Agribusiness: Future Of Food Systems.

  The future of food systems. What does the future hold as regard food, food safety, food systems and food production? How will the narrative change in food systems as regards feeding the projected population increase of 9.8 billion by 2050? how will the food system absorb shock or unforeseen circumstances? how resilient is our food system currently and how are we structuring a more resilience food system?

  Food systems and our way of life. Food is essential for life, a common denominator that cuts across all levels of the society. Food is fuel and it nourishes us, though quality and quantity available is another story.  Some people have limited access to food while others have unlimited access resulting in diverse food related diseases.

 How can we build our food system to withstand  threat of climate change ,environmental degradation as well as curbing food loss or food waste.?     The answer is simple, EDUCATION. The need to educate small holder farmers on the need to adopt climate smart agricultural practices. The  training on how to increase yield by using good seeds coupled with proper planting procedures.

  Introduction  and promotion of value chain concept to farmers, teaching them how to use simple methods to add value to their products thus extending shelf live and curbing waste. A resilience food system will encompass good agricultural practices, proper food handling ,food safety and food preservation.

 The future of food systems is not the purview of farmers alone, government policies favoring agribusiness is another angle and the use of technology to scale up production and distribution is key.

  How to create a resilience food system? create a hub of producers leveraging technology to increase food production and also a marketing hub backed by a sustainable distribution network. The creation of innovative food system models to ensure food supply from farm to fork is safe,traceable ,accessible and available for utilization.

 

AGRICULTURAL ROAD MAP: CREATING A SUSTAINABLE GROWTH STRATEGY.

  The purpose of any agricultural road map is to chart a specific course to arrive at a desired destination. The purpose of the agricultural road map is to chart a path to food security and wealth creation.

  The path to sustainable growth can be fashioned after a model called the V.AI.M approach, this can be used for any value chain following the basic concept.

                          

Dr. Echbee Ojuri, Value chain strategist.

  V.A.I.M is a model upon which all agricultural restructuring can be anchored to enhance productivity.  The V.A.I.M refers to the strategies for growth, productivity as well as wealth creation used in AGRICULTURAL ROAD MAP.

   What is the V.A.I.M approach?    The V.A.I.M : V refers to value chain identification.

 A   refers to addition.

 I    refers to intervention.

M   refers to market.

  The first step is to identify your value chain of interest such as red meat, coconut, vegetables, rice ,poultry,piggery and fisheries.  

 A= ADDITION. The next step is to decide what value to addition  you want to implement.  The addition to the value chain, in terms of  new products, storage, transports e.t.c.

  I= INTERVENTION. The next step will be intervention, how do you want to achieve the goal? who are the partners to aid the goal? How to achieve intervention? 

This may be achieved by public private partnership, government funding, grants, loans and other financial aids. This will also show the drivers of the intervention.

 M= MARKET. How are you to market your products? Which method are you planning on using?  

Marketing of products could be by: 1) creation of off takers scheme. 2) Marketing hub 3) joint venture marketing partnership.

 The V.A.I.M map will provide a quick guide on where to invest, how to invest and the profit expected.

#opportunities to export beef.  #ho

Agribusiness: food safety in Africa’s informal markets must be driven by consumers.

Listeria in processed meat products from South Africa, E. Coli in romaine lettuce in the US, Salmonella in eggs across Europe and Campylobacter in chicken liver pâté in Australia.

These are among the many pathogens and foods at the centre of recent food safety crises worldwide, estimated to impact as many people as infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB.

 But while deaths and illnesses from unsafe food hit countries worldwide, the incidences of these illnesses and lost lives are disproportionately high in Africa.

 Across the continent, tainted food kills about 140 000 people every year, and leaves 91 million more suffering from diarrhoea, tapeworm, hepatitis and even dysentery and typhoid.

 This is on course to become even worse as income growth and urbanization in Africa are enabling better, more diverse diets.

 Ironically, these healthier foods – such as dairy, eggs, meat, fruits and vegetables – are more likely to be contaminated.

#beef #abattoir #Lagosmeatreform #foodbank

Block chain and artificial intelligence disruption.

Block chain and artificial intelligence disruption. Learn all about blockchain and artificial intelligence, learn how to merge it in your industry. Read how it works in agriculture and agribusiness here. Register here

Agribusiness post Covid-19.

 Covid-19 meals on wheels project.

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covid19, agribusiness , agriculture , food security.

