The magazine for agricultural and rural development in ACP countries

28 Pages·2010·2.75 MB·English

The magazine
for agricultural and
rural development
in ACP countries
http://spore.cta.int
N°150
INTERVIEw
DECEMBER 2010-JANUARY 2011
Dennis Garrity,
agronomist:
“Growing crops
under canopy“
PRIVATE STANDARDS
Mind the GAP
HYDROPONICS
Crops without soil
AGRICULTURAL MECHANISATION
Energy of hope
sharing knowledge, improving rural livelihoods

TAblE OF CONTENTS SPORE N° 150 - DECEMBER 2010-JANUARY 2011
PRIVATE STANDARDS DENNIS GARRITY Editorial
Mind Growing
the GAP crops under At a major conference
held in November 2010 in
canopy
The Hague, Netherlands,
4 12 with the theme It’s
COVER STORY INTERVIEw Down 2 Earth, partici-
pants from more than
AGRICULTURAL 115 countries developed a
roadmap for agriculture
MECHANISATION
to meet the challenges of climate change
Energy of hope
and food security.
The conference brought together Ministers
of Agriculture, other senior government
officials, civil society groups, scientists,
international and regional organizations,
13 philanthropic foundations and the private
DOSSIER
sector.
Agriculture and deforestation account for
4 | Cover story
a third of global greenhouse gas emis-
sions. As a result, they are a significant
6 | News
cause of climate change. At the same time,
7 | Crops agriculture, especially in developing coun-
8 | Fisheries and livestock tries, will increasingly suffer from frequent
and extreme weather events caused by
9 | Environment
climate change. Addressing these challenges
10 | Research requires climate-smart agriculture that will
increase its resilience to climate change
11 | Trade
and, at the same time, reduce greenhouse
12 | Interview gas emissions.
At the conference, participants present-
13 | DOSSIER ed several examples of agricultural prac-
tices that increase soil nutrients, conserve
Agricultural mechanisation: energy of hope
water, restore degraded lands, protect bio-
Using machinery to grow more, better. diversity, reduce post-harvest losses and
17 | Viewpoint reduce methane emissions. The challenge
now lies in scaling up these good practices
Michel Havard: the right choice
so as to achieve meaningful results that will
A few useful tips about agricultural machinery.
encourage agriculture to become part of the
18 | Field report solution for climate change adaptation and
Cameroon: women and a tractor mitigation.
The It’s Down 2 Earth roadmap calls for
The arrival of a tractor has sparked a small revolution at a women’s cooperative.
concerted action linking investments, poli-
cies and strategies to achieve resilient,
20 | Focus: Hydroponics
low-carbon agriculture that meets the
21 | Publications objectives of both food security and eco-
nomic growth. The conference also called on
25 | Get on board with CTA
UN climate change negotiators to introduce
incentives for climate-smart agriculture.
is the bi-monthly magazine of the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA). CTA
Meeting the challenges of climate change
operates under the Cotonou Agreement between the countries of the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific
and feeding the world’s projected popu-
(ACP) group and the European Union and is financed by the EU. • Postbus 380 • 6700 AJ Wageningen,
The Netherlands • Tel: [phone] • Fax: [phone] • Email: [email protected] • Website: www.cta.int • publisher: lation of 9 billion by 2050 is a tall order.
Michael Hailu • editorial board: Thierry Doudet, Stéphane Gambier, Anne Legroscollard, Isolina Boto, Vincent However, a clear majority of conference
Fautrel, Felipe Fonseca, Karen Hackshaw, Ibrahim Tiémogo • editorial staff: Executive editor: Marie-Agnès Leplaideur
participants said it could be done. With the
emis •M oEdnittpoer lloief r,F reFnracnhc ev e•rs iEodni taonr do fc oEonrgdliinsaht ovre: rsDieonni:s eC lWariell iaPmeds ri•c kS yfi• aV iIan tedrenlalot ioSnpaalg, n2a0 1r8u, e 0d6u0 4C9a rrSép-odleut-oR o(Pi,G 3),4 I0ta0l0y right incentives and policies, we believe ACP
H
© • Correspondents: The following contributed to this issue: N Ackbarally (Mauritius), B Bafana (Zimbabwe), A Camara farmers are up to the challenge.
