The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and a German non-governmental veterinary services organisation have teamed up to save more than 20 000 cattle belonging to South Sudanese smallholder farmers from contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP). In a statement released on 13 February, USAID said its Office of Foreign Disaster…
The application of technologies to scale up sustainable agricultural productivity is paying dividends to more than 50 000 Tanzanian smallholder farmers. The intervention, a brainchild of USAID Tanzania funded Africa Rising (NAFAKA), has exceeded the targets set when it was unveiled in 2014. “The efficacy of the technologies being promoted…
The Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWSNET) predicts severe food insecurity in parts of Zambia. Economists also warn against maize scarcity and high prices in the long-term, following this year’s chaotic grain marketing season. FEWSNET linked the looming food insecurity to slower than usual local and regional demand coupled with…
Zambia has secured US$100 million worth of maize export deals to the East African region, in what is seen as a move to break into the lucrative export market. In a related development, the Zambian government has committed to remove bottlenecks and create an express lane for grain exports. “The…
The Regional Trade Facilitation Forum in Lusaka is working to strengthen food trade linkages between southern African countries. More than 195 maize and other grain commodity traders attended the meeting where buyers and sellers signed trade deals valued at US$100 million for the export of grain commodities. The forum was…
An upsurge in cross border crop and livestock pests is bringing together role players in Southern Africa to enhance preparedness. A three day regional meeting that started on 14 February is currently underway in Harare, Zimbabwe, where increased investment in the preparedness and response capacities to new and endemic threats…
Africa’s soil is getting a better look under the microscope, thanks to the African Soil Microbiology Project launched at the start of the month from the University of Pretoria (UP) in South Africa. “The project hopes to gain a baseline understanding of the organisms in Africa’s soils and contribute to…