 

Covid 19 and impact on food and agriculture

The impact of COVID -19 on agribusiness in Nigeria.

Turning anger to wealth.

How do you turn anger to wealth? What makes you angry is your call to solve a problem, for passion is anger and love combined.

 You need your anger. True learning takes energy, passion, and a burning desire. Anger is a big part of that formula, for passion is anger and love combined.

 You are angry about the shortage of food?

You are angry about pupils stuck up in the house?

You are angry that living in this era of the Covid-19 pandemic is challenging?

 Redirect your anger, find out how to leverage on the crisis to create wealth in agribusiness. Fuel your anger with innovative ideas. Text vet to 35818 and get started.

   #Stay safe, Be wealthy.

Lagos Govt Inaugurates Reform To End Sales Of Unwholesome Red Meat With A.T.M Strategy.

The Lagos Govt Inaugurates Reform To End Sales Of Unwholesome Red Meat With A.T.M Strategy. This is a three-pronged approach to sanitize the red meat value chain.

 The purpose is to ensure that only wholesome beef is available to the populace. Prince Gbolahan Lawal, State Commissioner for Agriculture, said at the occasion that the state government was committed to sanitizing the value chain.

 Lawal, flagging off the pilot scheme of the reform at Ita Faji Market in Lagos Island, noted that it would be done by embarking on three-pronged approach with the acronym A.T.M: Abattoir, Transportation and Market.

 The Honorable commissioner also stated that the reform would not only ensure the consumption of
wholesome meat by the people, but it would also facilitate export of red meat to other countries.

AGRIBUSINESS : THE GARRI REVOLUTION.

AGRIBUSINESS : THE GARRI REVOLUTION. Change is the only constant thing in life,follow the trend. Garri story !!! WHY GARRI? why the niche? this is why!!! Garri is easily accessible, affordable and a larger portion of the population are accustomed to the food. Echbee foods thus decided to fortify what was already common in most homes to achieve our purpose of balanced meal with garri. Garri which is the most common by -product is food for over 800 million people in the world, thus fortifying the garri to produce a highly nutritious cereal can generate over 120 billion naira as revenue.

AGRIBUSINESS: Deadly skin trade may have prompted Nigeria’s Equine Influenza outbreak.

AGRIBUSINESS: Deadly skin trade may have prompted Nigeria’s Equine Influenza outbreak.Nigeria has declared an outbreak of Equine Influenza with more than 3000 equines infected, with reports from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) suggesting the outbreak is a symptom of the unregulated global movement and trading of donkeys for their skins. International animal welfare charity The Donkey Sanctuary has warned of a potential disease epidemic in West Africa, following reports from partners in neighbouring countries Mali and Ghana of donkeys showing similar characteristics of the disease, including fever and nasal discharge. The highly contagious disease can affect all equines.

AGRIBUSINESS: HOW TO START CASSAVA FARMING IN NIGERIA.

AGRIBUSINESS: HOW TO START CASSAVA FARMING IN NIGERIA. Cassava is a shrub grown in the tropics and subtropics for its underground starchy tuberous roots. Cassava is a very popular product in Africa and can be used for the production of many different kinds of foods and products like fufu, starch, animal feed, sweeteners, alcohol and bio-degradable products. Benefits of Cassava • Cassava brightens and smoothens the skin • It hydrates the skin and is an amazing face mask • Cassava helps in the removal of scars and spots • Cassava helps in hair growth and also contributes in reducing hair loss • Cassava is good for the digestive system . Cassava helps in overcoming headache and fever • It helps in the prevention of cancer.

AGRIBUSINESS: Recycled gypsum as an agricultural product.

AGRIBUSINESS: Recycled gypsum as an agricultural product.Gypsum, a source of calcium and sulfur, can benefit crops and soils. When recovered from power plant smokestacks, it brings the additional benefits of recycling.Gypsum is a mineral that is naturally found concentrated in various places and can be mined out of the ground. Warren Dick's research research focuses on gypsum recovered from coal-fired electricity generating power plants. Gypsum that comes from coal plants is called flue-gas desulfurization gypsum, as it comes from the process that 'scrubs' sulfur out of the smoke stacks to reduce air pollution.

AGRIBUSINESS: How to make beauty products from seaweed.

