Below are some current developments on agriculture in Africa:
Media Reports
Barry Callebaut Reaffirms Commitment to Cocoa Farmers
Barry Callebaut has increased support for Cocoa Horizons in Ghana – the world’s second largest cocoa growing country – as part of its global efforts to secure a sustainable cocoa supply chain. Cocoa Horizons focuses on farmer education, support and finance to scale impact and drive measurable change in cocoa-growing communities. Barry Callebaut aims to include 22,000 farmers in Ghana in the programme by 2017. The Barry Callebaut Group, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products, announced further expansion of its signature Cocoa Horizons sustainability programme in Ghana during a special event attended by local business, community and government leaders. The Cocoa Horizons programme will be implemented through its wholly owned subsidiary, Nyonkopa Cocoa Buying Limited, which was acquired by Barry Callebaut in 2015. The programme is aimed at improving the livelihoods of smallholder cocoa farmers through farm and community level activities. It is part of the company’s initiatives to help ensure that cocoa is grown in a sustainable way, generating better income for farmers and safeguarding the environment. The programme will be expanded in Ghana and additional origin countries in the coming years. Under Cocoa Horizons, participants are trained on good agricultural practices (GAP), good …
Cocoa Farmers Demand Dollar-quoted Producer Prices
Cocoa Farmers within the Hohoe-Kpeve cocoa district have called for the producer price of cocoa to be quoted in dollars to reduce loss of value of cocoa due to the weak and unstable cedi. The lot of cocoa farmers, according to the President of Unity Co-operative Cocoa Farmers and Marketing Union Limited, Mr. Yaw Botsoe, will be better, and that would attract more youth into cocoa farming and stop smuggling if government heeds to their call. In an interview with the Daily Graphic during the inauguration of the co-operative union at Hohoe, Mr. Botsoe lamented that “exchange rates go up and market prices draw along but the quantity of cedi remains constant for the cocoa farmers which brings big losses to them”. He further added that the establishment of a micro-finance package to provide the financial needs of farmers and support farm commercialisation could also address issues of poverty among cocoa farmers. Mr. Botsoe said though the cocoa industry was the largest single supporter of the economy, over the past years, yields for peasant farmers had remained low resulting in poor standard of living for the farmers ….
CRIG Takes Steps to Maintain Quality of Ghana’s Cocoa Beans
The Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) has stepped up efforts to maintain the quality of the nation’s cocoa beans with the establishment of a Flavor laboratory for chocolate production. It is meant to help farmers to see the marked difference in taste between chocolate produced from well-fermented and thoroughly dried beans and the poorly handled beans. Mr. Stephen Yaw Opoku, Head of the Laboratory, said this way, they would be encouraged to stick to traditional best practices that had over the years helped Ghana to enjoy premium on its beans. He broke the news when he took students from the Milton Hershey School in Pennsylvania, United States (US) round to inspect the facility at New Tafo, in the East Akim Municipality. The school was established by the Hershey Chocolate Company and the students were in the country to see for themselves how cocoa, the raw material for chocolate was produced…
Farmers Advocate One Community, One Dam Policy
Farmers within the Savannah Ecological Zone have called on government to introduce a Community, One-Dam Policy as part of measures to promote agriculture in the country. This, according to the farmers, would help ensure all year round agricultural production to enhance food security, reduce food imports, and alleviate poverty. Research has shown that during the rainy season hunger and food insecurity are usually reduced in communities in the SADA Zone hence the advocacy for the creation of irrigation dams in each community to ensure all year round farming. The farmers made the call at a one-day regional consultative forum organized by the Coalition of Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (CSADA), a group of Civil Society Organizations in Tamale, in partnership with the Northern Patriots in Research and Advocacy (NORPRA) and the Concerned Citizens Association of Tamale (CCAT). The forum was meant to solicit the views, inputs and development priorities of youth and women farmer groups for SADA’s Medium Term Development Plan and Master Plan (MTDPMP). It was also to seek their views on the Livelihood Improvement and Poverty Reduction aspects, especially within the SADA zone….
Nine SMEs in the Shea Sector to Attend Johannesburg Exhibition
Barclays Bank Ghana has, in collaboration with Global Shea Alliance (GSA), sponsored nine entrepreneurs to take part in the upcoming ‘ProBeauty Johannesburg’ exhibition in August this year. The exhibition is to provide business linkages for over 30 selected entrepreneurs across the continent who ply their trade in Shea products. According to Sydney Henderson, Sustainability Coordinator of GSA, the exhibition was borne out of the realization that a lot of entrepreneurs do not have the needed capacity to produce high quality products and the fact that they lack opportunity to showcase their products to the world. “We have realized that the entrepreneurs need to improve on their marketing skills and do not have access to information that can help them get their products to potential customers,” Ms. Henderson said. “So through the Global Shea Alliance we are providing market linkages for our members and also give them the opportunity to showcase Shea products to the buyers. So we are going to do capacity building exercise for our members and help them improve their products and skills and also move them to the next level.” To prepare them for the exhibition, Technoserve Ghana has, through the African Youth Agripreneurship Programme (AYAP), which is sponsored by Barclays Ghana, organized a training workshop for the nine entrepreneurs….
