The Meridian Institute received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for a project that seeks to identify out-of-the box postharvest management and processing technologies. The project will focus on African maize, cassava, and dairy chains, and will involve organized meetings between innovators and key value chain players. http://www.merid.org/Content/Projects/Innovations_for_Agricultural_Value_Chains_in_Africa.aspx
Archive | Africa
RSS feed for this sectionThe Mud on Their Legs – Farmer to Farmer Videos in Uganda
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Paul Van Mele and colleagues created eleven farmer-to-farmer learning videos in Bangladesh and West Africa about growing rice from seed to postharvest beginning in 2003. The USAID funded project, Modernizing Extension and Advisory Systems (MEAS), funded this case study analysis in Uganda describing what researchers observed during a return visit in November 2012. http://agrilinks.org/sites/default/files/resource/files/MEAS%20CS%20Uganda%20-%20Farmer%20to%20Farmer%20Videos%20in%20Uganda%20-%20Bentley,%20J%20and%20P%20Van%20Mele%20-%20July%202013%20-%202.pdf
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Guinness and ABL to Set up Processing Plants in Rural Areas
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Guinness Ghana Ltd. and Accra Breweries Ltd. will soon start establishing processing plants in rural areas which have farms with huge production of cassava. Efforts to engage breweries and organize cassava farmers are part of the government’s overall initiative to significantly reduce high rates of postharvest losses in Ghana. http://www.citifmonline.com/index.php?id=1.1497933
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Harnessing Postharvest Handling Gains
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A trade specialist says the lack of observation of modern postharvest handling practices in Uganda is a serious challenge for the grain industry, which must ensure quality to remain competitive. Experts call for an enforceable grain policy to mitigate the physical and revenue losses incurred by poor practices such as ground drying and improper pest […]
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Blumberg Grain Executes Letter of Intent to Expand Its Agricultural Investments to Nigeria with $250 Million Commitment
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Blumberg Grain will invest $250 million in Nigeria’s agricultural sector with regard to the country’s efforts with the G8’s New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition program. The investment includes a large scale production and distribution facility for the company’s food security storage warehouses, processing and packaging facilities, and investments in land and technology. http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/07/18/5033651/blumberg-grain-executes-letter.html
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Statement by IFAD President at the 6th Africa Agriculture Science Week and FARA general assembly
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President Kwanze of the International Fund for Agricultural Development listed reducing postharvest losses as a current challenge to achieving continent-wide food security in his remarks on Africa’s opportunities in agriculture. Kwanze cited the decline of research funding as a faltering moment in Africa’s history of agricultural prosperity, and called for altering the lens of research […]
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East Africa: COMESA Advised on Postharvest Processing
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An ag engineer from the University of Nairobi urges the member states of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) to adopt a strategy for postharvest management as a means to mitigate risks of loss involved with surplus production. He points to Brazil’s postharvest strategy as a model, citing it as the foundation […]
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Tonnes of Maize Rotting in Northern Region
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Improved farming methods in Ghana have led to an increase in productivity of maize, which should be cause for celebration. Instead farmers and warehouse operators are witnessing both physical and economic losses. Farmers face low prices with the lack of a market price support system, and warehouses are unable to maintain a sufficient rate of […]
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Curbing Maize Postharvest Losses Key to Attaining Food Security in Kenya
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The International Wheat and Maize Improvement Center (CIMMYT) paired with the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) to organize a training course on postharvest management. Kenya experiences an estimated 40% loss of staple grains, which poses great challenges to the country’s food security and economic development. http://blog.cimmyt.org/?p=10681
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When Food Storage Can Become Food Security
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A social reporter for the African Agriculture Science Week blogs on the importance of storage for smallholder farmers to increase food security. The post describes the role of technologies such as silos and solar dryers, and describes ways to make low-cost storage options to fit farmers’ needs. http://aasw6.wordpress.com/2013/07/16/when-food-storage-can-become-food-security/#more-879
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