AGRIBUSINESS: How to make beauty products from seaweed. Agriprenuers have various inspirations for their businesses. For Ms Maryam Abubakar, she had her Eureka moment while on a tea date with a friend in 2017. “As we were chatting, this friend spoke to me about the many opportunities in sea weed value addition. I decided to give it a try,” she tells Smart Harvest. She did research After the meeting, she travelled to Zanzibar to do a factfinding mission on seaweed trade. Her plan was to start exporting this sea vegetable to China, Japan or Korea. “I searched for possible clients in Asia on the Alibaba.com app. There were many clients but I could not afford the cost of freight. I needed Sh1 million capital,” she says. When she failed to raise the money, Abubakar decided to go local. Her plan? She would start production of beauty products using the sea vegetable from her house in Mombasa. Seaweed are forms of algae that grow along rocky shorelines around at the Coast, especially, in Kwale County and is a delicacy in Asian countries like Japan, China and Korea.

AGRIBUSINESS: Ghana researchers suggest insect meal as alternative protein.

AGRIBUSINESS: Ghana researchers suggest insect meal as alternative protein.Insect meal may replace soy and fish meal as the cheapest and safest source of protein feed for the country’s livestock. Various researchers around the world have investigated the possibility of using insect meal as a sustainable source of nutrition in livestock feed. Most recently, researchers in Ghana have said they believe using insect meal will be a feasible, safe and cost-effective source of protein for livestock

AGRIBUSINESS: Avian flu returns to commercial poultry in Nigeria, Russia.

AGRIBUSINESS: Avian flu returns to commercial poultry in Nigeria, Russia. Based on official reports, new outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) have been confirmed in poultry and ostriches in India, Nigeria, Russia, and South Africa, while a low-pathogenic virus has been detected again in the Dominican Republic. Previous local media reports of new outbreaks of HPAI linked to the H5N1 virus subtype in India have now been confirmed. Two backyard flocks in Bihar state totaling more than 4,000 poultry were affected by these outbreaks in mid-December and early January, according to the report from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). One of the flocks was located in Mungar — the same district as a previous linked outbreak — and the other was in Banka. That brings the total outbreaks in the state since November last year to three. Africa: Further outbreaks in South Africa’s ostrich industry, Nigerian poultry The H5N8 HPAI virus has been causing sporadic outbreaks of HPAI in commercial ostriches in West Cape Province since June of 2017. There were a further five outbreaks between August and November last year, according to the report of the country’s veterinary service to the OIE. There were a total of 159 cases of the disease among a total of more than 6,500 ostriches at farm in four different regions, including the city of Cape Town. Following a lull, the same HPAI virus subtype has been detected at two chicken farms in the central Nigerian state of Bauchi. The first outbreak in the second week of January was in a flock of 2,000 young pullets following the introduction of new birds, according to the official report from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. This event was followed the next week in a “backyard” flock of almost 850 mature laying hens. Prior to these outbreaks, the most recent detection of the H5N8 virus in the area was in neighboring Nasawara state in February last year. Low-pathogenic virus detected in Dominican Republic An H5N2 variant of the low-pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) virus was detected in the Dominican Republic in November of 2018, according to the latest agriculture ministry report to the OIE. Of a flock of mixed species in the northern state of Puerto Plata, 745 of the birds died, and the rest were destroyed or slaughtered. The last time this virus was reported in the country was in June last year.

AGRIBUSINESS: BREEDING SOUNDNESS.

             AGRIBUSINESS: BREEDING SOUNDNESS IN BULLS.

 How long can I keep a bull, and at what age can a young bull start mating cows?
 Puberty in bulls occurs when they can produce viable sperm. This happens at approximately 12 months of age, though it can vary in individual bulls several months before or after this age depending on biological type (primarily frame size and potential mature weight), nutrition, and health status.

circumference measures approximately 26 cm. A generally accepted guideline is to purchase/use only yearling bulls that have a minimum 32-cm scrotal circumference.

  Bulls can remain in service until they are 10 or 12 years of age. However, this is not the norm and usually remain in the herd for 4 to 5 years. Many do not last nearly that long due to hoof problems, structural problems, fertility issues, or injuries.

 Read: The management factors affecting fertility.

AGRIBUSINESS: Factors that affect bull fertility.

