A million tons can meet the cassava needs of 22 million Africans."
.
New model farming - African Business Magazine. Social enterprises and multinationals are trialling new models to link smallholder farmers to inputs and markets in order to transform Africa’s agricultural economies. If political rhetoric was rainfall, Africa’s agricultural economies would be thriving. 2014 was the African Union’s year of agricultural development. At the AU’s Malabo Summit, national governments reaffirmed their decade-old commitment to assign 10% of their national budgets to agriculture — a commitment that only 10 countries had actually achieved. There are variations between African nations, but between 60-70% of the continent’s workforce depends on agriculture. Most work on small plots. The average farm size in sub-Saharan Africa is 2.4ha, compared to 178.4ha in the United States and 111.7ha in Latin America.
Smallholders account for around 80% of Africa’s food supply and the vast majority of cocoa and coffee production, two economically significant cash crops. Increasing Productivity in African Agribusiness. Growing Africa's Agriculture. Sagcot - Tanzanie │Forum 100 innovations pour l'Afrique. Growing Africa’s Food Markets. Wheat ancestor sequencing could bolster modern harvests.
An international consortium of public and private partners plans to sequence the genome of wild emmer, an ancestor of modern wheat. The nutrient-rich wheat could yield ideas to address global hunger by making modern wheat varieties healthier and hardier, scientists from the group say. “Wild emmer wheat can be naturally crossed with domesticated wheat, hence it is a potential source for wheat improvement.”
Assaf Distelfeld, Tel Aviv University, Israel Wild emmer is the progenitor of today’s durum and bread wheat varieties. It was one of the first crops to be domesticated during the dawn of agriculture, around 10,000 years ago in the Middle East. “Wild emmer wheat can be naturally crossed with domesticated wheat, hence it is a potential source for wheat improvement,” says Assaf Distelfeld, a wheat geneticist at Tel Aviv University, Israel, and lead researcher in the project.
Sequencing wild emmer wheat could assist efforts to improve the quality and yields of modern varieties, he says. Photosynthesis upgrade proposed to raise crop yields. Is Africa the Next Big Thing? Emma Hancocks, Promar International:Is Africa the Next Big Thing? In recent years, it has been clear to see how changes in the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) countries have had an effect on the global economic and agricultural sector.
The rate at which these countries’ economies grew for much of the last 10 years, was never going to be able to maintained forever, so now is the time when growers/exporters and processors are beginning to look to the future to see what will be the next set of influencers. Added to this, there is still concern over the future of the Euro zone region and the Middle East is still subject to wider geo political tensions. As a result, among those markets being actively considered is Africa, and with good reason. Take a look at some of the facts:The Economy in AfricaThe Continent of Africa itself is huge and made up of 54 diverse countries, with a total population of 1.2 billion currently.
Source: FAO Stat. L'Afrique souhaite développer ses pêcheries. Land grabbing : ces États qui mettent la main sur les terres des autres. Face aux tendances globales à l’épuisement des ressources, de nombreux États font la même analyse : il faut se presser de saisir les terres productives dans d’autres parties du monde. Ce n’est pas que la Chine qui a ainsi acquis des pans entiers de pays africains, c’est aussi la France, le Royaume-Uni, les Etats-Unis, d’autres pays européens et des pays du Moyen-Orient. Mégatendances – Malthus avait-il raison ? Les pressions s’accumulent : une population mondiale prévue de dépasser 9 milliards de citoyens d’ici 2050, contre 7 milliards aujourd’hui et 3 milliards en 1950.
L’utilisation de ressources naturelles a été multipliée par 10 en un siècle. La demande mondiale en énergie et en eau est aussi prévue d’augmenter, respectivement, de 30 % et 40 % au cours des 20 prochaines années. Sur la même période, la quantité de terres arables disponible diminuera de 1,5 % par an et par personne, toujours selon la FAO, si des politiques appropriées ne sont pas mises en oeuvre. Un paysage au Kenya. Rise of African superfoods. Rise of African superfoods From kale to quinoa to goji berries, more and more of us are constantly on the lookout for ways to eat ourselves healthy. But as the search for the so-called "superfoods" intensifies, many health food fanatics are now increasingly turning to nutrient-packed products originating from Africa. The latest craze is the baobab -- known as "Africa's superfood," the sugar-free fruit is making its way into the mainstream thanks to its high levels of antioxidants, calcium, vitamin C and potassium.