o: (Guinea), I Esipisu (Kenya), G Kamadi (Kenya), A Labey (France), N Mutumweno (Zambia), M Nzikou-Massala (Congo),
hot A Nabwowe (Uganda), C Njeru (Kenya), F Patard (France), M Seck (Senegal), É Tassé (Cameroon), A Wandimoyi (DR Congo) Michael Hailu
p
er and F Zvomuya (South Africa) • other Contributors: J Bodichon, L de Araújo, F Idir Le Meur, D Manley, Tradcatts Director - CTA
Cov • layout and design: Intactile DESIGN, France • printer: Pure Impression, France • © CTA 2010 – ISSN 1011-0054
3
DECEMBER 2010-JANUARY 2011 | SPORE 150 |
COVER STORY
PRIVATE STANDARDS
Mind the GAP
Private food standards are proliferating, with measures required
by supermarkets often exceeding those set down by legislation,
but there are rewards for growers who can comply.
T he farm-to-fork journey for ACP products destined production. In January 2005, GlobalGAP’s European
for export is rarely an easy one, but the going is supermarket members made certification obligatory for
getting increasingly tougher. Producers wanting to horticultural suppliers. Annual farm audits examine more
sell to retail chains in the North are finding them- than 200 control points covering rootstocks, fertiliser,
selves up against a bewildering array of health, safety and irrigation, crop protection, waste and pollution manage-
ethical standards. Confusingly, the requirements are not ment and worker health and welfare.
always the same for each country or supermarket group. The advent of PVS has led many ACP smallholders to
Nor are these standards mandatory – at least in theory. exit export production. By 2006, 60% of the estimated
Though officially known as private voluntary standards 45,000 Kenyan farmers supplying exporters in 2003
(PVS), they are rapidly becoming the industry norm, with had already been dropped by their export company
growing numbers of small-scale farmers forced to choose or had withdrawn. In Uganda, a sharp drop of 40% in
between compliance or being edged out of the market. smallholder participation in exports in 2005-2006 is partly
PVS are expanding rapidly in agrifood supply chains, attributed to PVS. An analysis carried out by the CUTS
with the number of private schemes now standing at 400 Centre for International Trade, Economics and Environment
and rising, according to the UN Conference on Trade and (CUTS-CITEE) claimed that stringent private standards This Kenyan farmer
Development. Often the requirements are more exacting were “now impeding the export performance of develop- obtained KenyaGAP
certification to
than official standards laid down by international bodies ing countries” and warned of the risk of PVS being used
help sell his chillies
such as the EU. St Vincent and the Grenadines flagged this as non-tariff trade barriers. Another survey, carried out to supermarkets.
seeming inconsistency when it complained to the World
Trade Organization in 2005 about GlobalGAP require-
ments for exporting bananas to European supermarkets.
Concerns have also been raised that the rise of PVS is
undermining the international system for food safety
standards such as Codex Alimentarius.
Although retailers use private standards to demonstrate
‘due diligence’ to satisfy increasingly stringent European
food safety legislation, they are also turning to them as
a marketing tool. Increasingly, PVS are helping super-
markets to tap the willingness of consumers to opt for
goods that are top quality and ethically-sourced, with
criteria as diverse as pesticide use, animal welfare, envi-
ronmental impact and labour standards. As a result, the
goal posts for suppliers are constantly changing. “Changes
in market requirements often lead to changes in stand-
ards and technical regulations”, said Dr Stephen Mbithi,
Chief Executive Officer of the Fresh Produce Exporters
Association of Kenya (FPEAK).