AGRIBUSINESS: Factors that affect bull fertility.When it comes to bulls, fertility is of upmost importance as their job is to secure the future of your herd. 1)Body Condition Your bull should have a Body Condition Score (BCS) of 3 or more before being turned out to the cows. As bulls can lose hundreds of pounds of weight during the breeding season it is a bad idea to have them in bad condition at the start of breeding season. This will likely compromise herd fertility and reduce the reproduction rate. Dramatic weight loss leads to lower sperm quality and production. However you need to watch out for overweight bulls too because they can become lazy. READ: Fertility of cows and bulls. 2) Weather Heat stress can have a detrimental effect on sperm motility in Bulls. It also affects fertility in cows. Excessive cold can affect bull fertility too, especially in cases of frostbite. Scrotal frostbite can affect fertility. Usually the way to spot this is inflammation and swelling days after freezing. This inflammation generates heat which affects development of the bull’s sperm and could temporarily - or permanently - sterilize the bull. 3) Disease and infection. Disease and parasite control in bulls is very important. Even if the disease doesn’t directly relate to fertility, it could affect his body condition. If the bull fails to maintain a good body score it could lead to reduced vigor. Infections like foot rot can display itself with a fever. Fever is harmful to a bull’s performance, as the sperm that were forming whilst he was suffering from it will be abnormal, and afterwards, he will have an infertile period of about 60 days. Disease prevention should be treated the same in a bull as with females. New animals should be screened by a vet for possible infectious agents, and only buy bulls from a reputable source with a healthy herd plan. Here are three rules you should follow to avoid disease in cattle. Don’t expose cows to bulls from other herds or vice versa. No leasing or borrowing bulls No grazing in common lands with other herds, good solid fences to keep neighbors out. Bovine Trichomoniasis - This is a venereal disease which leads to repeat breeders, low pregnancy rates and abortions beginning in early pregnancy and continuing right up to the time of calving. There is no treatment for Trichomoniasis, although most cows will self-clear of the disease within 120 days. Bulls spread the disease between cows and any bull found carrying it must be culled. Because of this you should test your bulls annually. 4) Injury Lameness. If a bull is lame he won’t be able to stand up to his task. If he is partly lame his performance will be impaired.

AGRIBUSINESS: COMMON DISEASES OF NEW CALVES.

              AGRIBUSINESS: COMMON DISEASES OF NEW CALVES.


 Calves are born with an underdeveloped immune system which makes them prone to infections and diseases than older animals.

 1)Johne’s Disease: Caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium avium subspecies para tuberculosis. It is passed on if a calf ingests infected colostrum or infected manure. It then damages the gut wall. 

Symptom: Calves are occasionally infected at birth when the mother is in advanced stage of the disease. If a newborn becomes infected, signs of this aren’t likely to surface until two or more years later. Because of this, you'll want to be checking out the dam for symptoms instead.
The main symptoms are weight loss and scour.


                      Prevention:
1)Remove the calf from the calving pens soon as possible and introduce them to a clean dry and uncontaminated environment.

 2)Collect the colostrum yourself and make sure your hands are clean.

 3)Only feed colostrum from test negative cows.


2 )Calf Pneumonia: caused by complex interaction between viral and bacterial pathogens, environmental stress factors and the animal’s own resilience to disease.
Symptom: 1)Temperature greater than 39.5C.

 2) Increased breathing rate and effort.

3)coughing and nasal discharge.

The prevention includes the following:


1) Well ventilated facilities reduces the risk of calves developing respiratory infections or pneumonia. Badly ventilated sheds retain too much moisture in the air and let it gather into droplets, and then puddles. These are the perfect breeding ground for harmful bacteria.

 2)Keep calves dry and well-bedded. Calves are not born with a winter hair coat so they need that extra layer to help keep them strong and healthy. Additionally they need to be in a clean place so refresh it regularly.

 3)Feed enough milk to keep the calf warm, and healthy especially during cold weather.

4)Avoid nose to nose contact, Infectious saliva and moisture from the respiratory tract can cause pneumonia to spread from calf to calf.

 5)Keep age groups separated in group housing, older calves will have a more developed immune system.

6)Vaccinate the cow/heifer and the protection is transferred via colostrum.

 7)Avoid buying calves that could carry new bugs

. 8)Prevent aspiration pneumonia caused by incorrect feeding.

 9)Minimize weaning stress by leaving rehousing, tagging and dehorning until later.

 Treatment is with antibiotics.

AGRIBUSINESS: LIVER FLUKE IN CATTLE.

