‘In Cameroon and Brazil they are already adding 20 percent cassava flour to their bread, only Nigerian factor is stopping Nigeria.’

Pastor Segun Adewunmi

Pastor Segun Adewunmi is the president  of National Cassava Association. In this interview on AIT Business Economy, spoke on the various uses of cassava as an industrial and food crop; in terms of food security and as biofortified crop because it is versatile (it can grow in several climatic conditions including areas that experience prolonged dry spells); how commercialization of high value products from it can be done at a small scale, with high quality cassava flour being the main product traded; that cassava has some major industrial products which are also  raw materials in the manufacture of some products; and finally, the possibility of cassava  triggering a revolution with nearly all parts of Nigeria can have industries based on the crop. Excerpts:

Preserving Pollinators in Kenya

Pollinators

Every December to March, Martin Lele gets up before dawn and treks into the Mau Forest of Eastern Kenya. He and other members of the Ogiek tribe, a community indigenous to the forest, are going to harvest honey from log hives they hang in the trees.

Rwanda: New Disease Resistant Cassava Varieties to Be Multiplied

cassava farmer

Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB) says that about 20 million cuttings of new cassava varieties are expected to be multiplied on 1000hectares during season 2017A (started in September) and 1000hectares in 2017B (starts in February).

Tanzania: Cashew Farmers Pocket 2.6 Billion

cashew

Cashew nut farmers from five villages in Lindi Region have pocketed 2.6bn/- from Mnolela Primary Society in the region after selling their produce in three auctions this year.

GES fingerlings distributed to FCT farmers die

Mohammadu Buhari

As another GES is about to commence, the Federal Capital Territory( FCT)Fish Farmers Association  has sent a caution to the Government to learn from the past experience where all the fingerlings input distributed to three thousand members during the last administrations was a fraud to the national food security as all of them died on arrival.

Food Sustainability Media Award to Highlight Food System Paradoxes, Propose Solutions

Food System Paradoxes

The Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition (BCFN) and the Thomson Reuters Foundation announced in early December the launch of a Food Sustainability Media Award to increase the public’s awareness of food sustainability issues worldwide, find solutions, and encourage action. The award will recognize excellent professional and up-and-coming journalists from around the world who have focused their reporting on topics relating to food security, sustainable agriculture, and nutrition. Applications for the award will open January 9, 2017.

GES: Suppliers demand payment as FG embarks on inputs distribution

Chief Audu Ogbeh

The concluded arrangement of the Federal Government (FG) to finally embark on Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) inputs’ distribution of improved seeds and fertilizers to farmers for the 2016 dry season farming may have been stalled as suppliers have insisted on the settlement of outstanding bills before they would release any products to agro dealers for onward transfer to the rural areas of need, towards achieving the  government’s effort to increase food production.

As Nigerian Environment Minister becomes Deputy UN Secretary General

 Nigerian Environment Minister becomes Deputy UN Secretary General

HOMEF sees the appointment of Amina Mohammed, the Minister of Environment of Nigeria as the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, as a validation of her clear focus and universal commitment to the common good – and especially to the environment.

Africa: Pharmacist - When Soft Drinks Harm Softly

soft drinks

The festive season is here and there'll be parties everywhere. One important aspect of every party is the drinks. You can be sure that people will be guzzling down bottles of Soda on Christmas and New Year.

Ethiopia: Center Discovers New Crops, Animal Feed Species

Animal Feed Species

The new varieties could improve production and productivity.The Bako Agricultural Research Center announced that it has submitted its research findings of nine varieties of improved crops and animal fodder species to the National Species Endorsing Committee.