Keeping up standards
Private standards range from requirements operated by
individual supermarket chains such as Tesco in the UK,
to collective international schemes such as GlobalGAP
and the Global Food Safety Initiative. PVS may relate to
a particular stage of the production chain – the British
Retail Consortium (BRC) targets packing and process-
ing facilities – or to a specific product such as coffee or
fish. A growing number of standards are tied to a label
or logo signalling fair trade or environmentally sound
4
| SPORE 150 | DECEMBER 2010-JANUARY 2011
COVER STORY
by COLEACP/PIP on horticultural export companies in business groups in central and eastern Kenya saw farm-
Initial costs
East and West Africa showed they found PVS “difficult or ers’ income raised by 50 to 100%. Private standards are
of GLOBALGAP,
Kenya, very difficult to meet.” Among the report’s recommenda- spilling over into high-value domestic markets, which are
tions were more dialogue with those setting and imple- growing in sub-Saharan Africa, offering lucrative oppor-
€1,740 in 2006 per
menting PVS, and mechanisms to adjust them so they can tunities for suppliers who can make the grade. Following
small-scale grower
be better adapted to local circumstances. It also called for introduction of the benchmarked KenyaGAP certification
“the fairer apportioning of costs along the supply chain.” scheme, Nakumatt, the biggest supermarket chain in East
20%
and Central Africa, has made the standard mandatory.
444444% %%220306% %% TnheDsese (mcsoeoesn tsc thoraaftr itcnso)g. m Ccoopmsltipsa lainarnec cegee ncearna lblye paanid e bxyp emnesimveb ebrus soif- Natrnaadkin uivmnegag teftta arsbmulpeepsr sli ferirno mFgr oemsohdo rNae g Jrtiuhciaucnil,t uw4ra0hl0 ic phfra arpcmrtiocecerus. r, e“Wsis efr nuaoirwtes
3366%% the supply chain, with the unit assessed as an individual educating farmers on KenyaGAP certification, so that they

farm, regardless of size. Some private schemes only understand the importance of compliance”, said company
Recurrent costs accept specified certification bodies, leading to repeti- Director Paresh Patel.
tion. Expenses include one-off investments such as cen- Non-supermarket supply chains remain an option for
of GLOBALGAP,
Kenya, tralised systems for handling produce and recurring costs smallholders who cannot achieve compliance or opt not
for maintaining laboratory testing programmes, annual to do so, with traditional wholesale markets, catering,
€266 in 2006 per
small-sca1l4e g%rower audits and record-keeping. and food service sectors representing attractive outlets.
The complexity of satisfying requirements poses a Less than 10% of Uganda’s export horticulture trade to
1414%% major barrier to some producers, with audits typically the UK is sold to supermarkets, with most going to eth-
86 % requiring several hundred documents. Suggestions from nic markets. The trend for PVS has also encouraged some
an EU consultation on PVS include the introduction of small-scale farmers to diversify. In Kenya, a number of
8866%% mutual recognition and group certification and combin- farmers who decided that green bean production was no

Petit agriculteur ing audits to take account of common features of differ- longer profitable have moved into growing watermelons,
Exportateur ent protocols run by, for example GlobalGAP, Utz Certified, kale and bananas for the domestic market, earning larger
Bailleur
SmPaeltli-t sacgarliec uglrtoewurer Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade. incomes in some cases.
ExEpxoprotertrateur On the plus side, it is widely recognised that smallholders
DoBnaoilrleur achieving PVS compliance benefit from more market
Source: IIED opportunities as well as upgraded produce quality, To find out more
improved field hygiene and better knowledge of pesticide
use. Key factors of success are technical support, appropri-
ate donor aid and co-investments by CTA
Agritrade Executive Brief
exporters. In 2010, CTA-supported
http://tinyurl.com/3xwj25c
workshops in Sierra Leone trained
Brussels Briefing:
44 producers in private stand-
Meeting Food Safety Standards
ards, especially for the coffee and http://tinyurl.com/382rl5v
cocoa sectors. Support from the
ColeaCp/pip
Kenya Horticultural Development
www.coleacp.org
Programme has helped the Karwa
COLEACP/Pesticides Initiative Programme,
Women’s Group export chilli to Survey of fresh fruit and vegetable exports
European supermarkets. In South in sub-Saharan Africa, May 2009
Africa, NGO ComMark has helped http://tinyurl.com/33wk6p8
62 farmers in Letsitele, Limpopo GlobalGAP
Province, to achieve GlobalGAP and www.globalgap.org
Tesco’s Nature’s Choice accredita-
iied
tion for their citrus, banana and
www.iied.org
mango.