AGRIBUSINESS: LIVER FLUKE IN CATTLE. A liver fluke is a parasitic worm that commonly live off of cattle, sheep and other livestock.Cattle can pick them up while out at pasture, and if not treated can drastically affect their performance, and cause liver damage. The disease they cause is called fascioliasis. Cattle typically develop chronic disease and classically show loss of weight, condition and become anaemic. Liver fluke-related disease can become acute and even fatal.However, if the offending liver flukes mature into adult egg-laying parasites, it can lead to severe liver damage depending on the number. Cattle infected with liver fluke are considered to be more susceptible to other infections,that is why it is so important to deal with liver fluke early. HOW TO DEAL WITH LIVER FLUKE 1: IDENTIFY RISK If you are aware of high risk areas for liver fluke, then deal with them as soon as possible. Fence off wet areas, attend to leaky troughs and pipes, drainage or housing early.If you have lost any sheep, investigate this, as this can be an early indication of fluke risk for your cattle. 2: TREAT APPROPRIATELY Cattle cannot pick up liver fluke when they are housed, however if they are not, it has the potential to put their growth rates well below market weight. Correct treatment means using the right product, at the right time, using the correct dose rate and administering it the right way. Never underdose your cattle for liver fluke, and do not assume that one size fits all when you’re measuring doses. Base your measurement off your heaviest animal for a group of cattle. Do not overdose your cattle either as this can encourace resistance to liver fluke treatments. If you have a large variation in weights, group them to ensure an accurate dose rate. If the treatment comes in the form of an injection, ensure it goes under the skin and not into the muscle. 3: AVOID RESISTANCE Over-reliance or overdosing on a flukicide can lead to drug resistance growing in liver fluke.It is important that you have an effective plan for cattle that reduces the risk of resistance spreading. Treatment: Among the products that kill liver flukes are Ivomec® Plus (Merial); Valbazen® (Pfizer) and Noromectin® PLUS (Norbrook),triclobendazole, nitroxynil 34% and 3 Levanor plus.

AGRIBUSINESS: Why a new calf needs a clean shed.

AGRIBUSINESS: Why a new calf needs a tidy shed.The most efficient cattle operations never consider tidy housing a waste of time. Washing, tidying and maintaining a hygienic cattle shed has financial, health and time benefits down the line. Here are the reasons it is particularly important for calves to have a tidy shed.1)Calves have a poor immune system If your shed is covered in harmful bacteria then your calves are at risk from the moment they hit the ground. Minimize this risk by power washing your byre before the calving season starts and by power washing calving pens once a cow and calf leaves. Calves are particularly vulnerable at birth because they haven't got a well developed immune system yet.There is no vaccine to combat calf-prone viruses like cryptosporidium so keeping the calving box hygienic and disinfected is key to avoid it and other diseases from building up. 2) Better ventilation means less chance of pneumonia. This has more to do with planning (and altering) your shed design, but better ventilation is important at calving time too. In well-ventilated sheds, animals are shown by research to perform better, as they are less likely to develop respiratory infections or pneumonia. Badly ventilated sheds retain too much moisture in the air which then promotes harmful bacteria growth. 3)Calves spend 80% of their time lying down Because of this, and their poor immune system, it is vital that you refresh their straw bedding often before it gets too dirty. This has the added benefit of keeping them warm. Certain minerals are harmful to calves Most farmers aren’t calving all year around, so calving pens will be empty for a time. This does not mean you can store things there when they are. Calving boxes should be left clean and dry during the summer, and shouldn’t be used to store minerals that could be potentially harmful to calves

AGRIBUSINESS:Clean home with bio-enzymes from vegetables, fruits and kitchen waste.

AGRIBUSINESS:Clean home with bio-enzymes from vegetables, fruits and kitchen waste.You can now use bio-enzymes derived from the skin of vegetables and fruits to keep things clean at home, purify water and simultaneously help protecting environment.Bengaluru-based organization ‘Soil and Soul’ has been teaching and encouraging people to prepare bio-enzymes at their homes. Preeti Rao from ‘Soil and Soul’ told PTI that she started composting kitchen waste, growing veggies and then discovered citrus peels can’t be composted, so figured out a way of creating bio-enzymes from them. “We talk about cleaning floor, purifying water and eliminating germs but killing all kinds of microbes is not a good idea. We break the food cycle if we kill all microbes,” she said. “I use bio-enzymes to clean chimneys, the kitchen slab, the toilets ? they don’t kill germs, they eat them up and also protect the food cycle. These are basic we learnt in school,” she said. She said one litre of water mixed with 300 grams of unused vegetables and 100 grams jaggery could give housekeepers their first bio-enzyme in 90 days. And the second time, it could be prepared within one month by using the existing enzymes.