How much water do pigs need to drink? In hot weather they go to the watering point and seem to be looking for more water. Is giving them water once or twice a day enough? They tend to knock containers over and waste water. What is the best way to…
Malawi has banned maize exports in an effort to fortify its food reserves in light of a damaging drought. Exacerbating the situation is an outbreak of fall armyworm. This, as its neighbour Zambia recorded an increase in maize prices due to scanty supply. The ban in Malawi comes barely 3…
Timot Damiano from Malawi is honing his farming skills by growing chillies in South Africa. Across the sub-region the cry from smallholder farmers is for knowledge. Extension services in Africa are substandard and it’s often up to the individual to find his own learning resource. Farmers are eager to learn…
Malawian President Peter Mutharika has declared a state of disaster in all areas affected by the fall armyworm (FAW), which broke out several weeks ago in the Southern Province. The pesticide-resistant worm has since spread to 20 out of 28 districts in the face of incapacitated agricultural extension services, which…
The Malawian Ministry of Agriculture has confirmed reports of a fast-spreading outbreak of fall armyworm (FAW) in the Balaka District south of the country. District Agriculture Development Office (DADO) head for Balaka Denis Zingeni told the Malawi News Agency (MANA) that his office is trying to control the multiplication and…
President Peter Mutharika lifted Malawi’s maize export ban with immediate effect earlier this week. This comes after an increase in maize production. An estimated 3.2 million tons is expected for the country’s 2017/’18 maize harvest. According to South African agricultural business chamber Agbiz, this is an increase of 33% from…
Tobacco farmers in Malawi are abandoning the crop due to declining revenues, said the Tobacco Association of Malawi (TAMA). According to the Tobacco Control Commission (TCC), tobacco prices dropped from a high of US$410/kg in 2010, to US$275/kg in 2016. “As a survival mechanism, farmers are abandoning the growing of…
Efforts to contain red locusts in southern Malawi are being hampered by local communities who regard the migratory pests as a delicacy. Local media, however, reports warnings by the Ministry of Agriculture to refrain from eating the insects, went largely unheeded in the Mulanje district. “The red locust, dzombe as…
A swarm of red locust has invaded Southern Malawi where the migratory pests are attacking crop fields, the International Red Locust Control Organisation for Central and Southern Africa (IRLCOCSA) confirmed on Wednesday. As a result IRLCOCSA has put five other members of the six-nation organisation – Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Kenya…
The Malawi Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development has warned that a red locust swarm was seen in the Mulanje district. In a statement, Erica Maganga, secretary for Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, said the ministry is doing everything possible to control the situation. “The ministry has organised with…
Farming is slowly but surely moving from small farms to much bigger ones. Prof Ferdi Meyer, director at the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP), said it is one of the biggest trends on the continent, as well as in sub-Saharan Africa. Speaking at the recent Farmers Weekly Agribusiness Africa…
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) will issue agro companies with certificates to trade in seed in the region. This is in line with COMESA’s Seed Harmonisation and Implementation Plan (COMSHIP), a framework for the 19 member states to trade, promote the seed industry and support local…
Zambia has aligned its national seed laws to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). This will give smallholder farmers access to a variety of quality seeds to improve yields. COMESA issued a statement that said the harmonisation of the national seed policies is already in effect. It…
It’s no surprise that rabbits are getting more popular among small-scale commercial farmers. They are relatively cheap to feed and have low space requirements. There is encouraging interest from readers of africanfarming.com about rabbit farming. Apart from the convenience of size and handling, rabbit meat has a high protein content…
Mr Koos Geldenhuys of the farm Uitkyk near Riversdale used scrap materials lying around on his farm to build a slide dipping system that can dip up to 1 000 sheep an hour. The dipping ditch which is traditionally used – which can dip up to 500 sheep a day…
Leonard Mavhugu, a dairyman from the Eastern Cape of South Africa, talks to africanfarming.com about managing large herds and releasing the potential of farm personnel. It’s two hours before dawn. Dairy farmer Leonard Mavhugu is on the move, driving through the darkness to Amadlelo Agri’s dairy at Fort Hare, outside…
Vegetables need regular watering from planting until harvest. The practice of water conservation is useful especially if there is a dry spell after sowing, emergence and transplanting. The secret of using water wisely is to water slowly, deeply, and less often to avoid water loss through drainage and evaporation. Slow,…
Farmers are known for their ability to give old diesel tanks many new guises in a variety of innovative ways. Mr Hannes Esterhuyse has done just that, making water troughs using rings cut from an old diesel tank. Hannes, a sheep farmer in the South African Karoo-desert, has designed and…
Dr Tamara Kaunda, 27, a medical doctor who studied in China, made a fairly dramatic career change when she switched from medicine to the farming of seedlings. What drove young Tamara Kaunda to swap her stethoscope for a seedling tray? Tamara says she made the decision on her first day…
With a little skill and welding an old trailer was turned into one of the most important pieces of equipment on any farm - a fire trailer. If there’s one thing that you don’t take shortcuts with, it’s safeguarding your farm against fire, says Mr. Paul Schlechter, farm manager of…
Wisdom Mababe, a farmer from Mumbwa in the Central Province spoke to Chris Burgess and Albertus van Wyk, about the beef cattle sector of his mixed farming operation. In Africa, and globally, the trend is for people to move to the urban areas in search of a better life, which…
Wisdom Mababe the owner-manager of Mababe Farms, runs a mixed farming operation, in the Mumbwa district of Central Province where he farms maize, soya beans, and cattle. Wisdom shared his story and his insight into farming methods with Africanfarming.com. Get the business model right before the plough goes into the…
An understanding of the enemy and how he functions makes him far less dangerous. Learn about ticks to protect your livestock. THE BROWN EAR TICK (Rhiphicephalus appendiculatus) The third Rhipicephalus tick is widespread and occurs in the DRC, Tanzania, the Highlands of Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Eastern Botswana. It vectors…
The food baskets of the region are set to fill up thanks to above average rainfall in most parts of member countries of the Southern African Development Community, despite the presence of threatening pests. According to the latest SADC quarterly food security update, the regional food security situation for the…