But it's not just the baobab. For millennia, the continent's fertile lands have provided a bountiful supply of indigenous plants for food and medicine. Harnessing years of shared knowledge passed down through the generations, savvy foodies with an eye for business are now using local produce to create healthy dishes -- and make a fortune in the process. Click here to continue reading at kspr.com. Africa becoming a leading herb producer. Africa becoming a leading herb producer "Herb cultivation in Africa has the potential to become a world-leading sector," assures Willem Kea, of Greenfresh. His company has been importing herbs from Africa for many years. The continent, according to Willem, offers several major advantages, including scale and a stable climate. Over the past five years, Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia have all registered a significant growth.
In the coming years, Willem expects demand for herbs to further consolidate. Large acreage Prices are not the most important competitive advantage of African herb growers, explains Willem, but especially the climatic conditions and scale. Climate and MRLs Kenya has a stable climate with spring-like weather and colder nights. To reduce the use of crop protection products, African herbs are also grown in greenhouses. Trade with Africa entails no problems. Africa's share on the rise "The share of different suppliers varies per season," explains Willem. There is war over Genetically Modified foods, but they might just 'save' Africa. OVER five decades ago, the world experienced a striking breakthrough in agriculture, the Green Revolution. This saved at least a billion lives from starvation in Asia and Latin America and included the development of high-yielding varieties of cereal grains, expansion of irrigation infrastructure, and the distribution of hybridised seeds, synthetic fertilisers, and pesticides to farmers.
Africa missed this boat. But a new, albeit very controversial controversial, opportunity has presented itself in the form of genetically modified (GM) foods in recent years. Genetic modification refers to techniques used to manipulate the genetic composition of an organism by adding specific useful genes. These useful genes could make crops high-yielding, disease resistant or drought-resistant - all particularly useful traits considering a third of Africa’s population lives in drought-prone areas and that there are an increasing number of mouths to feed.
Low tech levels in farming Maize Cassava Cow Pea. Top Five Most Promising African Countries For Agribusiness Investments. Top Five Most Promising African Countries For Agribusiness Investments Agribusiness is one of Africa’s most promising industries. Despite the fact that the industry receives little to no attention from mainstream investment channels such as banks and private equity firms with the exception of microfinance organizations.
The shunning away of substantial investments into the African agribusiness industries is due in large part to the following factors: The majority of African countries don’t have a good track record in agribusiness. The majority of workers in the African agribusiness industry have not passed the primary level education. Agribusiness policies enacted by the government keep changing with each successive elected government. Despite the above-stated challenges among others, the African agribusiness industry is far from achieving its full potential. Côte d’Ivoire Related: Zambeef CEO, gives tips on running a successful business in Africa. Ethiopia Tanzania Honorary Mentions. Putting more food on Africa's table -- with a little help from science and other clever things.
LAST year Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, invested $1 billion into rice production in Nigeria. This new investment is in support of the Nigerian Government’s plan to attain food sufficiency and become a net-exporter of rice by 2015. Rice is crucial to Nigeria food security - 84% of Nigerian households consume rice yet the country has a rice import bill currently exceeding $2 billion, which has the potential to deplete the country’s foreign currency reserves. Today the country not too far behind it’s 2015 target and Dangote’s investment will serve to bolster these efforts. Nigeria has currently achieved 80% self-sufficiency in paddy rice production and, in 2013, added seven million metric tonnes of paddy rice to the domestic food supply.
Food production is a very real concern in Africa. North Africa will however fare better with the Middle East and Northern Africa region able to satisfy 83% of total food demand, at it’s current total factor productivity rate. Government policies. Africa has an astonishing food waste problem--this is what one group is doing about it.
EVEN though sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the highest prevalence of undernourishment, affecting about one in four people, between 30% to 40% of food produced on the continent for human consumption is lost or wasted. Earlier this month, this concern brought together hundreds of residents in Nairobi for the continent’s first “Disco Soup” - an international grassroots movement to raise awareness of food waste in the hope that this can be rolled back in a continent that suffers in the midst of plenty. Organised by Marah Koeberle, a resident with a background in the food industry, the volunteer-led event in Kenya focused on food waste—what is rejected due to the cosmetic standards of European supermarkets.
