New meningitis bacteria research could hold key to developing improved vaccines.

New meningitis bacteria research could hold key to developing improved vaccines. Meningococcal infections are the most common cause of bacterial meningitis in the United Kingdom, a life-threatening disease that poses a continuing threat worldwide. With growing fears around the increase of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, understanding why certain strains don’t respond to vaccines could prove vital in helping reduce the number of global deaths from the disease. Kingston University London scientists have completed the genome sequence for a deadly strain of the bacteria that causes meningitis and – a breakthrough which could lead to improved vaccines to help prevent its spread. New meningitis bacteria research could hold key to developing improved vaccines,read

How to recycle grey water for use in agriculture.

Recycling grey water to conserve water is much more efficient than harvesting rainwater. Grey water is the water that is used and discarded in daily functions like bathing and washing clothes while water that is dispensed to sewage from toilets is called black water. The grey water that can be safely used for recycling is that which comes from washing machines and bathroom sinks as water from kitchens has a higher component of grease and this make it unsuitable. Studies have shown that grey water has only 1% of contaminants which can be easily removed,thus recycling is a far more efficient system of conserving water than rainwater harvesting. This recycling can be used in agriculture to grow crops and even as drinking water,this will be a type of closed system to ensure continuous water for irrigation of plants. more

Farmer feeds fish with cassava peels and makes millions.

Farmer feeds fish with cassava peels and makes millions. Evangelist Peter Ododa, owner and proprietor of an agricultural company called New Life Farms Agriculture Nigeria Limited based in Angwan Jikwoyi, New Karu, Nasarawa State. The 54-year-old started farming with N6,000 about four years ago with a pond and a small hut. Today, he is the proud owner of 48 ponds within the farm land and also owns a plantation that is about two and half hectares where he grows guava, banana, plantain, cassava, maize and other crops. The mission of this farmer is to prove that nothing is a waste in this world. The farmer feeds his chicken and fish with various waste food items; for fish, he uses rejected bread, palm kernel, soya bean chaff, Barbara nut, cassava peel, rice chaff to mention but a few. He has also explored other waste products to produce fish feeds in such a way that in four to five months they grow very big. The fishes thrive well on these waste products ,and after feeding for two to five months, their weights were between 2-3kg which he sold and made a lot of money. This is how ,read

Cross River partners South Africa in agriculture, tourism development.

The Cross River State government has announced its partnership with the North West Province of South Africa to develop agriculture and tourism sectors. Governor Ben Ayade disclosed this yesterday in Calabar, while addressing the Mafikeng delegation that was in the state for a three-day working visit. He explained that the partnership would also include the implementation of the recommendations on mass production of yellow maize and livestock farming, particularly poultry.Cross River partners South Africa in agriculture, tourism development. New innovations and strategies are needed to feed the ever growing population,such as this The governor explianed that the state state would go into the full production of not only yellow maize, but barley and hops to make alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. There are also plans to establish a brewery industry and produce animal feeds, through an irrigation process to be supported by the Cross River Basin Development. more

Poultry allowed back outside but threat of avian flu not over yet .

Poultry keepers in the South West will be able to let their birds outside again this week, after months of emergency housing restrictions to halt the spread of avian flu. Since December last year, farmers have been ordered to keep their poultry inside to protect them from the highly infectious H5N8 strain of avian flu, which has been found in wild and farmed birds during that time. But from Thursday, free range birds across the country will be allowed outside again, following updated evidence on the risk posed by wild birds.Poultry allowed back outside but threat of avian flu not over yet ,more

New Law Compels Zimbabwe Banks to Accept Cows as Collateral.

New Law Compels Zimbabwe Banks to Accept Cows as Collateral.Commercial banks in Zimbabwe will soon be compelled to accept livestock such as cattle, goats and sheep as collateral for cash loans to informal businesses under a new law presented to parliament Tuesday. Under the Movable Property Security Interests Bill tabled for debate by Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa in the House of Assembly, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe will compile and administer a collateral-security register in which small-business operators and individuals can register their movable assets as security for credit. Vehicles, television sets, refrigerators, computers and other household appliances will become acceptable as collateral once they are evaluated and registered in the central bank’s register, according to Chinamasa. New Law Compels Zimbabwe Banks to Accept Cows as Collateral,more

Farmers Reap Richer Harvest with Futures.

: Thousands of farmers have started using commodities futures to get better prices for their produce, in line with PrimeMinister Narendra Modi’s recent call that such bourses should help cultivators, not speculators. India’s largest farm futures bourse said, 30,500 small farmers had for the first time used the futures market through farmer producer organisations (FPOs) to sell their produce at much higher rates than what agents at mandis used to offer them. NCDEX has, for the first time, managed to get 30,500 small and marginal farmers out of 1.62 lakh registered last year to deliver around 12,000 tonnes of produce on the exchange platform through FPOs. FPOs from Maharashtra, Rajasthan, MP, Bihar and Gujarat have tendered crops such as maize continue