Agribusiness: Cassava processing is a startup that can change your life. Garri and Cassava production – A small business that can change your life! Garri and cassava production in Africa is an impressive business opportunity for the continent, especially West and Central Africa.
Cassava is one of the most popular and widely consumed food crops in Africa. Because it is such an important food in the region and an extremely versatile crop, it is commonly referred to as cornerstone of food security in Africa.
The competing needs for cassava cut across both human and animal consumption. It is fast becoming a popular raw material in industrial production and is now a preferred material for making biofuels.
As Africa’s population and economy continues to grow rapidly, the demand for food staples like cassava has increased. This high demand for various forms of processed cassava is pushing prices to the ceiling.
Several small scale cassava farmers are making a fortune and changing their lives through this business.
Why is cassava an important food crop for Africa?
Cassava is highly adaptable to the African tropical climate and soils, and remains very popular for producing excellent harvests even when other crops fail. It is also the most widely available source of carbohydrates and dietary energy in Africa.
Processed forms of cassava, especially garri, fufu and tapioca, are very common throughout West Africa.
Garri is hugely popular in the region as it has traditionally remained cheaper than other carbohydrate sources, especially rice and maize. Garri ( tapioca) is the most widely traded processed cassava product. It is estimated that more than 75 percent of the cassava produced in Africa is processed into garri.
New Australian Study Shows GM Crops Cause Leaky Stomachs in Rats.A ground breaking new study from Australian experts has shown that so-called “Bt proteins”, produced by some GM crops, may not be as safe as previously assumed.
Any two cells that line the stomach are normally held tightly against each other to form a “tight junction”. This stops any bacteria, viruses or food particles from leaking out from the stomach into the tissues of the body. The study found that the rats fed the GM corn had gaps in their tight junctions. This is called “poor apposition”. On average, this was five times greater in rats fed the GM corn diet. Poor apposition should not occur in normal, healthy stomachs. Yet every stomach section seen in rats fed the GM diet had these gaps between a number of cells.
Dr. Judy Carman, one of the lead scientists involved in the study, said: “This means that there is a risk that eating GM maize could cause leakage of substances from the stomach and therefore increase the risk of developing allergies, or infections from the microbes in the food you eat or the water you drink.”
In addition, the lining of the stomach has microscopic pits in it. Cells in the pits produce mucus to protect the stomach from stomach acid. The bottom of each pit divides into two long, straight glands. These glands produce stomach acid to help digest food. While the researchers saw some dilated (i.e. swollen) glands in rats fed the GM diet and those fed the non-GM diet, the rats fed the non-GM diet had smaller swellings and the cells lining the glands looked normal.
In contrast, the glands in the GM-fed group were much more swollen, they often contained debris or mucus, and the cells lining the glands were often abnormal. For example, some cells were stretched or longer than they should have been. More than six times as many rats had glands that were both swollen and lined with elongated cells in the GM-fed group. While every rat on the GM diet showed at least one gland that looked like that, none of the rats fed the non-GM diet showed this pathology.
Brazil Judge Suspends Use of Agrochemical Glyphosate. A Brazilian judge has suspended the use of products containing the agrochemical glyphosate, a widely employed herbicide for soy and other crops in the country, according to legal filings.
A federal judge in Brasilia ruled that new products containing the chemical could not be registered in the country and existing registrations would be suspended within the next 30 days, until the government reevaluates their toxicology.
The decision, which could be subject to multiple appeals, also applies to the insecticide abamectin and the fungicide thiram. The ruling affects companies such as Monsanto Co, which markets a glyphosate-resistant, genetically-modified type of soybean that is planted on a large scale in Brazil. Monsanto is now a unit of Bayer AG, following a $62.5 billion takeover of the U.S. seed major which closed in June. Certain glyphosate-resistant corn and cotton strains have also been authorized in Brazil.
Africa must double cassava production to avert food crisis by 2050. As the Global Cassava Partnership for the 21st Century (GCP21) prepares for its 4th International Cassava Conference in Cotonou, Republic of Benin, scheduled for June 11-15, 2018, its Director, Dr. Claude Fauquet has warned that for the continent to avert a major food crisis by 2050, it needs to double her cassava production.