This is basically food that was not the right size or shape, or simply unattractive. In Kenya alone, horticultural companies claim that they waste on average between 15-35% of their crops because of the high specifications on appearance by European Union supermarkets. ARSO to boost trade in Africa’s agro-sector. Stories by Charles Okonji The African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO) has declared its commitment to revolutionise Africa’s agriculture, especially by making the trade sector more profitable and globally competitive. A statement by media aide to ARSO president, Dr Joseph Odumodu, pointed out that across Sub-Saharan Africa, agriculture accounts for three-quarters of employment and one third of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), maintaining that for very poor households, agricultural development is not only a defence against hunger but also acted as an income generation venture nearly four times more effectively than growth in any other sector.
“These circumstances help to explain why agricultural development is such a powerful tool for reducing poverty in Africa and eliciting economic development,” ARSO added. <div class="disqus-noscript"><a href=" Africa’s Economy Is Rising. Now What Happens to Its Food? For decades, the economies of Africa were the world’s economic laggards. They aren’t anymore. Over the last decade, Africa’s per capita income has grown at a rate nearly identical to that of the rest of the world. It’s reasonable to imagine that the continent is in the early stages of a trajectory that could mimic that of Latin America or, more ambitiously, parts of Asia. With the world experiencing one of the greatest extended reductions in poverty on record, Africa has finally become part of the story.
A middle class is beginning to develop in West Africa, from Ghana and Nigeria down to Angola. Some severely poor countries, like Ethiopia and Liberia, are at least making rapid progress. Along with Africa’s economic stirrings come many of the same questions that have confronted the rest of the developing world. Will the economic growth prove lasting and broad enough to end the continent’s tragic famines? Photo There is a fascinating tension in this focus on food. Why we must invest in local food storage in sub-Saharan Africa | Guardian Sustainable Business. We often associate the term “food loss” with spoiled food in our kitchen fridges or overflowing bins behind restaurants. However, when we look at developing regions, food loss has more to do with grain slowly spilling from an aging truck as it bounces around on pothole-marked roads on its way from farm to market.
Post-harvest food losses are particularly high in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where a third of all food produced is lost before it reaches the marketplace (pdf). Grains and oilseeds are one of the main staples in SSA, representing the basis for food security for most of the population. According to data supplied by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 30m tonnes of grains and oilseeds are lost each year in SSA (pdf). Farmers’ productivity could also increase: their incomes will rise, and this in turn allows for investments into inputs such as fertiliser and seeds needed to boost food production. Unsurprisingly, such investments will incur costs. Afrique Asie. Oil prices skid, but Africa's spice trade sees a boom with black pepper the star.
AS falling commodity prices threaten to cast a dark shadow on Africa’s economic prospects, there is one group of producers that is striking it rich – farmers of spices such as pepper, cloves, turmeric, chillies and ginger. Over the past few years, rising demand from an increasingly consumerist middle class in Asia has pushed prices to the roof – black pepper, for example, reached an all-time high in June, and is currently trading around $9 per kg, up from $2 per kg a decade ago. White pepper has seen a threefold rise, from $4 to $13 per kg. The ratio of global pepper stockpiles to consumption now stands at less than 10%, down from 75% in 2004, according to this report by Bloomberg.
In Africa, Madagascar is the leading producer of spices such as cloves, vanilla and pepper, all of which have seen a strong rise in demand in the global market. But these haven’t always been the spice kings. The vanilla story Despite rising global demand, farmers haven’t exactly reaped the rewards of the boom. The Reporter - English Edition - Sub-Saharan Africa face decline in soil fertility. Empirical assessment of Sub-Saharan Africa’s soil fertility has confirmed that the region faces a significant decline in soil fertility, which could further aggravate food insecurity if no appropriate action is taken.
The finding of the assessment has been the point of discussion at a regional workshop, conducted in Nairobi, Kenya last week. The workshop, with a theme “Advancing Integrated Soil and Water Management for Climate-Adapted Land Use in Low-Fertility Areas of Sub- Saharan Africa”, was organized by the United Nations University Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES), in partnership with the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA), World Agro forestry Centre (ICRAF) and Technische Universitat Dresden, Germany. The objective of the workshop was to discuss and develop a joint research project across the Sub-Saharan African region to help mitigation of impact of climate change on soil fertility.
Agency reports record cereal crop as Ebola, conflict threaten food security. Dirty deeds: Soil degradation costs African farmers $68 billion yearly. African countries import $25bn worth of food yearly –AfDB President. Wisconsin Ag Connection - National/World News - African Development Bank to Fund Seed Companies in 11 Countries. Relance agricole : pas de débouchés pour la moitié de la production africaine. Africa will help feed 9 billion by 2050. Contract Farming in Africa Increases Productivity, Reduces Post-Harvest Loss. Report: Sub-Saharan Africa Farm Yields 70-90% Below Potential. Big Biotech's African seed takeover. Africa: Game changer for global food security. Africa: The World's Next Bread Basket.
