We look at more leafy vegetables that are suitable for closed systems. It is very important that a thorough economic viability study be done before a crop is planted to make sure that the market to be supplied is also viable. Crops grown in tunnels should achieve higher prices on…
Vegetables are essential for good health, and to ensure you get the best, you have to follow some sound principles for growing them – especially if you decide on hydroponics. Vegetable crops may be seeded directly in the field or planted in seedling beds and transplanted later. Crops that are…
We’ve seen that successful fresh produce marketing is a lot like going to school… starting at the bottom and working through the grades, gaining knowledge and experience as we go. In this article we look at the next important ‘grade’. The step up from the previous marketing options we covered…
Any serious farmer wants to get the best and most out of every production unit. Here 3 of marketing choices for a fresh produce farmer. Marketing fruit and vege¬tables is a bit like going to school… you have to start at the bottom and work your way up to “qualify”…
If a bean plant is not looking healthy, the cause could be any of a number of factors, including poor or unbalanced nutrition, drought and/or heat, water-logging, frost, sunburn, an overdose of herbicide, pests such as aphids, or a disease. Here are some tips on how to deal with important…
Solanaceous crops, like African eggplant, need to be rotated and cannot return to the same field (or the same garden patch) until 2 or 3 seasons have passed. Factor this into your medium-term plan. LAND PREPARATION Plough, disc and ridge if you prefer to follow conventional cultivation practices. A more…
It is common knowledge that farming is an unforgiving business and that it is common sense to test seed before you plant a crop. The earlier you find problems, the more easily you can solve them. GERMINATION TEST Randomly select 100 seeds from the top, the middle and bottom of…
Drying is one of the oldest, easiest and cheapest methods of preserving food. Several fruits, vegetables and herbs can be stored this way with great success for later use in soup, stews and puddings. Fruit and vegetables that are dried and stored carefully retain most of their nutritional value. As…
Need some advice and information on vegetable farming? Look no further, we compiled all of the fresh produce articles produced on Africanfarming.com so far in this one post, so you can have all the information in one place. Horticulture: Grow vegetables in a tyre garden Creative and practical, South African musician…
Two years ago Daniel Ngosa lost his lucrative mining job on the Copperbelt and bought a small farm in the outskirts of Mufurila town. The 51-year-old, who worked as a metallurgist for 27 years before he was laid off at a height of plummeting metal prices and a mining tax…
Brian Musonda (57) runs a mixed farming operation on his 10ha small-scale commercial farm outside the Copperbelt town of Ndola. An engineer, who graduated from, a German Polytech, Brian has spent the greater part of his working life in the engineering sector. At some point he realised that farming was a…
Zambia’s horticulture exports have declined, leading to a loss of more than 10 000 jobs, says the Zambia Export Growers Association (ZEGA). According to ZEGA, industry revenue declined from US$60 million last year to US$25 million due to high production costs. The industry makes a significant contribution to the country’s…
Creative and practical, South African musician Jason Hartman gives us a model for small-scale sustainable farming with his innovative idea of planting vegetables in old tyres. Anyone can grow vegetables, whether they live in town or on a farm, says Jason. “As recently as 80 years ago it would have…
Close to the city of Cape Town, between the vineyards at the foot of the Helderberg Mountains, husband-and-wife team, Alan and Eugene Simons, run two separate, but connected, businesses, growing and supplying vegetables, and seedlings, to the local market. The couple are a good example of what can be achieved…
By producing organic vegetables, fruits, chickens, eggs and pork in Zambia's Kafue district with holistic management methods, Sebastian Scott earns a substantial premium for his products from retailers and families in the country's capital, Lusaka. So much so that he could grow from a micro farmer whose products were transported…
The Emirates Airline has launched Skyfresh, an export solution for Zambian horticultural producers. In a statement, the airline says Skyfresh combines its state of the art cargo infrastructure hub in Dubai to ensure perishables like fruit, vegetables and flowers retain their freshness to export destinations. “Unique features will include prioritised…
Swiss chard – more commonly grown than true spinach – is easy to grow and packed with nutrients. Swiss chard looks a lot like the true spinach but has much broader leaves, thicker stems, more vitamin A, and greater yields. Vitamin A prevents night blindness, chronic fatigue, heart disease, stroke…
Once the soil and beds have been prepared, you can begin sowing seeds and planting seedlings. Organic grower Jane Griffiths shares her tips and techniques. A vegetable farmer’s livelihood depends on a good harvest, so it’s important to ensure seeds and seedlings have the best possible chance of survival. Planting…
Vegetables need a regular supply of water from planting until harvest, and can’t be grown successfully under rain-fed conditions in the drier parts of southern Africa. Here is some advice for saving water when growing veggies. The secret to using water wisely is to water slowly, deeply, and less often…
It is the end of the rainy season, and some farmers have to turn to irrigation to supply their crops with enough water. It is essential to plan carefully before installing or even buying an irrigation system. There are 6 factors to consider, in order to make decisions about how to…
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,…
Zambia’s largest fresh produce outlet, Soweto market in Lusaka, failed to meet standards of cleanliness and sanitation set out in the Public Health Act. The market with its more than 1 000 fresh food stalls also lacked proper water drainage systems, giving rise to the potential outbreak of water-borne diseases…
The Zambia Institute of Policy Analysis and Research (ZIPAR) has hailed the reversal of the agricultural import ban. ZIPAR research fellow Francis Ziba said import restrictions had trade-distorting effects and created problems with administration and transparency. “This type of quick fix solution is quite problematic for Zambia. Therefore, government’s decision…
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) says it is happy with a decision by the Zambian government to rescind its earlier resolution to ban the import of agricultural produce. COMESA Assistant Secretary General Kipyego Cheruget said banning the import of commodities within the market is a tedious…
