Women in Africa are ready to go : Investing in African Women Makes Good Business Sense.

Investing in African Women Makes Good Business Sense. There is little doubt that Africa will witness rapid yet uneven economic and demographic growth in the next 20 years. The continent’s rise can positively affect the global economy by introducing a decisive regional economic force that must be reckoned with. The very steps that will enable this progress — such as the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, widespread investments in communications, transportation and distribution infrastructures, a greater emphasis on advancing agro-industry, and broad changes in education systems to prepare market-ready graduates to fuel the continent’s rise — are lagging. This is not new. Since the last century, Africans from diverse communities as well as thought leaders have lamented the lack of coherent strategies in individual countries, regional groupings and Africa at large that address shortcomings identified by governments and multilateral organizations.

AGRIBUSINESS :How to weave cash from cassava bags .

AGRIBUSINESS :How to weave cash from cassava bags cassava bags.Cassava can be transformed into a biodegradable paper which is not only environment-friendly but also enables food to be stored for long periods. The ban on the plastic paper bag carriers in Kenya, businesses are struggling to find affordable substitutes in line with the new environmental conservation directive. AGRIBUSINESS :How to weave cash from cassava bags . The ban has had a significant ripple effect on businesses, consumers and jobs. But there are many possibilities with cassava tuber. Cassava farming, for a long time, has been considered an option for the poor. What farmers have not recognized is that this neglected tuber is a ‘hidden gold’ yet to be exploited. AGRIBUSINESS :How to weave cash from cassava bags . The crop has the potential to transform farmers’ lives through value addition. For long, cassava has been used as food and occasionally processed into fine flour and supplied to industries that make confectioneries. But this trend is likely to change with the ban on plastic bags. You can weave cash from cassava bags .

Genetically Modified Children: New Film Unveils the ‘Monstrous’ Child Deformities Caused by Agrochemicals in Argentina.

Genetically Modified Children: New Film Unveils the ‘Monstrous’ Child Deformities Caused by Agrochemicals in Argentina. The shocking film "Genetically Modified Children" unveils the horrors of decades of chemical-intensive agricultural practices in Argentina, where the majority of crops are genetically modified (GM) and routinely doused in dangerous agrochemicals, and the chokehold big tobacco companies such as Philip Morris and chemical and seed giants have on poverty-stricken farmers desperate to earn a living. The film, produced by Juliette Igier and Stephanie Lebrun, shows the devastating health effects the region's agricultural sector is having on children,1 an increasing number of whom are being born with monstrous physical deformities. Some of the children's cases are so severe that, without a medical intervention, will result in death before the age of 5. The film begins with the crew traveling from North Argentina in the Province of Misiones to the Brazilian frontier, an agricultural region that was one of the nation's first to begin growing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the mid-'90s. Featured in the film is Ricardo Rivero, regional head of the local electricity company. He learned that the reason families cannot pay their bills is because often they are taking care of a sick or handicapped child, and receive no assistance from the Argentinian government. The film shows them visiting the humble home of a tobacco farmer where they meet Lucas Texeira, a 5-year-old boy with an incurable genetic skin disease. The family believes it was caused by the mother's exposure to Monsanto's Roundup weedkiller early on in her pregnancy. No one told her it was toxic, she says. The genetic mutation that caused her son's condition left him with no pores in his skin, which means he doesn't perspire. The heat from his body stays inside, causing him severe and painful itching that leads to frequent crying spells. Mr. Texeira expresses his sadness over Lucas' condition, as well as his fears that he could have another child in the future with a similar deformity.

Researchers use gut bacteria to turn type A or B blood into universal donors.

Researchers use gut bacteria to turn type A or B blood into universal donors.Bacteria found in the human gut could save countless lives by transforming type A or type B blood into type O. At a meeting of the American Chemical Society , Steve Withers of the University of British Colombia presented new research suggesting enzymes found in gut bacteria could effectively strip antigens from the two most common blood types. If successful, the discovery would essentially make most types of blood accessible to those who need it, regardless of their blood type.

