small farmer – B4FA http://theb4fa.org Biosciences For Farming in Africa Thu, 12 Dec 2019 12:07:03 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 Can African smallholders farm themselves out of poverty? http://theb4fa.org/can-african-smallholders-farm-themselves-out-of-poverty/ http://theb4fa.org/can-african-smallholders-farm-themselves-out-of-poverty/#respond Thu, 12 Dec 2019 12:07:01 +0000 http://theb4fa.org/?p=18347 A great deal of research on agriculture in Africa is organised around the premise that intensification can take smallholder farmers out of poverty. The emphasis in programming often focuses on technologies that increase farm productivity and management practices that go along with them. 

Yet the returns of such technologies are not ...

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]]> http://theb4fa.org/can-african-smallholders-farm-themselves-out-of-poverty/feed/ 0 Crops Research Institute Releases stress tolerant maize to address food insecurity in Africa http://theb4fa.org/crops-research-institute-releases-stress-tolerant-maize-to-address-food-insecurity-in-africa/ http://theb4fa.org/crops-research-institute-releases-stress-tolerant-maize-to-address-food-insecurity-in-africa/#respond Wed, 11 Dec 2019 19:08:33 +0000 http://theb4fa.org/?p=18333 The Crops Research Institute (CRI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and its international partners have developed a Stress Tolerant Maize variety for farmers in in parts of Africa where climate change threatens food security.

The Stress Tolerant maize variety was introduced to smallholder maize farmers at Ejura ...

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]]> http://theb4fa.org/crops-research-institute-releases-stress-tolerant-maize-to-address-food-insecurity-in-africa/feed/ 0 Ghana: post-harvest losses in cereals: US$141m lost in 2018 http://theb4fa.org/ghana-post-harvest-losses-in-cereals-us141m-lost-in-2018/ http://theb4fa.org/ghana-post-harvest-losses-in-cereals-us141m-lost-in-2018/#respond Tue, 10 Dec 2019 12:04:48 +0000 http://theb4fa.org/?p=18329 Ghana loses more than one tenth of its top four cereals produce to post-harvest losses (PHL) every year due to impediments along the entire value chain.

In 2014, the combined losses in rice, maize, millet and sorghum from the point of harvest to their retail/wholesale points at market centres were estimated ...

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]]> http://theb4fa.org/ghana-post-harvest-losses-in-cereals-us141m-lost-in-2018/feed/ 0 Why China’s swine fever scourge should worry you http://theb4fa.org/why-chinas-swine-fever-scourge-should-worry-you/ http://theb4fa.org/why-chinas-swine-fever-scourge-should-worry-you/#respond Tue, 10 Dec 2019 11:59:32 +0000 http://theb4fa.org/?p=18326 The last time we discussed African swine fever (ASF) was 2018. In the article, we highlighted the devastation the disease had done on various farms.

At around the same time, unbeknown to most farmers, their Chinese counterparts had just begun experiencing the same problem. 

It was the first emergence of the disease ...

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]]> http://theb4fa.org/why-chinas-swine-fever-scourge-should-worry-you/feed/ 0 Innovative solutions and business opportunities for farmer organisations http://theb4fa.org/innovative-solutions-and-business-opportunities-for-farmer-organisations/ http://theb4fa.org/innovative-solutions-and-business-opportunities-for-farmer-organisations/#respond Fri, 06 Dec 2019 12:05:36 +0000 http://theb4fa.org/?p=18317 Technological innovations and advances in digital farming continue to evolve at a rapid pace, increasing efficiencies in farming operations globally. However, the adoption of these new technologies by small-scale farmers is still low due to poor data infrastructure and a lack of business partnerships, limiting farmer organisations from capitalising on ...

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]]> http://theb4fa.org/innovative-solutions-and-business-opportunities-for-farmer-organisations/feed/ 0 Soil erosion: lost livelihoods, lost incomes and lost food http://theb4fa.org/soil-erosion-lost-livelihoods-lost-incomes-and-lost-food/ http://theb4fa.org/soil-erosion-lost-livelihoods-lost-incomes-and-lost-food/#respond Fri, 06 Dec 2019 11:28:05 +0000 http://theb4fa.org/?p=18314 With more than 90 percent of the world’s food grown from soil, it’s a problem that impacts the health, incomes and livelihoods of billions of people on the planet.

Soil erosion – when the uppermost layer of soil is shifted or worn away – is a growing threat and one that has the potential ...

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]]> http://theb4fa.org/soil-erosion-lost-livelihoods-lost-incomes-and-lost-food/feed/ 0 Scaling out climate-smart agriculture in southern Africa http://theb4fa.org/scaling-out-climate-smart-agriculture-in-southern-africa/ http://theb4fa.org/scaling-out-climate-smart-agriculture-in-southern-africa/#respond Thu, 05 Dec 2019 18:13:22 +0000 http://theb4fa.org/?p=18310 The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change estimates that temperatures in Africa are set to rise significantly in coming years, with devastating results for farmers. Some regions could experience two droughts every five years, and see drastic reductions in maize yields over the next three decades.

Research demonstrates that climate-smart ...

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]]> http://theb4fa.org/scaling-out-climate-smart-agriculture-in-southern-africa/feed/ 0 GM potato trials point to blight resistant crops of the future http://theb4fa.org/gm-potato-trials-point-to-blight-resistant-crops-of-the-future/ http://theb4fa.org/gm-potato-trials-point-to-blight-resistant-crops-of-the-future/#respond Wed, 04 Dec 2019 12:01:20 +0000 http://theb4fa.org/?p=18297 A genetically modified potato with improved tuber quality and resistance to the devastating disease late blight has progressed successfully through the latest stage of trials.

The field trials follow successful lab experiments to modify Maris Piper potatoes with late blight resistance genes from wild relatives of potato called Solanum americanum and Solanum venturii.

To improve ...

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]]> http://theb4fa.org/gm-potato-trials-point-to-blight-resistant-crops-of-the-future/feed/ 0 Microloans make farming profitable for Kenyan smallholders http://theb4fa.org/microloans-make-farming-profitable-for-kenyan-smallholders/ http://theb4fa.org/microloans-make-farming-profitable-for-kenyan-smallholders/#respond Mon, 02 Dec 2019 10:55:05 +0000 http://theb4fa.org/?p=18277 Farmers in Kenya report increased yields after signing up to microloan scheme.Groups such as One Acre Fund and myAgro give smallholders access to finance and farming inputs.More investment is essential to help small-scale farmers reach their potential. Read more ...

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]]> http://theb4fa.org/microloans-make-farming-profitable-for-kenyan-smallholders/feed/ 0 Reality TV shapes up young farming in Eastern Africa http://theb4fa.org/reality-tv-shapes-up-young-farming-in-eastern-africa/ http://theb4fa.org/reality-tv-shapes-up-young-farming-in-eastern-africa/#respond Thu, 28 Nov 2019 14:07:15 +0000 http://theb4fa.org/?p=18256 In Kenya, as in other African countries, young people often do not possess the collateral or adequate financial knowledge needed to venture into agricultural enterprises, deterring them from seeking and acquiring financial support for the development of agribusinesses. Further issues regarding the storage, transportation and market access of farm produce, ...

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