Farmers in West and Central African nations could benefit economically, socially and nutritionally using a crop storage system developed by researchers at Purdue University and licensed to Kano-based Lela Agro Industries Nigeria Ltd. The PICS system uses special triple-bagging technology to protect cowpeas in storage against weevils, an invasive insect. http://agrinews-pubs.com/Content/News/Markets/Article/Nigerian-company-licenses-Purdue-crop-storage-system-that-deters-insects/8/26/8295
The Mud on Their Legs – Farmer to Farmer Videos in Uganda
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
Hermetic Bags Save African Crop, but Not How Experts Once Thought
Hermetic bags from the Purdue Integrated Cowpea Study (PICS) are found to save crops in unexpected ways, as they are useful in preventing the growth and feeding habits of weevils in cowpea storage, particularly through depleting the levels of oxygen in the bags. The program is expected to be adopted by 3.4 million households in West and […]
Mechanization: Essential for Rice Production and Processing
AfricaRice, a leading pan-African rice research organization, released an impact assessment estimating 0.9 million tonnes of milled rice was saved by halving on-farm post-harvest losses through the use of appropriate technologies. This would save almost 17% of current rice imports, with a value of US$ 410 million in 2011 prices—in turn raising about 2.8 million […]
UNICEF Urges Quick Action in Sahel
Drought and migrant workers are both large factors in the food and malnutrition crisis of eight countries in the Sahel. The lack of sufficient rainfall has led to poor harvests, and over 200,000 migrant workers have returned to their homes due to civil unrest in Libya. UNICEF, the WFO, and the WHO are pre-positioning food […]
Sub-regional Workshop on Post-harvest Loss Reduction in West Africa
A sub-regional workshop on post-harvest loss reduction in West Africa was held from 31 May – 3 June 2011 in Accra. The FAO collaborated with the World Bank and the College of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences, University of Ghana, to organize a workshop on the subject of post-harvest losses reduction. The workshop, which attracted 30 agricultural and […]