Smart farms

: 16 May 2019; Hits: 10082

Growing appetite for meat and dairy products shoots up Kenya’s livestock turnover to US $1.44bn

cows cattle livestock kalro Sahiwal herd cattle at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) Dairy Research Institute. Livestock turnover in Kenya has grown in the recent past due to the increase in products consumption. Photo KALRO.

Kenyans’ growing appetite for meat and dairy products has shot up the country’s livestock turnover from US $1.34bn of 2017 to US $1.44bn in 2018.

The turnover increase has also been attributed to the support of private and county government value chains in the sector according to the 2019 Economic Survey by Kenya Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).

Statistics by KNBS indicates that 2.78m cows and calves were slaughtered in 2018 translating to 7.4 per cent higher than 2.59m cows in 2017 which also saw 10.2m sheep and goats slaughtered representing 11.3 per cent increase.

This is represented an 11.3 per cent rise from the 9.2m sold to abattoirs in major cities.

The growing sector has continued to attract formation of small-scale farmer co-operatives that increased by 20.2 per cent.

These co-operatives collect milk from local farmers for onward direct sales to milk processors and raised deliveries from 535.7m litres in 2017 to 634.3m in 2018.

Drawing from the 2019 Economic Survey by Kenya Bureau of Statistics (KNBS); Quantities of milk and cream processed increased by 10.6 per cent from 410.6m litres in 2017 to 454.1m litres in 2018.

Also on the rise is pork consumption especially the country’s major towns and their environs as well as meat processing plants.

Pig sales recorded a 7.8 per cent rise where 388,200 pigs were slaughtered in 2018 compared to 360,100 in 2017.

The survey also project 2019 to be a game changer with county governments actualizing their investments in dairy processing plants to increase farmer prices based on milk sales.

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: 15 May 2019; Hits: 8502

Nigeria launches first GMO food crop, Pod Borer Resistant Cowpea to up production

Pod Borer Resistant Cowpea variety which is safe for human and animals. Photo courtesy.

The Federal Government of Nigeria has launched the first genetically modified food crop in the country know as Pod Borer Resistant Cowpea (PBR), a variety that resists the insect pest and will help farmers up the crop production to bridge 500,000 metric tonnes demand deficit in the country.

The launch which took place early this year after nearly a decade of research by the Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR) scientists confirmed the environmental release of GM cowpea affirming the crop’s safety.

It also paved the way for commercializing the new cowpea variety and making the seeds available to farmers following the decision by the country’s National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) to permit the crop’s production by farmers.

IAR in partnership with the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) in 2009 started the research to address the deadly Muraca Vitrata attacks on beans after a series of efforts to use conventional breeding methods failed to produce results.

The introduction will address the national cowpea demand deficit of about 500,000 tonnes and also improve the country’s productivity average of 350kg per hectares.

Dr. Abdourhamane Issoufou, country director of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), said Nigerian scientists worked with institutions in Ghana, Burkina Faso and Malawi to develop the Bt cowpea. Scientists in Ghana have completed field trials on PBR cowpea and will soon seek commercialization of the crop.

“Today, Nigeria stands tall in the comity of nations for effectively managing and bringing to fruition this dream,” said Issoufou.

Saidu Madagwa, executive secretary of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), which coordinates agricultural research in Nigeria, said the council was proud to present Nigerians with the first home-grown genetically modified food crop. He said it has passed all necessary scientific and safety tests.

Prof. Ishiyaku Mohammad, principal investigator in IAR’s cowpea project, explained that the GM cowpea is no different than conventional varieties and the only distinguishing factor is its resistance to Maruca infestation.

“The legume, which tastes just the same as its conventional counterpart, does not have any killer gene and farmers can replant the seeds if they wish,” said Mohammad.

According to Issoufou the research project was made possible due to sustained funding from the USAID and lab support from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) of Australia.

“The research results have shown that the PBR-cowpea is safe for human and animals, completely resistant to Maruca, leads to yield increase by 20 per cent with fewer sprays of chemical insecticides,” he said.

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: 14 May 2019; Hits: 6423

John Deere launches device for satellite farming enabling site-specific crop management

Bothaville, South Africa – 14 May 2019: John Deere has launched a new product- the 4240 Universal Display – a portable screen suited to open station tractor-driven field operations – which allows for satellite farming and site-specific crop management, traceable on the Precision Ag application.

The 4240 Universal Display, enables farmers to put precision agriculture into practice allowsing them to manage crop growth in real time. While it is still early to evaluate the impacts of digitalisation on food security, in terms of productivity, tangible benefits are there for all to see.

The display can be used in conjunction with another new offering from John Deere – the AutoTrac Universal 300 (ATU 300) steering kit. The kit is a mobile guidance solution that adds more productivity to farming operations throughout the growing season. The benefits of the ATU 300 over its predecessor include an improved on-track line performance, a faster line acquisition capability, improved diagnostics and easy-to-use calibration that allows for a quicker setup.

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4240 display

4240 display

“Agriculture is all about committed relationships and is evident from our presence at NAMPO for over half a century. We remain passionate about helping farmers in Africa and we will continue to work with them and invest our resources to ensure they are more productive and make agriculture more sustainable,” said Jacques Taylor, MD, John Deere Sub-Saharan Africa.

"The agri sector has shown weak performance over the past few years battling droughts and a sluggish economy. That said, NAMPO is an important platform to showcase the potential of the sector and one of the reasons why we as John Deere continue to support it fully."

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, the world population is estimated to reach 9.7bn by 2050, and to feed that number of people, global food production will need to grow by over 70 per cent. For Africa, which is projected to be home to about 2 billion people by then, farm productivity must accelerate at a faster rate than the global average to prevent food insecurity.

Already, farmers in Africa are being sensitised on the internet of things and are conversely using these technologies to better their production and distribution capabilities.

According to Taylor, innovation has been at the heart of agriculture, from invention of ploughs to the introduction of tractors, the world of farming has adopted technologies much quicker than it is given credit for.

The John Deere stand at NAMPO, an agricultural exhibition in South Africa will also offer a glimpse into its More Tools option, an online platform on its Operations Centre platform that enables farmers to seamlessly share its data with other partners in its operations to help with timeous decision making.

Additionally, the factory-fitted track system on John Deere's S700 series of combine harvesters – which cut and thresh a variety of grain crops – will also be launched at this year's NAMPO, the M4000 series self-propelled sprayers, as well as the first to-market intelligence package for vineyard and orchard sprayers.

"NAMPO provides John Deere with a unique opportunity to speak to farmers and demonstrate how they can use our products to better respond to the challenges. This new philosophy also underpins our new brand strategy – Believe in Greater, together we believe we can usher in a new dawn in agriculture technology on the continent," says Taylor in conclusion.

"Technology pry's open untapped potential for farmers to improve food production. From precision farming to an efficient food supply chain, technology could bring major economic and social benefits."

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