• standard bearers:
A 2009 study of small-scale pro- Horticultural exports
ducers in Madagascar found that and private standards in Africa
given the right contract systems, http://tinyurl.com/36av546
thousands of small farmers are ben- nri
efiting from spinoffs of PVS, such as Natural Resources Institute
“improved access to inputs, credit, www.nri.org
extension services and technology
unCtad
adoption.”
www.unctad.org
Consultative Task Force on Environmental
AID Strength in numbers Requirements and Market Access
US Farmers who pool resources have for Developing Countries (CTF)
mas/ a better chance, experience shows. http://tinyurl.com/37wmyao
o
N Th An initiative by NGO TechnoServe
© to organise farmers into producer
5
DECEMBER 2010-JANUARY 2011 | SPORE 150 |
NEwS
SCIENCE INNOVATIONS
Computers
serving cows
■ A computer programme for feeding dairy
cows has won the top prize in the 2009-
2010 Africa-wide science competition held
by CTA together with partner organisations.
The Endiisa Decision Support Tool (DST)
was developed by a team of scientists led by
the National Livestock Resources Research
Institute. Team leader Dr Sarah Mubiru said
the software will help farmers know which
feeds to give their cows and in what propor-
tions – at the least cost.
Milk production in Uganda is low, with
ger many cows attaining just half their poten-
n
eri tial. Research shows that 72% of farmers
a
H
P give their cows feeds which provide protein
©
D below the minimum requirement. “Cows
R
I tested for 1 month on feed combinations
CARBON BALANCE SHEET give off, a factor that should prove a strong developed from the Endiisa DST increased dai-
Africa in the black argument in international climate change ly milk production by 24%”, said Dr Mubiru.
negotiations. The tool can be downloaded from
■ Africa will now be able to keep a real-time
the website of the National Agricultural
check on its carbon balance sheet. This is
Research Organisation. There are also plans
expected to give it a more powerful voice in
STATISTICS to translate the tool into Luganda, a local
international climate talks and strengthen its
Free access language, and make the software available
bargaining position in negotiations for the
on mobile phones.
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and FAOSTAT, the world’s largest statistical
The first prize for the science contest
the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation database on food, agriculture, and hunger, is
aimed at young professionals went to
and Forest Degradation (REDD) programme. going free. Previously, users could download
Sandrine Nguiakam of Cameroon for a study
The continent’s first network for meas- a limited amount of information from the
on the impact of fluctuating international
uring carbon emissions is behind the database without charge, but access to
prices for raw materials on the variability of
development. It is based on mechanisms larger batches of statistics required a paid
the gross domestic product in Côte d’Ivoire.
called flux measurements, which calculate annual subscription. Now access is open,
the quantity of gas exchanged between an unlimited and entirely without charge. www.naro.go.ug/endiisa
ecosystem and the atmosphere. The net- FAOSTAT offers data on agricultural and food
work was set up as part of the European production, use of fertiliser and pesticides, Sarah Mubiru and her team won a prize
CarboAfrica project, which was launched food aid shipments, food balance sheets, for developing a computer programme
in late 2006 and has just ended. The initia- forestry and fisheries production, irrigation to plan feeding for dairy cows.
tive, which explored various aspects of the and water use, land use, population trends,
carbon cycle in Africa, involved 15 African trade in agricultural products and the use of
and European organisations. Its main con- agricultural machinery. It can be consulted in
clusion was that the continent’s carbon English, French and Spanish.
balance sheet is positive, since African http://faostat.fao.org
ecosystems absorb more carbon than they
MANGOES
outlets for haiti
al Haiti’s 25,000 mango producers are to get help in processing
n
o
ati and adding value to their harvests. At present, half their crop is
n
er lost before getting to market due to poor roads and inadequate
nt
A I sales channels. New outlets will be made available with the
© SYFI opening of mango juice factories which will take their output.
