The health benefits of rice bran.

The health benefits of rice bran. Rice bran, the outer covering of the rice grain, has high nutritional value and is a rich source of proteins, fats, minerals and micronutrients such as B vitamins, according to a study. Researchers suggest that rice bran, which is removed from whole grain rice during processing and used as animal feed, could have benefits for human health and nutrition. According to USDA a single serving of rice bran is 28 grams and delivers more than half of a person's daily requirements of important vitamins such as thiamine, niacin and vitamin B6. Rice bran as a food ingredient could deliver more than 400 individual compounds when consumed. Traditionally, rice bran is thought to be a cheap fiber source and only considered useful as a source of lipids, for example as cooking oil. It has not been used much in human health and nutrition because it is considered an animal feed but its high nutritional value warrants greater public health attention. A literature search conducted by the authors showed that some of the compounds they identified in rice bran had been shown in previous studies to have anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-hypertensive properties, among others. Rice bran also has a protein content of 12-15% that deserves attention as it could help tackle nutrition shortages that are a major global health concern. source

Minitablets help medicate picky cats

Minitablets help medicate picky cats. Cats are often considered the most difficult ones to medicate,but very small minitablets with flavors or flavor coatings can help cat owners commit to the treatment and make cats more compliant to it, while making it easier to regulate dosage and administer medication flexibly. Both cats and dogs are popular pets, but there are many differences between the two. In terms of oral medication, the most important difference has to do with the preferred foods, eating habits and taste preferences of the two animals. While dogs are omnivores, cats are almost exclusively carnivorous. Another factor making the treatment of cats more difficult is the fact that few registered drugs have been tailored and made palatable specifically for cats. This means that veterinarians often have to resort to canine drugs to treat cats, and adjusting the dosage to suit the much smaller animal may be challenging for the pet owner. In addition, if cats find the taste, smell, shape or mouthfeel of the drug unpleasant or repulsive, they will refuse the medication, making the administration of the drug more difficult and possibly leading to the complete failure of the treatment altogether. more

Working with women farmers to make Cambodian communities “Plantwise”.

Working with women farmers to make Cambodian communities “Plantwise”.Greater involvement of women in plant clinics has improved the climate resilience of the farmers in Rohal Suong village, Cambodia. Women farmers play a critical role in agricultural production and food security, as well as household welfare in most Southeast Asian countries. According to a Census of Agriculture in Cambodia in 2013, of the 82% of Cambodians engaged in the agriculture sector, at least half of them were women. Female youth and women, however, have limited access to education, agricultural extension services and social events, as they often have low education backgrounds, and are frequently busy with household activities and other unpaid work. They are historically underrepresented in agriculture decision-making and community leadership as well. Agricultural development projects are now seeking to increase women’s involvement. The CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), aims to improve gender equality and women farmers’ decision-making in agriculture through the establishment of Climate-Smart Villages (CSVs). Rohal Suong Village in Battambang, Cambodia is one of the six CSVs in Southeast Asia. more

How to set up an aerial vegetable farm with plastic bottles.

How to set up an aerial vegetable farm with plastic bottles. Plastic bottles have found various uses in agriculture from drinker to feeder to brooder and fish tank,these innovations have turned waste to wealth and also ensuring a clean environment.

 An agripreneur has used waste plastic bottles to set up an aerial vegetable farm. Anthony Mutugi has grown 294 spinaches and kales on a 4m by 5m by 3m space. 

The 294 crops may require about 0.02 acres on a flat ground. The Kiambu’s Juja area farmer has suspended six crops in the one-and-half-litre bottles with a wire string in a shed net wooden structure that creates greenhouse effects for quick growth. Each of the bottles is lying horizontally with its bellies ‘scoped’ slightly to accommodate about three quarters of a kilo soil and the kale or spinach.Each of the crops is one and half feet away from the other and the space of one row to the other is about one and half feet. 

 The crops depend on irrigation. The excess water can drain via the uncapped opening of the bottle. Wedding is done by hand in this aerial farm. Soil nutrients are not leeched since the bottle is non-porous. It is a perfect example for urban farmers, who do not have permanent residences.

