Browsing: Food Security

The Tanzania Horticultural Association (Taha) is reporting an increase in revenue from the export of avocados which until now were not considered key export cash crop. 

However growing demand in the US and Europe has seen the sub-sector increase revenue to US$23 million annually. 

Tanzania is the second largest producer of avocado fruit in Africa second only to Kenya. Over the past five years, avocado exports have leap-frogged from 1,877 tonnes in 2014 to 9,000 tonnes in 2019 and were it not for the COVID-19 outbreak, this figure was expected to go higher. 

Also Read: COVID-19 response must target African agriculture and the rural poor

Kenya is already doing much better with its estimated annual output of about 190,000 tonnes as the country exports an average of 10,000 metric tonnes annually. 

In Tanzania, there are about 10,000 farmers of the crop who

E-vouchers could help transform agriculture and increase food security in Africa. The e-vouchers are used to purchase farm inputs helping support smallholder farmers access capital.

With such an initiative, smallholder farmers who suffer the brunt of inadequate resources can be prepared in readiness for planting no matter the season.…

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Climate change has made smallholder farmers poor in Africa. With crop insurance, farmers can afford to continue producing since they have the assurance of not losing everything they invest.

Africa’s food security is dependent on reliable harvests from smallholder farmers who make up a large percentage of the food sources on the continent.…

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A rice paddy intercropped with trees. Practising no-tillage or conservation agriculture could considerably benefit from higher yields in dry seasons.

The practice emphasizes protecting the soil’s top layer which is the most vulnerable to degradation through erosion and leaching.…

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Bees could earn Africa an upwards of US$100 million every year if countries invested in apiculture. However, farmers have to adopt agro-ecology and climate-smart agriculture to benefit from the various advantages that bees offer to both crop and honey production.

According to the UN-FAO, the diversity of bees and other pollinators is falling worldwide and Africa is no exception.…

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A cassava plantation. Cassava is an important food crop that over half a billion people globally depend on as a major nutrition source.

With the continent continually racked with hunger and poverty, Africa could turn around its economy by adopting cassava production.…

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Twin shocks hit Kenya’s food security

Close to three million Kenyans are at risk of facing starvation as the impact of Covid-19 and locust invasion on food security escalates. According to the latest report from  World Bank, despite the government’s efforts to mitigate the impact of corona virus on food security, millions are at risk. 

The Report says food security in Kenya is facing twin shocks from restrictions in place due to the Covid-19 crisis and the earlier locust attack, contributing to a spike in food prices. 

“While Kenya’s cereal producing counties were spared the first-round of the locust invasion, there is high probability that the second-round towards mid-year could impact major food growing areas. The government is implementing a number of measures to mitigate the impact of the corona virus on food security and food prices,” the report states. 

Kenya relies heavily on maize, wheat, rice and Irish potatoes for food.   It is estimated that

A drone spraying a cabbage farm. Drones are progressively being deployed on emerging disaster situations because they are portable, reliable and increasingly affordable. www.theexchange.africa

Heading into the future, the current farm-to-factory or farm-to-market processes which are expensive will be eliminated.…

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