The project, dubbed Haiti Hope, is being implemented by US NGO
Technoserve, with €2.15 million in funding from the Inter-American Development Bank
and €2.5 million from US firm Coca Cola. The initiative will also investigate the possibility birizi
of developing units for drying mangoes and making puree. Ka
© J
6
| SPORE 150 | DECEMBER 2010-JANUARY 2011
CROPS
COFFEE
less disease, higher yields
SEEDS
Venture capital for seed Kenyan farmers are shifting to a new coffee variety that
The west Africa Agricultural Investment has 30% lower production costs. Arabica coffee (Coffea
Fund (wAAIF) has received capital funding u arabica), Batian variety, has been developed by scientists
er
to support small and medium-sized Nj from the Coffee Research Foundation (CRF) after 20 years of
west African seed companies. The first © C. research. The new plant has proved resistant to leaf rust
contributions came from the Alliance for and coffee berry disease, two diseases that have badly hit
a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and Kenyan coffee production. It also matures in 2 years, compared with 3 years for more
the Lundin For Africa Foundation, based common varieties. Production costs are lower since farmers do not need to spend
in Vancouver, Canada. wAAIF will invest money on expensive insecticides. “Batian can yield 5 t/ha, following all recommended
in seed companies, offering them start- agronomical practices, compared with 2-3 t from other varieties”, said CRF Director of
up and development capital. It will also Research, Joseph Kimemia.
offer various forms of technical support.
wAAIF is initially operating in five countries
AGROFORESTRY
– Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Niger, and
A tree that cossets
Nigeria.
mango plants
■ For years, farmers near Thiès in Senegal,
NEw VARIETIES have used the nguiguiss or camel’s foot
Maize (Piliostigma reticulatum), a small tree
that favours the growth of mango trees by
beats drought
retaining water in the soil around its roots.
■ Farmers in Uganda’s Busia district are “The well developed foliage of this shrub
rushing to plant a new variety of maize, means that it also retains the arable land
DK8031. This new hybrid, early maturing buffeted by the wind, in doing so creating
variety is proving popular with smallholder oases of fertility which planted mango trees
producers because of its exceptionally high can take advantage of”, said Dr Ibrahima
resistance to drought and its excellent grain Diédhiou, a researcher at the Higher School of
quality. “DK weighs heavily and when it goes Agriculture in Thiès.
to market it attracts higher prices compared This innovative agroforestry technique has
to other varieties,” said Ogama Mourice led to joint experiments between farmers k
Juma, a farmer who is growing the new and researchers as part of the Profeis project ec
variety. (Promoting Farmer Experimentation and M. S
©
The downside to DK is that farmers cannot Innovation in the Sahel to improve food secu-
put aside grain at harvest to plant for the fol- rity and the preservation of natural resources). young mango shoots Nguiguiss (Piliostigma
lowing season. “This is a serious shortcom- In Keur Ndioguou Ndiaye, a village 20 km in the midst of clumps reticulatum) favours the
growth of mango trees.
ing as farmers have to keep on getting new from Thiès (70 km from Dakar) farmers have of nguiguiss. Several
seeds to plant for the next season. This is not learned how to make nurseries for this legu- months later, the farmers witnessed impres-
the case with the indigenous varieties,’’ said minous tree. In August 2009, they planted sive growth in the young mango plants.
Ogama.
To help boost e
w
production, Belgian wo
b
development agen- Na
A GMO COTTON
cy VECO-East Africa ©
New trials
has launched an
input credit scheme in burkina Faso
to provide loans for US company Monsanto is to test two
farmers planting new varieties of genetically modified
DK maize. It also (GM) cotton during the 2010/2011 season
offers producers free in Burkina Faso. The first, MON 88913,
seeds on the condi- contains a gene that is resistant to the
tion that they give back glyphosate weedkiller Roundup. The
5% of their profits to the second, MON 15985, has a gene that is
association at harvest time. resistant to insects which attack fruits
VECO buys the produce from and leaves.
the farmers and also sources
markets for them outside Uganda.