They can move with their crops any time by unhooking the strings and dissembling the wooden farm. source

Farmers fortifying maize with soy beans to beat malnutrition.

Farmers fortifying maize with soy beans to beat malnutrition. While most families strive daily to eat mineral-deficient ugali, which mainly supplies energy, Joseph Nyangweso is ‘adding value’ to the meal by lacing the flour with protein-rich soy beans. Soy beans are grown mostly for industrial applications of extracting edible oil by companies like Bidco or fortification of baking and cooking flour. But the farmer, who has been growing the soy beans for small-scale selling, realized the seeds lost viability after six months if not replanted or sold. The protein content in soy beans ranges from 36 per cent to 56 per cent of grain dry weight. One cup of boiled soy beans that is about 172g gives 29g of proteins, according to the Soybeans 101: Nutritional factsheet. Just like other proteins, some people have allergic reaction after consumption. Nyangweso carried out some research on the recommended mix ration. He found out that at least one kilogramme in very four kilos of the maize flour is sufficient. That translates to about 25 per cent of soy beans flour, which should be in the mix. Maize is a stable food for more than three quarters of the population. Apart from energy, maize is a poor source of nutrients like proteins, fats and other minerals such as potassium, iron, calcium, among others. For poor families that cannot afford a balanced diet, fortification has been introduced to cater for those who can buy the flour.source

CIAT releases new varieties of steamed beans.

CIAT releases new varieties of steamed beans. Consumers and bean traders will soon be spending about 100 minutes less in cooking the delicacy with the 12 newly released varieties from the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture, CIAT. The precooked beans are subjected to steam before packaging for sale. The beans are ready for consumption in about 15 minutes. After harvesting, the beans are subjected to boiling water that is releasing steam. The boiling water does not get into contact with the beans otherwise they will cook. The steam precooks the beans before packaging for the market. The traditional beans take about two hours to cook. This duration becomes prohibitive for low class families who cannot afford the fuel to sustain the continued cooking. CIAT says within the 15 minutes, consumers will require fuel of about Sh47 for one kilo of the beans.Various companies across Africa have been engaged to produce the seeds for the farmers. CIAT says about 10,000 farmers are already growing the varieties across the continent. After harvesting, the farmers are expected to deliver the beans to factories for processing and packaging. Snack beans are also been developed alongside the precooked varieties. The beans only require salting and they are ready for consumption. The programme of supporting the farmers is being rolled out in sub-Saharan Africa countries.source

Supplementary fish feeds offer farmers more financial return than commercial feeds.

Supplementary fish feeds offer farmers more financial return than commercial feeds. A new study and fish expert has shown that Supplementary fish feeds offer farmers more financial return than commercial feeds. Farmers rearing fish with homemade feeds may make more profits by than their commercial feeds counterparts despite the higher crude protein content in the latter. Kenya Prisons officer Jared Mokaya, who manages the Nakuru correctional facility farm, said commercial feeds offer a vigorous and heavier yield, but the at the end, the net financial gain is lower than supplements production. His sentiments have been supported by a research that shows that there is an average of 0.23 benefit cost from three Nile tilapia set-ups where the growth and economic performances were tested. In the study, reversed sex Nile tilapias were raised in four rice-fish ecosystems for 120 days. The traditional feed had 21 per cent crude proteins (CP), while the formulated one had 26 per cent CP. Commercial had 30 per cent CP while nothing was added to the last set up, which acted as the control. “The highest benefit-cost ratio of 2.15 was in the control, followed by formulated feed (1.90). But in the case of numerical net return, it was the opposite. The commercial feeds had the lowest profit margin ratio of 1.67m,” the research published on the Journal of Applied Aquaculture reads. The report adds that the cost of commercial feeds is more than that of supplementary feed.For farmers to make more profits, the research says that fish grown in rice fields will give more profits if farmers use homemade feeds. Food and Agricultural Organisation, FAO, recommends that farmers rear fish in flooded fields with rice. The waste from fish are nitrogen for the rice. The rice consumes the ammonia in the body waste while the fish also release carbon dioxide for photosynthesis in the crop. source