Fauquet, who raised the alarm, at a world press conference in Lagos said though Africa accounts for 55 per cent of global cassava root production, its yield per hectare is the lowest in the world with about 10 tons per ha as opposed to Asia where average yield is 21 tons per hectare—or double the yield in Africa. Africa must double cassava production to avert food crisis by 2050. more
1) Maintain and control floor quality in pens. Remove sharp edges (or file sharp edges when necessary).Ensure the correct slat width in slatted floors
Keep the floors non-slippery by providing dry and clean resting areas.
2) Minimize social and hierarchy clashes.Introduce husbandry solutions that will prevent hierarchy clashes.Provide sufficient pen space and free space per number of animals.
Strive Masiyiwa: If I started again I’d do agriculture, says telecoms tycoon.Zimbabwean tycoon Strive Masiyiwa made his money in the mobile telecoms business, but if he were to start all over again, he would bet on agriculture.
Speaking at the opening of this year’s African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) in Zambia’s capital Lusaka, Masiyiwa made a case for the opportunities in the agriculture industry.
The Zimbabwean billionaire is chairman of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), an organisation set up in 2006 to support smallholder farmers with the goal of reducing poverty and hunger.
Masiyiwa noted Africa’s food market would be worth US$1tr in just 15 years, citing a 2013 report by the World Bank. According to a report launched at the forum, Africa currently spends more than $60bn on food imports each year thereby benefiting producers outside the continent.
How to reduce bacteria during poultry processing.Key points from harvesting to chilling can minimize bacterial contamination of processed chickens. #poultry.
Processed chicken must be produced in hygienic conditions, and microbial contamination kept to a minimum in order for it to be safe for consumers to eat and also have a good shelf life.Various operations, starting with pre-slaughter, need to be closely monitored in real time to ensure that birds are kept clean. It is worth remembering that pre-slaughter and processing are highly linked, meaning that broilers must be as clean as possible on arrival at the processing plant if hygiene standards are to be maintained throughout processing.
These operations include feed withdrawal,(poultry) capture and caging, transport and lairage, scalding, plucking and evisceration. During withdrawal, feeders should be kept at their normal height until the capture team arrives. The house temperature also needs to be closely monitored during feed withdrawal, especially in open houses.#poultry.
Many companies operating in hot countries spray birds with water after they are loaded onto the trucks, prior to leaving the farm. This has the double benefit of not only removing fecal matter from them and the cages, but also of refreshing the birds prior to travel to the processing plant. #poultry.
During transport, birds will again defecate, and so the process of contamination continues. As at the farm, some processing plants wash the birds with water and disinfectant once trucks have been weighed to remove the organic load and bacteria.
Understanding and preventing respiratory disease in poultry. Respiratory disease is a serious threat to the poultry industry. Each year, it determines for many producers the difference between making a profit and suffering a loss.
If the birds are showing signs of infection, a producer may respond with medication. But all too often, the birds with respiratory disease exhibit no signs of infection other than underperformance.
Respiratory disease is not a single virus or bacteria; it generally is a complex of both, making prevention and treatment more complicated. Even though farmers are vaccinating most flocks, respiratory lesions still turn up at slaughter on a regular basis; and these defects hurt weight gain and carcass quality.#respiratory
The primary culprit in respiratory disease is ammonia, which is a result of moisture reacting with poultry droppings in the litter. Ammonia destroys the cilia (hair like projects that trap dust and other particles) in the chicken’s trachea. This leads to erosion of the tracheal lining. The irritated tracheal lining is more susceptible to infection by viruses or bacteria, and this can cause additional destruction of the trachea. Finally, E. coli bacteria from the litter can get into the trachea and result in air sacculitis. #poultry
The basic way to control ammonia is keep the litter dry and remove ammonia with ventilation.Understanding and preventing respiratory disease in poultry.
CASSAVA: HOW TO IMPROVE PROCESSING OF CASSAVA TO GARRI
The processing can be improved by getting more people involved and by empowering those already in the business to ensure food security. Each level can further be expanded by empowering more people to go into the various sectors to boost production. The empowerment can be in form of loans, inputs, training, equipment and vehicles.
Every level can be opened up to accommodate more players to improve production and expand market. The cassava tubers can be made into various products such as starch, tapioca, snacks etc. more
Agriculture is a broad term encompassing many facets of production but all with the common goal of food production and food security.