7
DECEMBER 2010-JANUARY 2011 | SPORE 150 |
FISHERIES AND lIVESTOCK
FODDER FISHING LIMITS
Cactus for cattle More restrictions,
better catches
A wild cactus that has been widely dismissed as a noxious weed can sustain livestock
during drought, say scientists at the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI). The
prickly pear or paddle cacti (Opuntia) has high tolerance to drought and remains
succulent and easily digestible even in times of extreme water shortages.
Researchers found that during a severe drought in 2008–2009, farmers who fed
their livestock cactus lost none of their cattle. But some farmers, such as the Masai
pastoralists in Laikipia North refused to use the cactus as feed and pleaded with the
government to eradicate what they consider to be an invasive weed. Herders are now
being trained about the benefits of the cactus as fodder in extreme conditions.
RETRAINING a new life in farming, small-scale enterprise
from war or rearing goats and pigs. arri
Before launching their new careers, each Bizz
to livestock G
former soldier received 2 weeks of basic ©
O
■ Near Dolisie, a town in Congo Brazzaville training in pig keeping, as well as two ani- FA
370 km south-east of the capital, about mals, material and FCFA150,000 ■ Closing fishing areas and regulating the
20 former soldiers have formed a (almost €230) in exchange use of fishing gear can result in more prof-
group to rear pigs and train other for his weapons. Today, itable catches and higher incomes for fish-
young people to become live- more than one-third ers. A 12-year study on fish caught in three
stock farmers. “Before, I used of the 150 newly locations off the Kenyan coast showed that
to talk about the calibre of trained livestock fishing close to an area with restrictions
guns and bullets. These days keepers are mak- led to larger catches of fish with a higher
I talk about pig breeds, fod- ing a living from market value. Even limits on vertically
der and the vitamins I need rearing live- hanging fishing nets improved catches and
to give them”, observed stock. “With my revenues.
Roland Boubanga. He has © M 120 pigs, I am “Resistance to closures and to gear
mpaasdt ea sa a scoleldaine rb inre oanke wofi tthh eh fiasc - Nzikou- pewoeplll e sraetsispfieecdt maen”d, rinedstursictrtiyo niss fbroasme dfi slhaergrmeleyn oann dt hthe ep fiesrhcienpg-
tions that fought in the Republic Massala said one of them. tion that these options are a threat to prof-
of the Congo in 1997. Some of the former sol- its,” said Tim McClanahan, of the Wildlife
The National Programme of Demobilisa- diers are now training about Conservation Society, which conducted the
tion, Disarmament and Reinsertion (PNDDR) 30 other young people who also want to study. “These findings challenge those per-
has helped him and other ex-recruits to start become livestock farmers. ceptions.”
IVF
Embryo transplants
AqUACULTURE
International breed more cash
certification
In Guyana, farmers are using embryo transplant technology to
In an effort to harmonise aquaculture
e produce more productive sheep. A cross between the indigenous
practices, FAO’s Committee on Fisheries ari
dh Guyanese Black Belly and the British Texel has resulted in a
iosn d craewrtiifnigc autpio tnh feo fri rtshte g sloecbtaol rg. uTihdee lines © R Gil new breed, dubbed the Texana. The new sheep combines the
top quality meat and high output levels of the Texel with the
voluntary guidelines, due to be presented
sturdiness and versatility of the Black Belly, which is well adapted to local conditions.
in January 2011, will focus on animal
health, food safety, the environment and With the help of the UK government and the British Texel Sheep Society, embryos
working conditions for staff. Certification were extracted from Texel sheep and transported to Guyana before being implanted
will enable consumers to find out if in Guyanese Black Belly ewes. The technology yielded a 70% success rate. Embryo
shrimps have been reared without causing transplants cost far less than moving live animals and the technology offers an effective
damage to coastal mangroves, if workers way of guarding against the transport of diseases and pests.
in aquaculture units have been paid
Farmers in Guyana are impressed with the results. “From one Texel embryo, I got 75
a fair wage and if shellfish are free of
lambs and I am still getting more. There is more meat, it grows faster and gives better
contamination. Producers will be able
quality,” said Ronald De Freitas who owns a farm at Badrima, Soesdyke. Said Harold
to group together to share the cost of
Martin, of Silver Hill, Linden, “I am very pleased. One of my Texana rams weighs over
obtaining certification.
