Drones are being used for various tasks in South Africa, from farming to crime fighting. Vergelegen wine estate in Somerset West uses drones to deliver beneficial inspectors to control pests in its vineyard. The aim is to reduce vine disease and produce higher-quality grapes by ensuring that the current 20-25-year-old vineyards can stay healthy for […]
A newly published review of the CABI-led Pest Risk Information Service (PRISE) project shows that smallholder farmers in four African countries who received pest alerts created using earth observation data benefitted from reduced crop losses and higher incomes compared to farmers who did not. Crop pests are the major cause of loss of smallholder productivity resulting in negative […]
William M. Ciesla is Forest Protection Officer, FAO Forest Resources Development Branch. The gentle rolling hills of central Kenya present an attractive landscape. This is a region of small farms and pastures interspersed with patches of native forest, woodlots and wind-breaks. Typically, the woodlots and wind-breaks are plantations of Mexican cypress, Cupressus lusitanica Mill., a straight, fast-growing tree […]
In 2016, an infestation of fall armyworms hit a vast swath of Africa, alarming farmers and governments. Eight years on, experts say that crop losses from the agricultural pest are less severe than initially feared. A key lesson learned is that an agroecological approach to pest control — and not the indiscriminate use of pesticides […]
Control and management of desert locusts and other pests that threaten food security in eastern and northern Africa are the main agenda of an ongoing Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) meeting in Nairobi. Starting yesterday, agriculture ministers, heads of delegations, and representatives of IGAD member states have been meeting in Nairobi to lay out strategies […]
Stronger legislation is needed to curb the influx of illegal pesticide products in Africa, says chemicals risk expert Fredrick Otieno. [NAIROBI] Africa is using more pesticides, but there aren’t enough laws, rules, and policies to protect farmers from the harmful effects, Fredrick Otieno, chemicals risk manager and environmental planner at the Centre for Environmental Justice and Development in […]
Principal investigator/Lead institution: Dr. Manuele Tamò, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Benin Collaborating institutions: Michigan State University, U.S. Institut de l’Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA), Burkina Faso Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique du Niger (INRAN), Niger University of Maradi (UM), Niger Kwara State University (KWASU), Ilorin, Nigeria Works in: Burkina Faso, Niger,Nigeria Project overview […]
To get a better understanding of the optimal irrigation that is required, we need to take a look at the carrot root system. Most vegetable crops have a relatively shallow root system compared with carrots. When I tell farmers that carrot roots can even exceed a depth of 2m, they are very sceptical. READ The main […]
How do I choose the right system? The purpose of filtration is to protect the irrigation system from particles that can cause blockages. The best filter is one that retains the largest percentage of particles that have a clogging potential for the emitters. The choice of filtration is therefore guided by the choice of emitter. […]
Too much or too little water can have dramatic effects on the quality of vegetables and fruit. Oranges, for example, can become dehydrated, while still looking good externally. Such fruit may be dry and tasteless. Vegetables can develop root problems if they remain waterlogged for long periods. The idea is to keep the ground moist […]