The race to feed the estimated 9 billion people by 2050 has began in full swing with several sections of agriculture calling for inputs, support and most especially the drive to get more youths to be involved in agriculture to boost production.
Agriculture like any venture has so many chains involved in various sectors but the basic platform is Producers then processors followed by marketers before it gets to consumers.
The process from farm to fork involves so many chains capable of increasing production, provide jobs, and promote international trade amongst other things if properly articulated.
Breaking down the chain to promote food security is the key to the economic growth we desire. This can be achieved by expanding the network to bring in more people and breaking down other chains by forming mergers to increase productivity and employing more people.
Agriculture There are various sectors to consider but this model will work for any sector. The success of the model is based on the fact that an individual cannot do everything; from farm to fork should be opened up so that different groups focus on different aspects of production.Agriculture
The cassava farmers will be our model; the network will have some farmers working on the field to get the cassava ready for sale. Then the next group will be those off-takers for onward sale to processors, these will now distribute to other processors for further processing to various products.
The next group will be the distributors to marketers then to the table. This model will boost productivity because the farmers are focused on an aspect of production and are sure of a ready market to sell their products.
Investments into any sector are easy and safe because of the assurance of return on investment at the end of harvest.Agriculture
The involvement of many farmers into various aspects of the chain is what stifling growth is, everybody wants to go from farm to table, competing for land, market and structures.
Categorization, structuring, organization and planning are the keys we need to ensure food security. #farmersunite #farmersconnect #agribusiness.
STARTUP: How to start a vegetable farm using tyres. Agriculture is the next big thing as all creatures need food,and with the estimated 9 billion people to be fed by 2050 all hands must be on deck to produce more food.
The need to produce more food has opened up new frontiers of farming as many people are using unconventional means to plant,many have turned to urban agriculture for profit and sustainability.
The use of bottles,plastics,sacs barrels have been explored to plant vegetables but a very unconventional method still untapped is the use of tyres to start a vegetable farm.
STARTUP: How to start a vegetable farm using tyres.
The use of old tyres to start a vegetable farm though very unconventional its very convenient and ecofriendly. Old tyres can be recycled and used in agricultural projects such as raising snails, making mattress for cows to increase milk yield, starting a fish farm ,planting vegetables, roses e.t.c.
The use of tyres for agricultural projects is a good alternative to the current method of disposing tyres is burning which pollutes the atmosphere with severe health implications for man and climate warming.
The project you want to embark on will determine the size of tyres to use and how to arrange them or stack them up to produce the result you desire.
The tyres could even be layered so that you have more than a row of vegetables or sectioned so you have 2 or 3 sections in the tyres to produce more with less space.
STARTUP: How to start a vegetable farm using tyres.
1) Get old tyres,clean,wash and disinfect and set out to dry. The tyres can be painted to add a color code to your farm and also make it attractive.
2) Prepare the site for the tyres,this must be clean,free of weeds and in an easy accessible place. The tyre is now further prepared by using a black plastic(polythene) to cover the base and to prevent any weeds then place a wire mesh on top to keep steady and create a partition between the surface and tyre base.
3) Get the soil which must be treated to ensure no pests are inside.
4) Get your compost and mix with soil to prepare for planting. #tyres.
How to minimize water borne disease in hydroponics. Although using a hydroponics system may eliminate soil borne pests, there are pests and fungi that spread through water, which means cleaning equipment and using an additional filtration system can drastically help reduce the occurrence of disease spreading.
Heat and moisture in an irrigation system left untreated can create an optimal atmosphere for the development of water molds, like Pythium and Phytophthora. These molds can be brought into contact with plants through growing media, which in the case of hydroponics means through recirculating water. These molds can also be transferred from dirty plant trays and plugs or dirty greenhouse surfaces. The microflora in a hydroponics system can develop very quickly, within 20 hours of planting infected plants, bacteria can be traced throughout a system.
Symptoms of Pythium present themselves as it eats away at the plant root and attacks the root, which results in stunted growth and plant death. Growers often refer to this mold as root rot.
Phytophthora comes in two major varieties that are known to attack floriculture crops, causing root, crown and foliar blight. Essentially, both varieties of this bacterial disease can decimate a crop very easily if using hydroponics systems without an additional filtering system.
