Lerato Botha is a young farmer with big ambitions. Coupling her lifelong experience and education in farming with the Farmer2Market programme, Botha’s business is poised for growth both in South Africa and abroad. Lerato is a 25 year old, second generation farmer who has set to build an enduring career in agriculture. Growing up on a farm, she remembers farm
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Fruit and vegetables are an important part of a balanced diet, delivering nutrients to our bodies that can reduce the risk for cancers, obesity, and heart attacks. Yet the production of these foods is often anything but balanced and many people do not have access to these healthy products. The fruit and vegetables sector is one of the biggest and
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Almost 10,000 small and medium holder farmers have increased their maize yield from an average of 1.8 metric tonnes per hectare to 4.5 metric tonnes under the Sustainable Maize Program in the three northern regions of Ghana. Solidaridad West Africa revealed this when the Netherlands Ambassador to Ghana, Mr. Ron Strikker, paid a working visit to two beneficiary communities, Navariwie,
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At Kofiase, a community in the Mampong municipality of the Ashanti Region of Ghana, members of a Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA), are on their way to getting a bumper harvest due to an investment in improved oil palm seedlings. For years, the over 4,000 residents of the community who are predominantly farmers, with about half of the population
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Olam Ghana, a wholly-owned subsidiary of leading food and agri-business Olam International, has launched its locally grown and sourced rice brand – Mama Gold, a premium jasmine rice – to bring more choices to consumers in Ghana. Olam Ghana is collaborating with rice growers and millers in the Volta, Ashanti and Eastern Regions to produce and stock the product. The
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Just less than three years, a young farmer by the name, Kofi Darko who lives at Akrpong in the Eastern region decided to venture into farming. It was not an easy decision to make. Agriculture is generally regarded as a high-risk economic activity in Ghana. Financial institutions are reluctant to offer financial supports given the precariousness of the business. “I
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The manager of Manchester United, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, faced a selection of questions from journalists on Friday morning, in his second pre-match press conference of the week. Following their Wednesday’s 5-0 demolition of RB Leipzig in the Champions League, attention has switched to this weekend’s Premier League clash with Arsenal. It’s a fixture the boss knows all too well from
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The government of Namibia has launched a new self-employment horticulture project to empower youths in the country and create a leeway for jobs in the value chain. Launched in Omaruru, the project seeks to encourage and create employment opportunities for young people to produce crops and vegetables, to enhance the country’s food security. Governor of Erongo, Neville Andre revealed that
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Genetically Modified (GM) crops are crops whose genetic material has been modified through the introduction of a gene from a different organism. Most GM crops have been developed to improve yield through the introduction of resistance to plant pests or of increased tolerance of herbicides. The cultivation of these crops allow for reductions in food prices through improved yields and
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The Ghana Cocoa Awards secretariat has announced for the information of the general public in press release that 82 award nominees have been shortlisted for the 2nd Ghana Cocoa Awards. Here is full release: Accra Ghana (26 October 2020) – From a total of 155 entries received for the 2020 edition of the annual Ghana Cocoa Awards, 82 nominees have
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The World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) is scheduled to receive the COVID Hero special award at the 2020 edition of the Ghana Cocoa Awards slated for November 14 at the plush Kempinski Hotel, Gold Coast City, Accra. The organisation through a collective effort with Global Cocoa and Chocolate companies donated to the tune of US$835,000 to help cocoa farmers and their
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Two new Competitor Analysis reports recently released by the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) indicate that massive untapped foreign market opportunities exist for both Ghanaian chocolate and cashew in-shell exporters desiring to operate at the higher end of the value chain. This comes at a time the Authority is putting in adequate measures to facilitate the doubling of the country’s
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Some cocoa farmers in the Wassa enclave of the Western Region have resorted to proceeds they realise from trading-off portions of their farms to illegal miners in order to maintain their cocoa farms, the MyAimReport has gathered. Sources say the inability of farmers to raise substantial funds during off-seasons to buy farm inputs like fertilisers and fungicides, as well as
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The Paramount Chief and President of Afife Traditional Council, Torgbui Adrakpanya VI, has asked the government to upgrade the Ohawu Agricultural College (OAC) to a fully-fledged University. He said an agricultural University would enhance the training of students to provide the needed human resource base in the sector, increase production, add value to produce, and sustain the interest of the
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In an effort to boost local production of hybrid maize seed to discourage its importation, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) and Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) have released a hybrid maize seed production manual. The 22-page manual was developed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research’s (CSIR’s) Crop Research Institute (CRI), Kumasi and Savanna Agriculture
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Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa commit resources to promote agricultural innovations. This is based on the assumption that rural livelihoods are mainly agricultural and that the innovations will increase agricultural production and household income. As resources come under pressure from growing populations and natural resource degradation, governments and donors want to see that agricultural research and innovation has an impact.
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Vegetable production, tomato production in particular, is an important source of income for many smallholder farmers in Zambia. It can provide them with gross margins that are much higher than maize, the dominant field crop. But these higher returns come with nearly ubiquitous crop loss risks from pests. Two commonly reported pests are bollworms and nematodes. These can dramatically reduce
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Members of the World Cocoa Farmers Organisation (WCFO) in the Wassa Amenfi East District of the Western Region have called on the government to intensify its fight against illegal Mining in Cocoa growing areas. According to them, the activities of illegal Mining was a major threat to Cocoa production and if not checked, would negatively affect cocoa production in the
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A two-day workshop to sensitise, educate, enlighten and improve understanding of media practitioners on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and Antimicrobial Use (AMU) has ended in Accra. Organised jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) and the Veterinary Services Department (VSD), participants were drawn from the Sunyani and Dormaa Central Municipalities
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Manchester United midfielder Ethan Galbraith has signed a new long-term contract with the club. Galbraith is another product of the club’s outstanding Academy system and was one of eight graduates to make their first-team debut last season. The deal will keep him at United until June 2023, with the option to extend for a further year. Galbraith scored a 97th-minute
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