AGRIBUSINESS: How to make homemade weedkiller with vinegar.

AGRIBUSINESS: How to make homemade weedkiller with vinegar. How to make homemade weedkiller with vinegar. The easiest recipe for vinegar weed killer is simply to use vinegar at full strength, without adding anything else. White vinegar is most often used for this purpose, although any vinegar will work. Vinegar is generally a pet-safe weed killer, as well. There are numerous recipes used by gardeners. It depends upon your own experience and opinion which is best to use. Several different recipes are given below, followed by warnings and other information which will be helpful to you. 1)Vinegar alone - Full strength, undiluted 18 percent acidity vinegar can be an effective weed killer. 2)Vinegar and Soap - Mix dishwashing soap at a rate of one ounce per gallon of full strength vinegar. This mixture can double as an insecticide. Be aware of this as you're using it. Also remember that it will kill your good plants as well, so be sure not to get it onto any of your flowers or vegetable plants. Please see the dangers section below for warnings about harmful chemicals in some detergents. 3)Vinegar, Soap, and Salt - One gallon vinegar, one cup of salt, one tablespoon dishwashing liquid. Mix together and apply. Please see the dangers section below for warnings about harmful chemicals in some detergents. 4)Vinegar and Lemon Juice - Many people say that adding lemon juice to vinegar increases its effectiveness as a weed killer. This is because it increases the acidity levels. Adding anywhere from one tablespoon to one cup per gallon is a common recipe. 5)Vinegar and Essential Oil - Mix full strength vinegar with one tablespoon of essential oil of clove or orange. Some gardeners say the oil helps the mixture stick to the plants better to increase effectiveness. Vinegar as weedkiller

Roundup Made With Vinegar (Rather Than Glyphosate) Is Now Available .

Roundup Made With Vinegar (Rather Than Glyphosate) Is Now Available . Roundup is a pesticide (a weed-killer or herbicide) containing the active ingredient glyphosate. It is a controversial herbicide that is the most heavily used pesticide in the world. And since the introduction of Roundup Ready crops that have been genetically modified to survive repeated Roundup applications, the use is only increasing on farms. Several posts here, here, and here have discussed research and controversies with Roundup, and the numerous health concerns (including that it is a "probable carcinogen"), as well as the residues that are in our food (and allowed to be there). A new product called Roundup, but containing acetic acid instead of glyphosate, is now available at garden centers in Austria. The product is called Roundup AC is being manufactured by Scotts (the name is licensed from Monsanto), and it uses 10% acetic acid in place of glyphosate. To use ordinary vinegar as a weed-killer: Use on a hot sunny dry day. Just spray or pour some on the offending weeds - and whatever the vinegar touches will soon die. Unfortunately the weeds may come back after a week or two (the root systems may not be killed off) - so just reapply vinegar. Or can make the effects of the vinegar stronger by adding one cup salt to a gallon vinegar or a little (a teaspoon or more) dish detergent to the vinegar. Or combine all three ingredients when needing permanent removal of vegetation from an area such as sidewalk cracks or gravel driveways. Roundup Made With Vinegar (Rather Than Glyphosate) Is Now Available .

How to use vinegar as a weed killer.

How to use vinegar as a weed killer.Vinegar is a natural product, usually derived from grain, apples or grapes. It is distilled through a fermentation process. The vinegar you buy is typically labeled at 5% acidity. This means it contains 5% acetic acid, the active ingredient.

 Acetic acid is what makes vinegar a weed killer. Actually, it makes vinegar a plant killer. Acetic acid, from any source, will kill most vegetation because it draws all the moisture out of the leaf.Vinegar can also be used to promote growth of plants in drought regions. It is fast.

 Spraying full strength vinegar on a plant in full sun will often result in a withered, brown plant in only a few hours, for sensitive weeds, or by the next day in tougher plants.  This is because it is non-selective, meaning it might kill everything it touches.


This limits the usefulness of a vinegar weed killer, to the extent that you are able to control over-spray that would get on desirable plants.