Some systems come with screen or paper filters to filter out large-sized particles and debris, but often more is needed to combat water borne diseases effectively. For this reason, it is recommended to add or combine a number of additional filtering systems. more
Broilers are birds raised for meat and have a short production span of 42 days. The uniqueness of the broiler breed in its ability to turn feed to meat at a short time makes it a viable investment opportunity for short term investors.
The production must be started with active,alert and normal chicks without any deformity,the quality of the day old chicks will determine outcome of project. Healthy birds must be selected to prevent losses as consumers are interested in well muscled and good quality birds. #poultry
The factors to consider when you want to set up a broiler farm are as follows : 1) Land 2) water 3)quality of chicks 4) feed 5) equipment 6) management.
Land: the poultry site should be a well drained site,without swamps or waterlogged areas. The land must not be bushy,or surrounded by bushes to limit the risk of rodents,reptiles and other predators. The land should be accessed,topography noted and the environmental impact assessment of project should be documented.
Water:there must be on site a functioning source of clean water. The source of water must be readily accessible and it must be treated to ensure safety. Quality of chicks, are very important as the quality will determine outcome. Quality day old chicks must be sourced from reputable hatchery,and chicks must be alert and active. #poultry
Feed is important when you are thinking of production,as the quality of feed will determine rate of growth and profit potential. Feed could be sourced locally,purchased from miller or setting up a feed mill to cater for your birds. read #poultry
Equipment: the brooder,feeder,drinkers and farm tools are also important in production. The size,spacing and location of feeder and drinkers is vital to success of the production.
Management: its important to practice an all in all out system,do not mix different ages and batches of birds. Biosecurity measures must be in place to ensure safety of birds and farm lands. Labor is vital to the success of the farm, skilled and unskilled hands are necessary for overseeing different aspects of operation.Waste management is an environmental issue and as such proper waste disposal techniques should be put in place. Litter type and management is another factor as the success of the project depends on how you use,handle and dispose it. #poultry
Vaccinations should be carried out as at when due. read There is a need to engage the services of a veterinarian to assist with animal health and welfare issues. #poultry
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in collaboration with Chi Farms and Niji Foods, has launched two new agribusiness partnerships
Mission Director of USAID Nigeria, Michael T. Harvey, said: “With Nigeria’s increasing population, these programmes are vital to achieving food security and imports,” adding: “Public-private partnerships are a proven way of expanding investment in agriculture, improving both efficiency and productivity.” Through these partnerships, USAID aims to address development and business challenges to agricultural inputs and mechanisation by providing quality technical advisory services and expanded market opportunities for smallholder farmers.”
These partnerships will also capitalize on the untapped potential of small-holder farmers and small processors to help grow agribusinesses, create secure jobs, and boost economic growth in Nigeria.
According to operators of Chi Farms: “Recognising the need to increase Nigeria’s domestic fish production to meet growing demand and end reliance on imported fish, Chi Farms – under this partnership – will train 1,000 small-holder fish farmers in Lagos and Ogun States on new farming techniques, access to credit, and marketing skills to help raise incomes.
Another partner in the agriculture project, Niji Foods, said that despite the volume of cassava processed in Nigeria and the commercial potential of cassava peel for livestock feed, there is virtually no commercially-available livestock feed made from cassava peel. Read
Niji Foods, with the International Livestock Research Institute, and USAID support, is establishing three cassava peel processing centres to address this market gap, see
Read more in the agriculture daily
The smart pot has sensors that detect the status of a plant, like whether it’s receiving enough water and sunlight, or if soil conditions are optimum. Even though Greenopia is catering to smaller segment, its influence on the plant cultivation is interesting.
Food packaging and transport is an important part of the food chain,food must be delivered fresh and valuable. The majority of food waste that arises in the value chain is simply because of lack of adequate preservation and packaging technique to ensure the food is delivered fresh.
The rural farmers and small holder farmers that produce majority of food shipped out lack all these innovations and end up losing money due to waste as a result of spoilage of food.The innovations in this area must be cheap ,readily available and simple and easy to operate.
In California ,purfresh is addressing some of the challenges ; purfresh reduce decay, reduce pathogens, control ripening, and enhance food safety all at once .