200 lb (90 kg).”
8
| SPORE 150 | DECEMBER 2010-JANUARY 2011
ENVIRONMENT
BREADNUT TREE
Making a comeback
REFORESTATION
■ The bread nut tree (Brosimum alicastrum), essential food source for the people of
Seeding by airplane
which originated in Latin America and the Mesoamerica. One tree can yield 180 kg of
In August Mauritania’s Ministry for Caribbean, is proving highly effective in nuts each year.
the Environment and Sustainable reforestation programmes. Also known as The Maya Nut Institute recently
Development launched its annual the Maya nut or ramón, this large tropical re-introduced this tree into Haiti, where it dis-
campaign of tree seeding by aircraft. The tree can tolerate degraded, salty or dry soils appeared 200 years ago. More than 80 women
initiative aims to regenerate vegetation and, once planted, does not require any spe- from 34 communities have been trained in
cover and halt desertification. The cial care. Its nuts are rich in vitamins A, B, C processing and using the nuts for a wide range
operation involved a total of 9,240 km2 and E, as well as in minerals such as calcium, of drinks and dishes, including sauces, biscuits
in the provinces of Inchiri, Adrar and potassium, iron and zinc, putting it on a par and pancakes, as well as in selling these prod-
Trarza. Two tonnes of local tree seed with soya and quinoa in terms of nutrition- ucts. In Jamaica, where vast bread nut forests
was dropped, including jujube, acacia
al properties. All this helps to explain why still remain, the forestry department is using
Seyal and acacia Senegal. According to
the breadnut tree has traditionally been an the trees in its reforestation programmes.
the ministry, previous operations have
produced good results. In 2009, coastal
areas were seeded with balanites,
acacias, Panicum tugidum and ziziphus.
FORECASTS
Early warning
South Africa has launched a state-of-
the-art weather radar network to help
protect agriculture from serious damage
and citizens from danger. The radars will ect
oj
play a vital role in forecasting severe Pr
weather such as storms and flash floods. Pilar
As well as forecasting intensity, the - El
system can predict the path of a storm ASS
R
and issue warnings to people in its path. © B
The network also offers coverage to
neighbouring countries such as Lesotho wILDLIFE (COMACO) was launched by the Wildlife
and Swaziland. Poachers mend Conservation Society, the Zambia Wildlife
Authority (ZAWA) and local authorities to
BIODIVERSITY their ways
help save the country’s threatened wildlife.
Safe havens
Poachers are taught better farming
Three African biosphere reserves have methods and helped to sell their
joined the UN network created to halt crops for higher prices. In return,
biodiversity loss. Kafa is an Ethiopian they must surrender snares and
highland region containing 50% of the guns and pledge to leave wildlife
country’s remaining evergreen forest alone.
ecosystems. Also added to the world Thompson Tembo was one of
Network of Biosphere Reserves (wNBR) the first to be reformed. After three
was Yayu, in the south-west. Another prison sentences for poaching
new member is the Zambezi valley, DC elephants, the promise of new
O
Zimbabwe, which contains riverine and UN skills, inputs and markets per-
©
terrestrial ecosystems unique to the suaded him to hand over his gun.
subcontinent. ■ An initiative aimed at tackling poaching To date, more than 650 poachers have made
is boosting revenues and saving wildlife in the same decision, surrendering over 1,800
Zambia. Community Markets for Conservation firearms between them. Today, Thompson
makes more from his 43 beehives and cash
IRRIGATION
crops than he ever did from poaching.
The power of the sun
Household incomes have more than dou-
A pilot irrigation scheme using solar energy is to be carried out by Mozambique’s bled since COMACO was launched in 2003.
Ministry of Science and Technology as part of Millennium Villages, a programme Many wildlife populations are increasing.
launched by the ministry to promote the use of local resources in rural areas. The Organic items produced by former poachers
initiative is backed by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Japanese are now selling well in Zambian supermarkets.
development agency. They include peanut butter, roasted snack nuts
and natural honey. The label? ‘It’s Wild’.
