The role of edible insects in cutting harmful emissions.

The role of edible insects in cutting harmful emissions has been explored severally with different angles and recommendations after the study. A recent research at the university of Edinburgh has added another angle to the study as it has highlighted that eating insects,instead of beef could help reduce the emission linked to livestock. The study showed that by replacing half of the meat eaten worldwide with cricket.meal worms,lab grown meat or imitation meat it will reduce the use of farmland by one third and consequently reduce greenhouse gases. The team also looked at the possibility of using insects in pre-packaged foods. The scientist used data collected by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization and compared the environmental impacts of conventional meat production with those of alternative sources of food. The team at the University of Edinburgh and Scotland's Rural College considered a scenario in which half of the current mix of animal products is replaced by insects, lab-grown meat or imitation meat and found that insects and imitation meat such as soybean-based foods e.g tofu are the most sustainable as they require the least land and energy to produce. The research, published in the journal Global Food Security shows that if global consumption of animal products is reduced by half by eating substitutes such as more insects or imitation meat it will make 1680 million hectares of land available(free) which is equivalent to 70 times the size of the UK. The research further showed that more land could be freed up/saved if the there is a switch from the current animal protein mix to diet with more chicken and eggs as the land needed for production was only marginally higher than that required for insects and imitation meat.

Dengue Fever Outbreak Hits 153 in Mombasa.

Dengue Fever Outbreak Hits 153 in Mombasa.At least 153 people have been affected by dengue fever outbreak in Mombasa, acting county health executive Binti Omara has said. Health experts from both public and private hospitals were on Sunday deliberating on how to contain further spread of the fever. continue

Innovation with mango brings success to farmers.

Innovation with mango brings success to farmers.The key to the Australian mango industry's success it is all about the unmistakable, iconic flavor that is unique to many of the popular varieties that have become household names. The retail value of the mango crop increased by 40 per cent in the past three years — more than double the overall fruit category because of innovation in the industry.The use of the Near Infra-Red (NIR) technology that enables growers to pinpoint the precise optimum harvest window for their crop, regardless of location or variety is the reason for the increase. The study based on consumer feedback shows the minimum benchmarks for dry matter content of fruit is set at 15 per cent for Kensington Pride (Bowen), Honey Gold and Calypso varieties, while R2E2 required 13 per cent. This information is what the NIR technology works with, the NIR shoots the fruit on the tree to get a near infrared reading of the dry weight and with this the farmer decides to pick fruit or leave it on the tree to reach minimum dry matter content. source

Electronic monitoring to determine efficient feed conversion for bulls.

Electronic monitoring to determine efficient feed conversion for bulls. Determining the bull which is the most efficient at converting fodder to beef makes for a better bottom line. When Jonathon Wright's stud bulls stick their head into a feed bin, just how much they eat is being fed second-by-second to a Canadian operation via the internet. This data is then turned around each day in a simple form for Mr Wright to analyse and compare the different bulls.This is part of determining which beasts are the most efficient feed converters at his Coota Park stud at Woodstock, south of Orange in New South Wales. The aim is to identify those animals and breed them The testing of 80 bulls at a time is carried out over 70 days, with weighing at the start and end of the period. Efficient feed conversion a trait that can be passed on within breeds, across breeds there is a big difference in their ability to convert feed. Research has shown that it is a genetic trait that affected feed conversion, a trait that can be passed on from generation to generation. Find a good feed-converting bull and his progeny will be too continue

Farmer devastated to discover lightning strike killed 32 of his dairy cows.

Farmer devastated to discover lightning strike killed 32 of his dairy cows.In Missouri,Springfield farmer Jared Blackwelder Springfield farmer and his wife, Misty, heard some crashes Saturday morning after feeding the dairy cows, they didn't think anything of it. Blackwelder headed back to the pasture to fetch the cows for their evening milking, he walked upon a devastating sight: his 32 dairy cows piled on top of each other, lifeless on the mulch. They had been struck by lightning. A local veterinarian who performed the inspection, confirming lightning killed the cows, told Coday that until now, six was the most he'd ever seen. The cows were most likely grouping up under the trees to protect themselves from the storm. continue

Hello Tractors promoting mechanization.

Mechanization is an essential tool for success in agribusiness as it improves productivity and profits farmers. Farmers need to embrace the role of farm machinery if they are to be successful,but many small scale farmers are yet to imbibe the emerging farming technologies and machinery. Factors, such as the high cost of machines and farmers’ lack of access to finance, make the machinery unaffordable for resource-poor farmers,but hello tractors is promoting mechanization by assisting farmers with needed tractors. Nigeria has one of the largest expanse of uncultivated farmland and with more than half of the population linked to farmers, many of which lack the technology to turn their land into a highly productive asset. 4% of the country’s demand for tractors is being met, leading farmers to under cultivate, plant late and lose profit. Hello tractors created a model of operation which is efficient and cost effect for the farmers. Hello tractors model is instead of giving a farmer a grant to buy one tractor, you make a smart investment into their platform that can deliver a sizable amount of impact for a fairly small amount of money. They also engage local banks and further leveraging the investment to amplify impact. Hello Tractor created a Smart Tractor that is low-cost, versatile and designed specifically for small plots of land. Retrofitted with telematix and GPS, the tractors are also trackable so operators can know their exact location. The company sells the Smart Tractor to individuals who can deliver the tractors when farmers text into Hello Tractor’s virtual cloud. Hello Tractor then pings the service provider and the machine is delivered in less than two weeks. With this highly efficient scheme, Hello Tractor provides a service that is 40 times faster than manual labour and 1/3 the cost. To make sure the To make sure the tractors are community-led and community-owned, the company pairs this innovative technology with innovative financing, working with banks and investors to support farmers becoming tractor owners themselves. As such, the Smart Tractors become a means of improving livelihoods for everyone involved — the farmers and the tractor owners.

Turning Food Wastes to Cheaper Alternatives For Animal Feed.

Food losses and waste converted to animal feed to ensure food security and reduce cost of production. Food waste that are longer suitable for human consumption,off the shelf food can be converted to animal feed however, feed safety should be maintained at all costs. 

 Globally, food waste is rising to 50 percent as developing nations struggle with spoilage while developed nations simply toss edible food away. The crux of the matter actually is that by 2050 there will be about 9 billion people to feed,thus pushing for more food production. 

These waste can be converted to animal feed with the aim to reduce cost of production and boost food security. Foodstuffs become unsuitable for human consumption for different reasons such as production errors leading to broken or intermediate foodstuffs or surpluses caused by logistical challenges of daily delivery, surpluses caused by discontinuation of a food product line, expired products or damaged products in transit.

 Foodstuffs like biscuits, chocolates, pastry, cakes and bread are valuable ingredients for animal diets ,these are sourced from manufacturers and processed as animal feed. The important point to note is that waste from animal products and catering centers are not included in this type of production to ensure food safety. The main ingredients are carbohydrates,sugars with certain vitamins,thus forming a major portion of the feed which translates to low cost of production. 

 The processed feed are easily digestible, making the needed nutrients available easily to the animals which results in weight gain. There is efficient feed conversion ratio making animals reach market size fast. The type of waste will depend on the animal you intend to feed ,but basically pigs,cattle,goats benefit. 

The high cost of feed has also pushed farmers to the extreme,thus implementing new feeding methods. A farmer recently shifted to candy,chocolate and cookies for his dairy cattle and has recorded increase in weight, milk production and healthy animals. read