Purfresh doesn’t use any chemicals to solve these challenges rather they make use of the power of ozone. Ozone (O3) oxidizes decay causing & pathogenic microbial that results in reducing decay and it also removes Ethylene resulting in controlling the ripening of fruits.
Snails like any other animal must be fed a balanced ration with necessary supplements. Snails are fed various vegetables among other types of feed,but calcium must be part of the diet to ensure proper growth.
The snails can get the calcium supplement either by spraying the grounded chalk solution on the body,or the crushed chalk can be finely grounded and added to the vegetables. The calcium solution can also be sprayed on the feed, before serving the snails. There are various ways to present the feed with calcium but the key is that all snails must have access. The pictures below shows,the preparation of feed with calcium supplement; #snails
Litter management using litter amendments which play a crucial role in controlling ammonia. Amendments that decrease litter pH increase ammonia suppression.This can be done solely or as an adjunct to windrowing.
The first step in reconditioning litter is de-caking or removing wet material primarily below drinkers. Amendments are then applied on top of the litter these create unfavorable conditions for the bacteria and enzymes that contribute to ammonia formation and production to thrive.
Litter amendments form a pH barrier on top of the litter preventing or slowing the formation of ammonia (NH3+). Acidifiers are most commonly used, binding the volatile ammonia (NH3+) with an acid to form the nonvolatile ammonium salt (NH4+).
Agriculture is the future of our work, with the ever growing population and climate change the techniques of growing food and raising animals need to be improved to cater for the population and ensure food security.
Land now is a scarce resource and many more farmers are utilizing what they have to maximize profits. Agriculture today is not only practiced on farms,today urban farming is the driving force in food production. Urban farming refers too city farming or better still smart farming to produce vegetables that augment income of farmers and provide a means of livelihood for others.
Urban farming can be practiced in various areas such as sidewalks,rooftops,flowerbeds,terraces or even lawns. This type of farming can also be practiced with various items such as in bottles, jars, trough plates ,flower pots,plastic bottles and even in sacks. The hydroponics system is a type of urban farming that utilizes minimal space but still gives the required harvest of vegetables and fish.
Urban farming is fast taking root in Africa as a source of income for the young,old and the young at heart. The sack farming involves planting vegetables in prepared sacks,these can be stacked in courtyards,corners and gardens.The advantage is that more is produced using minimal space,its easy and cheap to start.
Urban farming with sacks is done as follows 1) sacks are filled with manure, soil and small stones that enable water to drain. 2) plant vegetables,onions,spinach from the tops and sides of these sacks referred to as multi-story gardens. The plant are usually watered once a day in the evenings,and the plants are spread with correct pesticides to prevent attack.
Urban farming using sacks is a good and cost effective way to introduce farming to schools, this initiative in the school agric project will not only be a source of learning but can also be a means of income for the school and food for the students. Sack farming will provide a means of income for young school leavers, and unemployed youths who want to farm but they have no land.
City farming, either in sacks or on small bits of land, has taken root in Cameroon, Malawi and Ghana with 25 to 50 percent of all city households said to be engaged in food cropping. In Malawi, 700,000 city dwellers have home gardens while in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo and some schools have their own gardening programs. continue
AGRIBUSINESS: How to start a farm in your bedroom and make millions. Small indoor farms in garage or bedroom are growing in popularity where vegetables and other plants are cultivated and used for salads or sandwiches and make millions are generated.This kind of farm has no fields, ploughs or even soil or sunlight. The new "vertical farm", as it is called, needs very little space and could even be located in the city.
This is popularly referred to as vertical farming,the hydroponics system. This kind of farming is referred to as Controlled - environment agriculture (CEA) which means technology-based food production that provides protection to plants and maintains optimal growing conditions throughout the development of the crop. Production takes place within an enclosed growing structure such as a greenhouse or building with controlled parameters. Watch how they are producing greens in trays (http://MarxFoods.com/Farmbox-Greens)
AGRIBUSINESS: How to start a farm in your bedroom and make millions.
