Everywhere we look, technology is being touted as the enabler of a new era of African agricultural prosperity. The exciting world of possibilities offered by blockchain, IoT (the Internet of Things), machine learning and the like has made companies, governments and policy-makers sit up and take notice of how such…
The deadly listeriosis outbreak in South Africa could potentially spread to 16 other African nations, says the World Health Organisation (WHO). “This is a wake-up call for the continent to strengthen national food safety and disease surveillance systems,” said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO’s Regional Director for Africa. Also read: Listeriosis epidemic in…
United States (US) Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced a US$533 million aid package to fight famine and food insecurity in Africa. Tillerson also elevated trade and investment, citing the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) as a key priority area during his recent trip to Africa. Also read: Zambia gears…
Instead of examining how climate change will affect the broadest territories with the most exposure to climate change, researchers are going to the countries that are most convenient for them to visit and study, says Cullen Hendrix, a professor in International Studies at Denver University, United States. “When I examined…
The veterinary vaccines markets in Africa and the Middle East will grow rapidly to a peak of 7.1% annually by 2022 due to several factors linked to the rising prevalence of animal diseases. In a new report that examines trends in Africa and the Middle East’s vaccines markets between 2018…
The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) has launched a new programme aimed at increasing the production, profitability, resilience and marketability of nutritious grain legumes and cereals grown in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. In a statement, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-arid Tropics (ICRISAT) said it…
Africa’s trade ministers have agreed on final tweaks to the implementation of a Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA), setting the stage for creation of the world’s largest trading area. Notably, this came at a time when other mega-regional trade agreements were stalling. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) recent talks ended…
A top European migration policy analyst says the total absence of European policies to mitigate the impacts of climate change on agriculture in Africa, as well as its role as the primary cause of illegal immigration from the Sahel region to Europe, is “deeply concerning”. In a paper that analyses…
Agricultural economists have identified climate change, lack of access to technology and markets, affordable finance, investment policy uncertainties, as well as gender inequality among the key factors against improved agricultural productivity on the African continent. In a statement, the African Development Bank (AfDB) said these factors were discussed during the…
Agribusinesses in Africa are confident in the growth prospects for the continent for 2018, says PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). According to the PwC Africa Agribusiness Insights survey 2017/’18, CEOs from of commodity chain companies spanning from primary production to food processing, expect a revenue growth of between 6% and 10% over the…
African governments should promote innovative risk management tools and methods to protect root and tuber crop farmers from the effects of climate change, a United Nations (UN) food security agency has advised. Addressing a workshop that discussed climatic risk management for African root and tuber crop farmers in Kigali, UN Food…
Limited knowledge about agriculture, as well as a lack of commitment and consistency are some of the reasons for African governments struggles to put the right policies in place to ensure agricultural transformation on the continent. “This (African) region needs enlightened policy guidance to allow the private sector to come…
Farmers globally find it difficult to get access to investments, but for smallholder farmers on the African continent it is even more so. During the recent African Agri Investment Indaba, many speakers cited that factors adding to investors shying away from agriculture on the African continent include; policy and political…
A new investment plan from the European Union (EU) would see the greatest influx of investments into Africa in the face of the continent’s expected population boom. The EU recently got the green light for its External Investment Plan, through which they want to gather about US$ 52.1 billion in trade…
Africa spends a significant amount of money importing dairy products that could be produced locally. “In East Africa there’s a yearly shortage of 40 billion litres of milk. Products that we can produce ourselves shouldn’t be imported,” says dr. Okeyo Mwai, lead scientist at the International Livestock Research Institute (Ilri)…
African Development Bank (AfDB) President Akinwumi Adesina has pledged US$250 000 to a fund which supports young African farmers. Dr Adesina, who this month was awarded the 2017 World Food Prize Laureate, said engaging young Africans in agriculture is the solution to the continent’s high unemployment rate. “By empowering the…
It is not only in South Africa where farmers and their businesses are targets of crime. Crime on farms have increased globally and more produce and equipment have been stolen. At the International Conference for Local Crime, international speakers discussed how farmers across the world are increasingly concerned and anxious.…
Adding a few extra ingredients to fertiliser is a possible solution to increasing yields for main grains like maize in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to a recently published article. Most crop farmers are used to enriching soil with fertilisers containing N, P and K (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) or so-called macronutriets,…
Zambian Livestock and Fisheries Minister Michael Katambo on Wednesday announced a ban on the import of locally grown species, despite the prevailing fish deficit of 40 000 tons per year. “We will only allow the importation of exotic fishes that are not found in Zambian water bodies,” Katambo said. Katambo…
Improving fish trade between African countries was on the agenda during a recent Think Tank Meeting in Nigeria. “The overall objective of this meeting was to present the research and development findings and outputs by studies under the Fisheries Governance and Fish Trade Projects and to identify policy entry points…
Veterinary experts from several international research institutions are driving an initiative worth US$7.12 million to provide appropriate technology to improve animal health and productivity in sub-Saharan Africa. The Supporting Evidence Based Interventions Initiative (SEBI) is a global scheme combining the expertise from several research institutions and partners to provide practical…
Decisions made by South African and African policymakers now will determine the contribution the agricultural sector will make to the growing demand for food the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing. Lulama Ndibongo-Traub, from the Bureau of Food and Agricultural Policy’s (BFAP) research section for Africa – at the annual BFAP…
The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) have warned that timely and effective support to the agricultural sector in eastern Africa is urgently required, due to prolonged drought conditions in the area. In a special alert on the Global Information and Early warning system on Food and Agriculture (GIEWS),…
A co-op may take many forms, but its core function is always to help its members. South African farmer, the president of the World Farmers’ Organisation, Dr Theo de Jager is a firm supporter of farmers’ co-ops organised around a common commodity. While he headed up the Pan African Farmers’…