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DECEMBER 2010-JANUARY 2011 | SPORE 150 |
RESEARCH
SOLAR TECHNOLOGY YAM
smart water ère 3000 specimens to preserve
■ Solar energy and mobile phone technology Nourrici The Global Crop Diversity Trust has launched a programme to
aEraes tehrenlp iKnegn yrae sitdoe natcsc eosfs Kcaletiatnik aw vaitlelar.g eT hine © Terre pofr etsheirsv pel a3,n0t0. 0A ty apmre ssepnetc,i mine mnso sint Aaf rbicidan t oc opuronttericets t wheh ebrieo dyiavmer sisit y
area is one of the driest in the country. cultivated, many potentially important varieties only exist in the
“The facility is made of hybrid technolo- fields where they are grown. As a result, they are vulnerable to parasites, disease,
gies combining the use of a solar-powered floods and fires which can wipe them out without trace. The project will focus
pump, a computerised card reader, a power on African varieties, but will also protect yams from the Caribbean and Pacific. It
bank comprising rechargeable batteries represents the first global effort to conserve yam varieties and cultivars.
for energy storage, and electronic pre-paid
cards,” said engineer Edgar Kaniu.
cashpoint outside a bank. Using prepaid
The solar powered-pump, which is linked ANTHURIUM BACTERIAL BLIGHT
cards, residents pay for a given quantity of
to a borehole, transports clean water to faster detection
fresh water. Cards can be recharged using the
a fetching point, fit-
Edgar Kaniu mobile phone-based money transfer system ■ CIRAD researchers in Réunion have devel-
ted with an automated
demonstrates the M-Pesa. oped a new method for detecting Anthurium
smart water system. card detector, just like a
“Until this facility was developed, we had bacterial blight using molecular testing. The
to walk 11 km to the seasonal Kaiti River technique enables the disease to be spotted
where we made shallow wells in the dry before the first symptoms become visible.
riverbed in search of water,” said villager The breakthrough is likely to prove highly
Monica Kiilu. useful to producers who cultivate this attrac-
Dubbed maji ya kompiuta (computer- tive and colourful heart-shaped flower. Until
ised water), the water point was developed now, they have had to keep in vitro plants
through a collaboration between mobile for micropropagation in quarantine for
phone provider Safaricom, Danish company 18 months before using them. This test will
Grundfos Lifelink and the local Katitika Self reduce the quarantine period to two months.
Help Group. It is due to be made available as a test kit in
2011.
Anthurium bacterial blight causes plants to
wither and die. There is no treatment avail-
EDUCATION
able for the disease, which was introduced
Seat of learning
into Réunion by
Ethiopia has opened the country’s first plants imported
science academy. The Ethiopian Academy from Europe in
of Sciences (EAS), based in Addis Ababa, 1997. Anthurium
plans to focus on promoting the national growing is a com-
science agenda, with special emphasis on mon activity in
new farming and industrial technologies, East Africa, espe-
say senior officials. The academy will also cially in Kenya,
give researchers financial and technical Tanzania and
support, and publish journals and books arally Mauritius, which is
© I Esipisu for scientists and the public. ® N Ackb tlahreg ewsot rpldro’sd usecceor.nd
CLIMATE CHANGE
Tree rings CACAO
oyi Decoding the genome
m Dendrochronology – the study of growth patterns in tree stems –
di An international consortium of scientists
an can provide insight into past climate fluctuations and may hold
W drawn from 20 institutions in six
© A information about how trees will cope with what lies ahead. countries has succeeded in decoding and
The growth of tree rings depends mainly on temperature in analysing the genome sequence of the
temperate regions, and on the amount and distribution of rain in the tropics. cacao plant. The research, coordinated
“We are able to see how tolerant certain agroforestry species have been to drought, by CIRAD, should enable scientists to
how efficiently they use water, and better understand the relationship between tree develop new more productive and disease
resistant varieties, while retaining the
growth and climate,” says scientist Aster Gebrekirstos, who is investigating tree rings
plant’s aromatic qualities.
in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and Tanzania. “This is valuable information that will inform
decisions about the right tree species for the right place.”
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| SPORE 150 | DECEMBER 2010-JANUARY 2011