A vertical farm uses hydroponics technology with plants sitting in trays stacked vertically to save space.In hydroponics, plants are grown "using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil" (see Wikipedia here). The roots of the plant sit in water to which nutrients have been added and instead of sun, LED lights shine on the plants. The plants grown are called micro - greens and they take only two weeks to grow. The hydroponics system is a money spinner generating millions fro farmers that are using the technology in homes,bedrooms or even roof tops and how the technology can be adopted to ensure food security. See
The poultry industry is well grounded in Nigeria with an estimated worth of over 100 billion Naira. There are a large number of commercial players and also small holder farmers in the sector most of which are located in the south-western part of the country,with close proximity to Lagos state.
There is a large market for poultry products in the country as evidenced by the 1.2 million tonnes of products smuggled into the country annually,the recent ban on imported poultry products has opened up more markets for home-grown products.
A series of “megatrends” will permanently reshape agribusiness as the world’s producers and industry stakeholders re-calibrate to tackle the challenges of feeding 9 billion people in 2050, reports Christopher Nolan Sr., managing director at global professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers L.L.C. (PwC). The PwC’s top five global megatrends include:
1) Demographic shifts.
2) Shift in global economic power.
3) Accelerating urbanization
4). Resource scarcity
5)Evolving technology.
Lagos with a population of about 21 million people with majority in middle and upper class who show preference for poultry products,the state fits perfectly into the mega-trend that will shape agribusiness.
We have the population,(numbers) more people are moving to Lagos, we practice urban-agric and also incorporate greenhouse and biocrop technology.
The state itself has commercial farmers and small holder farmers in the poultry sector churning out large numbers of chicken and eggs .
The state with a vision to be Africa's mega city and global economic financial hub has dedicated zones and areas where poultry farms are domiciled. The state has invested heavily in the poultry sector with poultry estates in Ikorodu,Ojo ,farm settlements in Badagry and a training school in Epe.
The state with a policy thrust to eradicate poverty through infrastructural renewal and development recently embarked on an empowerment programme where cages,poultry equipment,eggs and suitable land was allocated to poultry farmers to upscale their level of production .
The federal government with the Agricultural transformation agenda to increase crop production and also to create value added food processing industries as a means to reduce food imports and create jobs, has given the state a platform to call for private sector participation in the poultry value chain alongside other 22 agricultural chains.
Investments into the poultry industry in the country recently got a boost with a Multi-Net group leading with plans to establish a farm and also the African development bank injecting 34.5 billion naira to boost the agricultural sector.
A partnership between the government and a Portuguese company to establish a feed mill in the country is on going.( pls check earlier posts for details of these investments.)
Investors in the poultry value chain can look into these areas;
1) Processing plant: many of the smuggled products are processed ,indicating the preference for more processed poultry.
A processing plant can process poultry as chicken sausages, canned chicken, processed frozen, stewed or fried.
The introduction of new processed products will not only be very profitable but more jobs will be available as more chicken will be in demand.
2) Egg powder plant; investors can look into this area, egg powder is very important in so many industries and establishment of such will also increase egg sales. The state is embarking on a school feeding programme, where eggs will be part of the menu.
This programme itself demands more eggs to be produced ,and also the eggplant will compliment this effort to ensure that eggs are always available,by extending the shelf-life.
There are seasons where there is egg glut,the egg powder plant will solve this problem and add more economic value to it.
3) Production is another point of investment: we are calling for investors to revamp the industry in terms of more production. This will be traced to the onset of production.
There are partnerships with various hatcheries with various breeds in the country,however new and well established breeds can be introduced into the country, to add to what is on ground and also create a platform for breeding. Breeding centers can be established to fashion- out how to get our own highly productive and hardy breed.
4) Waste management: investors can look into the bio-gas plant to generate electricity and gas or to process as fertilizers which can benefit farmers.
5) Production of fashion accessories: feathers can also be processed and sold as fashion accessories.The blood and fat can also be processed and incorporated into animal feed.
6)Transportation : investors can look into cooling vans,trucks and buses. This is to ensure that the products get to the market in good condition.The transportation of live birds to markets is another area of investment.
veterinarymedicineechbeebolanle-ojuri.blogspot.com Cassava: benefits of garri as a fermented food. Cassava processing involves fermentation which is a plus for gut health. The fermentation process removes the cyanogenic glucosides present in the fres...
Cassava is one of the most popular and widely consumed food crops in Africa. Because it is such an important food in the region and an extremely versatile crop, it is commonly referred to as cornerstone of food security in Africa.