Agriculture to take Centre Stage in Oxford Business Group 2017 report …as Liberty Capital signs MOU
Ghana’s plans to add value to its natural resources as a means of boosting export growth will be explored in a forthcoming report by the global publishing firm Oxford Business Group (OBG). The Report: Ghana 2017 will shine a spotlight on the country’s agriculture industry which is seen as a key driver of growth, despite the commodity slowdown. OBG’s publication will consider the latest 2016 growth forecasts for Ghana, which range from 4.5% (IMF) to 5%, rising to 6% by 2017 (Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning), after a difficult 2015. The Report: Ghana 2017 will also document the measures that the country is taking to improve overall competitiveness, including the development of its capital markets and the challenges that high interest and borrowing rates present. Liberty Capital has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with OBG for the publishing firm’s sixth report on the country. Under the MOU, the company will team up for a third time with OBG to compile and produce the Capital Markets chapter of The Report: Ghana 2017. William K. Adjovu, Managing Director, Liberty Capital, said, he expected the company’s research with OBG to focus on the pivotal part that agriculture will play in driving new growth and the impact that the launch of the Ghana Commodities Exchange could have on the sector’s development, given that the market platform may well be up and running by 2017…
Researchers Discuss Ways to Boost Agricultural Extension
Researchers, academics and policy makers from West Africa have met in Accra to discuss ways to boost agricultural extension programmes in the sub-region. The meeting provided a platform for the participants to assess the role stakeholders play, as well as re-draw plans regarding ownership and sustainability of funds from the Sasakawa Africa Fund for Extension Education (SAFE) programme. The two-day event was organised by the SAFE. The SAFE programme, which was established in 1992, partners 14 universities and colleges, including the University of Cape Coast. The programme is being implemented in nine countries with the aim of providing practical agricultural extension courses in universities. The alumni of the programme in Ghana now exceed 800, with a membership of 3,000 in the nine countries in which it operates. In his keynote address to open the workshop, the President of the Presbyterian University College, Ghana, Professor Emmanuel Addo Obeng, urged African governments to make more funds available for agriculture….
Survey on Fisheries Resources Conducted
The Deputy Regional FAO Representative for Africa and FAO Country Representative for Ghana, Mr. Abebe Haile Gabriel has observed that experiences from other jurisdictions have shown that effective fishery research is decisive for profitable and sustainable fisheries development. He notes that Africa has diverse fisheries resources with immense potential and many opportunities for contributing significantly to the socio-economic growth of the continent as well as improving livelihoods of its citizens. “During the last decade the continent has made tremendous progress in restoring fisheries and aquaculture which was one of the priorities for national and regional development”, Haile Gabriel added. However, the FAO recognises that challenges still remain. Weak human and institutional capacities continue to be a key constraint for a positive transformation of the fisheries sector. The FAO country representative said this is evident in the insufficient human capacity to cover key areas in fisheries management and research as well as weak information-collection and analysis systems…
Italy to Help Ghana Develop a Fishing Cluster
This was on the backdrop of an agreement signed between the Apam district and the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development in October 2015 aimed at improving fish production in Ghana. The agreement is also intended to increase the contribution of the fishing industry to Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from 4.7 per cent to 27 per cent. A delegation from Italy have paid a working visit to Ghana to assist with the development of the fishing cluster in the country…
‘Local Palm Oil is Safe for Consumption’
A Senior Regulatory Officer and Head of the Food-borne Diseases Surveillance Unit of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Mr. Benjamin Osei Tutu has assured that palm oil sold at the various local markets across the country is safe for consumption. “Consumers should be assured that the FDA is doing all it can to ensure safety of the food we eat. Henceforth, it is alright to consume palm oil without fear,” he said. He made the known at a sensitisation forum held at Madina in Accra organised by the Department of Oil Palm Research (OPR) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), in collaboration with the FDA. Some selected markets visited included Mallam Atta, Dome, Dansoman, Agbogbloshie, Kaneshie, Tema Community One, Ashaiman, Madina and Makola No.2. According to the authority, a market survey it conducted in 10 markets in the Greater Accra Region last November showed that 90 per cent of palm oil products in those markets were free from the Sudan IV dye, the textile dye that causes cancer. In August last year, the authority warned the public against the consumption of palm oil sold on the market after it was discovered that palm oil samples picked from some markets had tested positive for the Sudan IV dye…
Reports/Articles
