UN prospects raise in crop production, utilization, trade and stocks - NaijaAgroNet

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The United Nations (UN) is seeing prospects for crop production, utilisation, trade and stocks, especially in the area of cereal supplies, reports NaijaAgroNet.

This was made known through its agency, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in its recent sectoral brief made available to NaijaAgroNet.

FAO warns of likely outbreak of crop, livestock diseases in Ethiopia

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The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) Representative to Ethiopia, Amadou Allahoury, has warned that if the current floods in the country continues, it could lead to crop and livestock diseases, reports NaijaAgroNet.

"If floods worsen later this year, there could be outbreaks of crop and livestock diseases, further reducing agricultural productivity and complicating recovery,” Allahoury declared.

The situation, Allahoury said, is critical now and urged the world make sure that farmers will be able to plant between now and September and grow enough food to feed themselves and their families thus avoiding millions of people having to rely on food assistance for another year.

“Ethiopia needs urgent global support to respond to its humanitarian needs, we have no time to procrastinate," Allahoury said.

The FAO official described the meher season as Ethiopia's main agricultural season and produces up to 85 per cent of the nation's food supplies.

Also, Allahoury warned that if the farmers do not plant enough now, Ethiopia may face significant food shortages, which may further exacerbate food and nutrition insecurity in the country.

“To ensure the last remaining planting window of the year is met, an estimated $8.8 million is needed to provide root crop planting materials, legumes, vegetable and cereal seed to 530 000 households,” the representative said.

NaijaAgroNet reports that FAO estimated that households who lost small ruminants such as sheep may need at least two years to return to pre-drought levels, while cattle-owning households may need up to four years to recover. While animals that survived the recent drought are still weak and susceptible to diseases during the rainy periods; $36.2 million is required to undertake the necessary interventions to support 2.4 million livestock-dependent households or 12 million people.

Isaac Oyimah/GEE

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ICT helps to monitor crop growth – FAO

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The Director General José Graziano da Silva has said at a meeting of agriculture ministers of the G20 in China that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) helps in monitor of crop growth, reports NaijaAgroNet.

He also said that this would promoting sustainable agriculture requires a renewed focus on innovation and investment in research, technology and capacity development,

"ICT helps in the monitoring of crop growth, utilization of new techniques, field management and harvests,” the FAO Director-General said, stressing that it has also become an essential tool for improving people’s livelihoods and welfare while advancing social justice and ensure equal access to opportunities, particularly in rural areas.

Telecommunication tools, he told NaijaAgroNet, have the potential to provide Internet access for millions of people and connect farmers with digital agriculture. This includes the use of mobile phones to report animal disease outbreaks, which is one area FAO has been supporting in recent years.

Among the innovative ways FAO is using ICT, Graziano da Silva highlighted a new partnership with Google, whose satellite data and processing power will usher in an unprecedented level of environmental literacy, especially on forestry and fisheries, he said.

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Experts reject GMOs, opts for other Technologies

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Tanzanian experts have dismissed the much touted benefits of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in crop production saying there are better options, NaijaAgroNet reports.

The benefits of GMOs include creating plants that are resistant to weeds, pest and other diseases, bigger yields, less uses of herbicides and other pesticides, foods with better texture, flavour and nutritional value and a longer shelf life for easier shipping. GM is also claimed to possess an essential sustainable way to feed the world.

Speaking to newsmen on the issue of GMOs, a lecturer at the Open University of Tanzania (OUT), Dr Noorali Jiwaji, said that so far Tanzania had not fully put all existing technologies into practice.

“There are various technologies and methods developed by our local scientists, but we have not utilized them to the extent of deciding to shift to GMO,” he said. Jiwaji, NaijaAgroNet gathered, drew attention to the wealth of knowledge that abounds in the country that was hardly disseminated to farmers which, to a greater part, might have better results than GMO.

Another expert, the District Agriculture Irrigation and Cooperative Officer (DAICO) in Sumbawanga, Mr Kwileluye Habona, argued that scientists should be given a chance instead of politicians.

“So far no country has benefited from GMO, this is a sign that we don’t need it here in Tanzania as we can decide to opt for other technologies which our scientists have proved,” he said.

NaijaAgroNet also learnt that in East Africa, Kenya and Uganda have commenced field trials of GMOs, but Tanzania is still on laboratory trials due to lack of a science-based and cost-effective regulatory system.

Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE

 
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University don invents yam tubers growth regulators

NaijaAgroNet

A senior lecturer, Crop Protection and Environmental Biology, at the University of Ibadan (UI) Dr. Monrufat Balogun, has invented a technology for the production of Dormancy-Controlled Yam Seed Tubers reports NaijaAgroNet.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that the technology is not a genetic modification and had no zero detection of plant-growth regulator, which would ensure increased availability of yam seedlings to all yam farmers to allow them, cultivate yams for more than one cycle.

"We want to see how yams can be grown anytime in the year and not necessarily only at the season.This technology would yield more income for farmers,” she said.

The expert speaking on assurance of the technology to the growth of the agricultural sector also said the research started in November 2014 and took two years to perfect it.

“We soak the tubers in some substances that are called ‘Growth Regulators’. After this, we check whether there is difference in sprouting between the ones soaked and the ones not soaked. After checking the tubers at the lab we found out that zero amounts of the substances were detected, so it is safe and people should not fear.” Balogun said.

She also said they are planning on training all stakeholders in yam production and consumption on this new technology.

The invention, NaijaAgroNet learnt, was in collaboration with Prof. Wayne Curtis of the Pennsylvania State University, under the United States National Academies-partnership for Enhanced Engagement in Research, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and would be fully out by 2016.

Daniel Nsolibe/GEE/Ed, Ops.

 
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