issues:
Top-performing Cocoa Rallies 10.9% in 2015 on Poor Ghana Crop
Cocoa prices surged for a fourth straight year in 2015, closing the year up 10.9 percent at $3,207 per tonne to outperform all other commodities as a poor crop in No. 2 producer Ghana outweighed demand concerns for chocolate's main ingredient. Investors piled into the volatile cocoa market betting on tightening supply from the West African nation, where the 2014/15 crop sank to under 750,000 tonnes, down 20 percent from the prior season due to low farmgate prices, lack of fertilizer distribution, poor weather and crop diseases. Cocoa was the best performer out of 19 commodities in the Thomson Reuters Core Commodity Index, which sank by almost a fourth in the year as a prolonged rout in oil and base metals deepened amid concerns about waning demand from China, ….
Cocoa Farmers Cry over Effects of Climate Change
Cocoa farmers in the forest fringe communities in the municipalities of the Brong Ahafo Region have said that climate change is seriously affecting cocoa production in the Asunafo North Municipality, one of the largest cocoa producing area. According to the farmers, most of the rainfall pattern in the area is unpredictable and remains unfavourable for cocoa and food production. This is due to rapid depletion of the forest coupled with continuous destruction of the eco-system in the forest fringe communities as a result of negative agricultural practices and unwarranted human activities that have destroyed the eco-system. These practices include bush-burning, uncontrolled hunting expeditions, indiscriminate felling of trees, and farming along most of the river-bodies in the area. The cocoa …
EU, Africa Committed to Paris Climate Agreement
The European Union (EU) and Africa are committed to the Paris Climate Change Agreement for the future of the planet. A statement issued by the EU, which was made available to the Ghana News Agency by British High Commission in Accra on Wednesday, recounted that 195 countries adopted in Paris an ambitious and legally binding agreement that includes clear, fair and ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It said European and African countries decisively contributed to the positive conclusion of the negotiation. It observed that the implementation of the agreement would be regularly reviewed and countries targets strengthened in light of limiting global temperature below two degrees and possibly to 1.5 degrees. It said developed countries have agreed to mobilise $100 billion annually to support the poorest and most vulnerable countries in their pathway to low emissions economy…
'For Every Baby Born, Plant a Tree' – Chief Tells His People
Nab Azagsuk Azantillow II, Paramount Chief of Builsa Traditional area has asked that for every child that is born a tree be planted in efforts to reduce depletion of the vegetative cover area. Nab Azantillow said negative practices on the environment were reducing the duration of the rainy season and consequently decreasing agricultural productivity. He noted that “We stand in danger of rapidly depleting our shea trees that provide income to us especially our hardworking mothers and sisters”. The Chief made the call during this year’s Feok Festival in Sandema, where he addressed chiefs and people of Buluk gathered on the theme: “enhancing our cultural heritage for wealth creation and community development”. The people of Sandema celebrate the annual Feok festival to thank the ancestors for their protection and supporting them to defeat slave masters in the past…
Fishermen Call for Deregulation of Premix Fuel
Fishermen in communities around some landing beaches in the country want government to deregulate sale of premix fuel. Users of the fuel in the Greater Accra, Central and western Regions say they have had to contend with frequent shortage of the commodity at the expense of their business. They cite a situation in November where they received no supplies for over one month, grounding to a halt other economic activities which rely on fishing to thrive. Though government is supposed to supply premix fuel to fishing communities at a subsidized price to facilitate the work of the fisher folk, supply has not been regular. A visit to Dixcove in the Ahanta West District of the Western Region, for instance, revealed frustrated fishermen want the product to be sold on the open market. The premix is not coming, and it is really affecting us. Without premix, how do we work, do you want us to steal? A fisherwoman, Joana Koomson quizzed…
SADA Boss Advocates Improved Lake Transport
Chief Executive of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), Adam Sulley, is advocating the need for an efficient lake transport system, specifically on the Volta Lake, as it will invigorate commercial activities in the savannah belt. Besides being a cheap source of bulk transport, the SADA boss argued that an efficient lake transport system will stimulate investment in tourism and revitalise the rural economies as it will make local businesses in landlocked areas easily accessible. “The investment potentials on and around the Volta Lake are vast and varied. When fully functioning, the waterway can cut bulk transport distance from the port by up to 500km. “It can invigorate Kete Krachi; revitalise agriculture and make the Daboya smock industry more accessible and feed tourists to Mole Park,” he said at the launch of the 20th Ghana International Trade Fair which is being held in Tamale for the first time.
Reports/Articles
Farmers’ Satisfaction with Agricultural Extension Service and Its Influencing Factors: A Case Study in North West Ethiopia
A Elias, M Nohmi, K Yasunobu, A Ishida - Journal of Agricultural Science and …, 2015
Customer satisfaction is the most important element for developing and sustaining organizational priorities and practices. Thus, we examined farmers’ overall satisfaction with agricultural extension services and its determinants using data collected from 150 beneficiary farmers in North West Ethiopia. The findings show that about 55 percentage of the interviewees were satisfied whereas 45 percentage of them were dissatisfied with the extension services, implying that the program still has a lot of room for improvement. The empirical result based on ordered logit model revealed that perceived economic return, regular extension contact, family size and off-farm income were driving factors for farmers’ satisfaction. On the other hand, limited technology choices, high price of inputs, inconvenient loan system and undefined boundary between the extension services and the local politics were among the reasons given by dissatisfied farmers. Thus, from a policy xcperspective, the …
The Contribution of Rural Institutions to Rural Development: Study of Smallholder Farmer Groups and NGOs in Uganda
P Nalere, M Yago, K Oriel - International NGO Journal, 2015
In this article, the results of the quantitative data analysis are presented. Through a case study, the contribution of NGOs and smallholder farmer groups as sample rural institutions is examined in addressing four main objectives of improving health, education, agriculture as well as improving industry. The study involved 87 respondents from 40 organizations (19 NGOs and 21 Smallholder farmer groups) from central region of Uganda. Questionnaires, focus group discussions, interview guide, key informants and literature review were used to collect data. The study results led to the consideration of rural development Ss a critical result of improvements in health, education, agriculture and rural industry in rural areas of Uganda. First, improving health by investing in ….
Conservation Agriculture Among Traditional Communities in Chibabava Sofala Province, Mozambique with a Special Reference to Land Use and Food Production
MA Da Silva Barbito - 2015
This study was on conservation agriculture, an agriculture system that employs a set of techniques that aim to protect the soil from erosion, increase the fertility of soils and its profitability, in a sustainable way contributing to protect the environment. This research examined the extent to which conservation agriculture practices can alleviate poverty in Mozambique. The problem was: How Conservation Agriculture help to alleviate poverty? It is a qualitative study that used a case study design and non-probability sampling technique. Data were gathered interviews through interviews, direct observation, focuss group discussions and the analysis of “Caritas” reports. It is a comparative study between conservation agriculture and traditional agriculture methods for the production of maize, sorghum and bean from 1997 to 2012. The research interviewed and observed conservation agriculture farmers (participants) from two rural communities those that practice conservation …
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