Persistent Organochlorine Pesticide Residues in Cocoa Beans from Ghana, a Concern for Public Health
ED Okoffo, BY Fosu-Mensah, C Gordon - International Journal of Food Contamination, 2016
Residual levels of fifteen (15) organochlorine pesticides were determined in 32 cocoa bean samples collected from sixteen (16) selected cocoa farms in the Dormaa West District of Ghana to assess the levels of pesticides contamination… The levels of organochlorine pesticide residues in the fermented dried cocoa beans analysed compared to the European Union (EU) commission regulations on pesticide residues showed no health risks to consumers of cocoa beans from Ghana and no threat to cocoa export to Europe. The occurrence of organochlorine pesticide residues in the samples analysed could be due to their illegal use by farmers in the study area or due to their past use, since these chemicals are prohibited from agricultural use in Ghana. There should be regular monitoring of pesticide residues especially in cocoa beans to protect consumers from health related risks. There is a need to check and enforce regulations on the use of banned/restricted and unapproved pesticides in cocoa production in Ghana…
Design, Construction and Evaluation of an Evaporative Cooler for Sweet Potatoes Storage
EA Seweh, JO Darko, A Addo, PA Asagadunga… - Agricultural Engineering …, 2016
A 14.4 × 86.0 × 70.0 cm mud evaporative cooler was designed and constructed for the storage of sweet potato roots to evaluate its performance in storing orange fleshed sweet potato variety (Apomuden) roots. The investigation lasted for 14 weeks, from November 2014 to February, 2015. The dry bulb (Tdb) and wet bulb temperatures (Twb) for the ambient storage ranged between 27.600C to 26.900C and 22.500C to 20.100C respectively with their corresponding RH of 64.00%, 77.00% respectively, while Tdb and Twb within the cooler ranged between 25.940C to 24.860C and 21.940C to 20.610C with corresponding R.H of 89.00% to 92.00% respectively. The efficiency of the constructed evaporative cooler was 87.17%. From an initial weight of 2000 g, roots weight decreased to 1298.3 g during the storage period, while the weight loss within the cooler was from 2000 g to 1570.65 g over the same period. Also, the moisture content of the roots stored under ambient conditions declined from 68.9% to 48.35%. Roots stored in the evaporative cooler declined from 68.9% to 60.80%. As mc decreased from 68.9% to 48.35%, energy content increased from an initial of 501 to 858.677 kJ/100g under ambient storage while in the evaporative cooler, as mc declined, from 68.9% to 60.8%, energy content increased from an initial of 501.518 to 642.296 kJ/100g. The evaporative cooler ….
Role of High-Valued Market Participation on Poverty Reduction among African Leafy Vegetable Farmers in Kenya
E Ngenoh, SW Kebede, HK Bett, W Bokelmann - African Journal of Horticultural …, 2016
Agriculture is fundamental for achieving food and nutritional security as well as income generation to the poor and has a strong linkage effects in driving the overall growth and contributing to poverty reduction. Agricultural markets provide an opportunity for farm production to contribute to household food security and poverty reduction through the cash income realized from the sales of farm produce. Despite this role, smallholders are the world poorest who face chronic poverty and food insecurity yet they are the main players in the agriculture sector. Additionally, there is little knowledge and/or documentation regarding the linkages between smallholder African leafy vegetables (ALVs) production and marketing in Kenya. Therefore, this paper aimed at determining the role of high-valued market participation on the welfare of the smallholder ALVs producers’ in Kenya. It highlights the contribution of ALVs in promoting households’ Food and Nutritional Security (FNS). The paper concludes that high-valued market participation is a core element in smallholder commercialization as it links power between input and output markets as well as being a tool, which equips them …
Nutrient Content of Fish Powder from Low Value Fish and Fish Byproducts
L Abbey, M Glover‐Amengor, MO Atikpo, A Atter… - Food Science & Nutrition, 2016
Consuming small-sized fish species whole, and bones of large fish could contribute significantly to reducing the level of micronutrient and protein malnutrition. These fish products are more affordable and could therefore meet the needs of poor, vulnerable groups, particularly in rural and urban areas where limited economic resources prevent dietary diversity. The objectives of the study were to produce fish powder from dried edible byproducts from fish processing factories, an underutilized fish species, burrito and to determine the physical, micromineral, macronutrient and microbiological quality of the dried fish powder. Edible fish processing byproducts and an underutilized fish, burrito (Brachydeuterus auritus) were cleaned thoroughly and dried with a Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Food Research Institute (CSIR-FRI) gas-fuelled oven at 55°C for 8 h or until dried. The dried products were milled into powder, and packaged into polythene bags. Proximate analysis of the fish powder was done Official Methods of Analysis (AOAC) methods. Minerals and heavy metals in the fish powder were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). Microbiological quality was determined by Nordic Committee on Food Analysis Method (NMLK) methods. Tuna trimmings contained 80.71 g/100 g protein, whereas burrito contained ….
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