THE NEW SCRAMBLE FOR AFRICA. 'Super bananas' may save millions of lives in Africa. Smallholder impact and risk metrics: A Labyrinth of opportunity - News - This is Africa. PrivateSector_2.indd - 11597971_Market_Study11597971_.pdf. Africa to attract $880bn in agriculture investment by 2030 | Africa Asset Management. Project releases disease-resistant cassava plantlets - SciDev.Net Sub-Saharan Africa. Higher demand, price recovery to bode well for sub-Saharan African sugar producers. Agribusiness to boom in Africa - Business - thecitizen.co.tz. The African green revolution at the tipping point -- ScienceDaily. Nitrogen fixation helps double some African farm yields. Scientists developing techs to tackle low-quality rice - SciDev.Net Sub-Saharan Africa. Positive outlook for the livestock sector in Africa. Africa Can Help Feed Africa: Removing Regional Barriers to Trade in Food Staples.
Agriculture - Microsites. AFRICA NEWS ROOM du 30/05/13 - Afrique - Les grands projets d'irrigation - partie 1. INSIDE AFRICA: Nutrition For Growth - Farm Radio Malawi Boosts Agriculture! Positive outlook for the livestock sector in Africa. Huile de palme : l'Afrique contre-attaque. Africa Investor - Ai News. USDA Aims To Grow White Rice With All The Nutrients Of Brown Rice. Green shoots for Sub-Saharan agriculture — HSBC Global Connections. Africa’s Agribusiness Industry Continues to Attract Private Equity. Why Africa Can Feed Itself—and Help Feed the World Too. New technology for African livestock farmers. FAO says rice production outpacing consumption. Average rice yield in sub-Saharan Africa jumped 30% African breeding of native orphan crops emphasized. En Afrique, les marchés de l’agriculture et de l’agroalimentaire pourraient représenter 1 000 milliards de dollars en 2030. Africa’s rising food imports. Exploring Market Opportunities for African Smallholders - ib22.pdf.
La FAO veut aider 5 000 agriculteurs africains à exporter leurs produits bio. Rice production in sub-saharan Africa rises to a 30% average. Invest Africa Episode 21: Agriculture. Why agriculture hubs are the best way to grow African farming. African farmers could soon grow virus-resistant cassava. Overview of the World Cotton Sector and Opportunities for Sub-Saharan Africa - 120516_Rice_Value_Chain_in_7_BMGF_Focus_Countries_v4-1.pdf.
Grow_Africa_Booklet_Jan2013.pdf. NVA_Grow_Africa_Brochure. Grow_Africa_Investment_Forum_Report_Public1.pdf. Why Invest in Africa's Agriculture. The Acacia Project- helping fight poverty in Africa. Investing in Africa's Agricultural Future. Modernization of the African agriculture- and food industry : Adaptation to climate change. Africa at a farming crossroads, but can it meet the challenge? | Columnists. Agroalimentaire _ L'énorme potentiel du marché africain. Untitled - africa-agribusiness-report-2013.pdf. Six companies investing in African agribusiness, and what we can learn from them. Grow Africa | Accelerating investments for sustainable growth in African agriculture.
Rice_Production_Policy_Implications_Fatunbi.pdf (application/pdf Object) Africa Investor - Ai News. 1755961_5_7705_huile-de-palme-la-multiplication-des_6c1a37e0deceb0710b2e135dc6794d51.jpg (JPEG Image, 534 × 867 pixels) - Scaled (69%) The Industrialisation of Africa’s Smallholder Agriculture. Food businesses are set to surge in Africa. Agriculture Investment Opportunities & Challenges in Africa - Part 1. Homepage | ACFEX. Watch Realizing the agricultural potential of inland valleys in sub-Saharan Africa : Phase 2 launched | AfricaRice Video Podcasts Episodes. Agricultural R&D: Investing in Africa’s Future—Analyzing Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities.
Want to invest in African agribusiness? Nine specific opportunities. Experts: Africa Needs More Farmers, Not Aid. Aicd-background-paper-9-irrig-invest-summary-en.pdf (application/pdf Object) Daily chart: How to feed a planet. Private equity firm sees opportunity in South Sudan agriculture.