Category: Blog

Kenya’s recent ban on maize imports from her two East African neighbors due to high levels of mycotoxins has jolted the national consciousness towards the recurrent danger of toxins in food, while underscoring the need for adoption of safer food production and handling alternatives. Earlier in March, the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) slapped a […]

Kenyan farmers, impressed by the high yields realized in GMO open field trials, are urging the government to speed up the process of allowing them to access Bt maize. The farmers say the bountiful returns from the Bt maize reminds them of decades long gone when their parents and grandparents used to harvest large amounts […]

By Francis Nang’ayo and Jane Achando. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region accounts for more than 13 per cent of the global population (or 1.2 billion people), a figure that is projected to grow to 2.1 billion people by 2050. This will have direct implications on demand for food from agriculture, a sector that supports the livelihoods […]

Determined to improved maize production in Nigeria, the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in collaboration with African Agricultural Technology Foundation, (AATF) will soon release Tela maize, a new variety crop in Nigeria. The new Tela Maize, first Genetically Modified Organisms GMO, fortified to resist pest and tolerate drought, is expected to […]

Take the example of Jeannette Kanyange, a Rwandan farmer one might find anywhere on in Africa. Three years ago before she started renting a power tiller, a sort of mini-tractor, she used to spend RwF300,000 (US$306) to pay 100 people to till one hectare per day. Renting the tiller dropped the cost to RwF100,000 ($102) […]

The African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) said it would release 10 tons of Pod Borer Resistant (PBR) Cowpea before the beginning of the farming season,  to assist farmers to get the best yield. Dr. Issoufou Kollo, the Regional Coordinator of AATF, told the New Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja that this would […]

The ongoing research on the TELA maize project, a new maize variety which is water-efficient, drought-tolerant and also fights insects and pest such as fall armyworm, has progressed significantly at the research farms of the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Samaru, Zaria. JULIANA AGBO writes on the success recorded so far from the Confined Field Trials (CFT). […]

By Dr. Denis Kyetere. It is often said that “If you want to go fast, go alone, and if you want to go far, go together.” This old African proverb underpins the need for people and organisations to work together to achieve goals that could have been otherwise an uphill task working alone. Since its inception […]

Afrik 21: NIGERIA: Consortium to transform cassava peels into energy Several companies and organisations have recently joined forces to recycle cassava waste in rural Nigeria. They will transform the peels of the tuber into electricity to supply farmers in rural areas. With an estimated annual production of close to 40 million tonnes, Nigeria is unquestionably […]