Nelly Bassily | July 28, 2014
Farm Radio Weekly has a new trial resource for you: Farmer news briefs. These are stories from across the continent which have been adapted from print or online sources and are suitable for use in your regular farm radio program. Read them, edit them, broadcast them, localize them, or simply use them as background info. Want more details? Click the link under the story to see the original article.
Please let us know what you think. Do you want to see Farmer news briefs in Farm Radio Weekly on a regular basis? Email us at farmradioweekly@farmradio.org
1-Tanzania: Researchers urge farmers to adopt intercropping and organic fertilizer
Agricultural experts from Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Mozambique and Malawi came together recently in Arusha, Tanzania, at a meeting organized by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, or AGRA.
There was general agreement that in order to increase yields, small-scale farmers in sub-Saharan Africa need to embrace farming systems that include intercropping and organic fertilizers.
AGRA Tanzania Project Coordinator Stephen Lyimo says intercropping improves productivity and profitability while organic fertilizers improve soil fertility.
To read the full article, go to: http://www.coastweek.com/3727-agriculture-02.htm
2-Ethiopia: Seed banks increase farmers’ options
Small-scale farmers in Ethiopia are benefiting from seed banks in community-based training centres across the country. The most recent to open is in the Oromia region.
There are now 18 seed banks spread across Ethiopia’s Oromia, Amhara and Southern regions. Farmers can source and plant a greater variety of seeds from these banks, which also serve as training centres for local farmers, including women, on beekeeping and horticulture.
The community centres also provide farmers with greater access to information to combat the effects of climate change. Ethio-Organic Seed Action and the Ethiopian Institute of Biodiversity plan to expand the seed banks into more areas of the country.
To read the full article, go to: http://www.trust.org/item/20140704110845-bjkc6
3-Uganda: Refugees and asylum seekers prosper
Many of the 387,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers in Uganda have been able to find enough work to support themselves and their families. This is helping to relieve the burden on humanitarian services in the country.
Most live in refugee settlements where they can farm and earn a living, although many have relocated to Kampala and other parts of the country.
A research team from Oxford University’s Humanitarian Innovation Project found that 78 per cent of refugee households in Kampala no longer receive assistance from the UNHCR or other agencies. In refugee settlements, 17 per cent of households receive no assistance.
To read the full article, go to: http://www.irinnews.org/report/100284/refugee-economies-the-ugandan-model