False banana and garri the wonder foods that can feed the world.

 Africa is so blessed with resources . The game of numbers is on our side, with the teeming population you have a wide market to sell your products.

 This population is segmented as it were with the vast majority living just below the poverty line and many more very poor.

 The  estimated population of  9.8 billion by 2050 is  an indication that all hands must be on deck to feed the world. The impact of climate change on food production is another indication for the need to find new innovative ways to feed the world.  

   Climate change is predicted to seriously affect yields and distribution of staple food crops across Africa and beyond. The need to look at new plants or using existing staples to provide new products to feed the world is a necessity.

False banana bread.

 This is the story of Ethiopia's Enset and garri both are wonder crops that can feed the world.  Enset is a staple in Ethiopia, where around 20 million people rely on it for food, Garri is food to over 800 million people in the world.

 Enset or "false banana" is a close relative of the banana, but is consumed only in one part of Ethiopia. The banana-like fruit of the plant is inedible, but the starchy stems and roots can be fermented and used to make porridge and bread

 Garri made from cassava is  also fermented and can be used to make bread, porridge as well as other delicious products.

 Imagine using garri instead of wheat? think of the forex that will be preserved. Think of how the SDG goals of zero hunger,no poverty and decent work and economic growth will be achieved. Read more about garri

          

Garri nut bars.

AGRIBUSINESS: Simple steps to climate-proof farms have big potential upside for tropical farmers.

AGRIBUSINESS: Simple steps to climate-proof farms have big potential upside for tropical farmers.

Climate-smart agriculture boosts yields, mitigates extreme weather impact and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. 

A new study points to profitable opportunities for farmers and the environment. Cacao farmers in Nicaragua lose their crop, the main ingredient for chocolate, to fungal blight and degrading soils. 

Yields drop in Vietnam's rice paddies because of higher temperatures and increased salinity. 

Bean and maize growers in Uganda see their plants die during severe dry spells during what should be the rainy season. 

 The two-punch combination of climate change and poor agricultural land management can be countered with simple measures that keep farms productive and profitable. 

Implementation of these climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices can increase yields, benefit the environment and increase farmer income, according to a new cost-benefit analysis by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) published November 19 in PLOS ONE.

How to reduce ammonia pollution in a cattle ranch.

A new study provides a list of techniques and technologies that could provide the greatest reductions in ammonia emissions in cattle ranch.These techniques can reduce emissions by 17% to 50% which include improved barn design, cleaning processes, and manure treatment . 

 The study published in the journal Science of the Total Environment provided a list of the techniques and technologies that could provide the greatest reductions in ammonia emissions.

The new study assesses the emissions reduction potential of a number of techniques, such as floor scraping, flushing with water, manure acidification, and using different types of flooring Ammonia pollution in general have impacts on both the environment and human health, it can lead to algal blooms in freshwater, threatening aquatic wildlife, and contribute to smog that damages human health. In northwestern Europe, dairy cattle are usually housed in large barns, where they are kept loose, and manure, which is the source of ammonia emissions, is removed and stored in a pit beneath the barn. 

A number of factors contribute to how much ammonia escapes from the manure into air, including chemical processes, temperature, and air flow. Mendes and colleagues approached the problem using a model of ammonia emissions that was designed to calculate the ammonia emission reductions potential of new or adapted dairy cattle barns. It incorporates management technologies and processes designed to reduce pollution.

Urban Agriculture : Cricket farming is the latest money code.

The art of insect rearing for commercial purposes originated from the Netherlands, but has now spread to different parts of the world including Africa.. Crickets are black or brown insects that belong to the class insecta, order Orthoptera and genus Acheta. They are categorized into two groups; house cricket and field cricket. These creatures are the latest money code in agriculture.

Crickets is independent of climate change. Farmers are able to rear them throughout the year and thus their profitability is ensured. This cheap startup has found its share in urban agriculture,the crickets can be raised in-house,outdoors in bucket,crates or bowls. The relative ease of raising these creatures coupled with the health benefits derived has made the cricket ,food of the future. Crickets have a higher feed conversion ratio converting most of their feed into protein. The insect has a high protein value an advantage that is tapped in area of malnutrition. Crickets are a rich source of fats, especially the polyunsaturated fatty acids ,they also contain minerals such as iron and zinc. Crickets can be used directly as food or ground into flour to fortify other foods. 

Cricket flour can be used as an ingredient to make products such as biscuits, cakes, porridge, chapati and mandazi. For example cricket farmers in Bondo have been incorporating cricket flour to make different confectioneries. Farmers in Kenya utilize buckets where female adults lay fertilized eggs under a wet cotton wool. After a month, the eggs hatch into nymphs that feed on vegetables, soy flour and water.It takes three months for crickets to mature into adult stage. An adult cricket weighs about 0.5- 1.5grammes. 

 Harvesting of the mature crickets is by emptying into boiling water for about 5 minutes. These are then cooled in cold water before being dried in a solar drier to a moisture content of below five per cent. This reduces the growth of bacteria and molds, making them have an extended shelf-life and safe for human consumption. MORE

CAMEL,GENES AND CLIMATE CHANGE.

The findings published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that the dromedary camel has their genetic diversity shaped by ancient trade routes. Scientists examined DNA samples from more than 1,000 one-humped camels. Despite populations being hundreds of miles apart, they were genetically very similar.Scientists explained that centuries of cross-continental trade had led to this "blurring" of genetics. One of the team, Prof Olivier Hanotte, from Nottingham University, explained that what made the dromedary so biologically fascinating was its close link to human history. They have moved with people, through trading So analyzing dromedaries, can help find a signature of our own past. In search of this signature, the researchers compared samples of DNA - the carrier of genetic information - from populations across the camels' range. Our international collaboration meant we were able to get samples from West Africa, Pakistan, Oman and even Syria. The domesticated dromedary was adopted as a beast of burden around 3,000 years ago and, well into the 20th Century, trade caravans that sometimes consisted of thousands of animals, would transport goods across the deserts of North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Prof Hanotte explained: "People would travel hundreds of miles with their camels carrying all their precious goods. And when they reached the Mediterranean, the animals would be exhausted. "So they would leave those animals to recover and take new animals for their return journey." This caused centuries of genetic "shuffling", making dromedaries that are separated by entire continents remarkably similar. Crucially, this has also ensured that the animals maintained their genetic diversity - constantly mixing up the population. This means that dromedaries are likely to be much more adaptable in the face of a changing environment. Climate change, is characterized by rising temperatures, more extreme weather patterns and more areas becoming less suitable for livestock, .The dromedary will be our better option for livestock production - of meat and milk. These could replace cattle and even sheep and goats that are less well-adapted. read more from BBC NEWS.