african farming july august 2014

July/August 2014

Europe m14.50 - Ghana C1.3 - Kenya KSH150 - Nigeria N200 - South Africa R18 - UK £9 - USA $15

ServingAGRICULTURE

for

3434YEARS

Managing fogging operations in a citrusplantation. P34

Livestock healthTsetse fly genome breakthrough

Tea farmersPioneering training programmes

Kitoko Food Improving food security in DR Congo




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Managing Editor: Zsa Tebbit

Editorial and Design team: Bob Adams, Hiriyti Bairu, Andrew Croft, Prashanth AP, Ranganath GS,Rhonita Patnaik, Nicky Valsamakis, Louise Waters and Ben Watts

Publisher: Nick Fordham

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Magazine Sales Manager: Richard RozelaarTel: +44 (0) 20 7834 7676, Fax: +44 (0) 20 7973 0076 email: [email protected]

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Head Office: Middle East Regional Office:Alain Charles Publishing Ltd Alain Charles Middle East FZ-LLCUniversity House Office 215, Loft 2A11-13 Lower Grosvenor Place PO Box 502207London SW1W 0EX, United Kingdom Dubai Media City, UAETelephone: +44 (0) 20 7834 7676 Telephone: +971 4 448 9260 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7973 0076 Fax: +971 4 448 9261E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]

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US Mailing Agent: African Farming & Food Processing USPS. No. 015-224 is published six times ayear for US$90 per year by Alain Charles Publishing Ltd, University House, 11-13 Lower GrosvenorPlace, London, SW1W 0EX, UK Periodicals Postage Paid at Rahway, NJ. Postmaster: send addresscorrections to: Alain Charles Publishing Ltd, c/o Mercury AirfreightInternational Ltd, 365 Blair Road, Avenel, NJ 07001.ISSN: 0266 8017

CONTENTS

ContentsNews and Events 4A topical digest of news, views and events including Farmers’ Calendar.

Poultry 11The poultry industry is actively working to improve animal welfare and public perceptions.

Livestock 16Tsetse fly genome breakthrough brings hope for African farmers.

Palm Oil 18Wilmar International has agreed to ensure that the palm oil it supplies will not result in anyadditional loss of rainforests.

Conservation Agriculture 20With the high cost of farm operations, farmers in some parts of Kenya are adopting a newconcept - conservation agriculture. It is cost effective and easily available.

Cereal Processing 24Processing cereal grains feed dairy cattle.

Kepler Weber’s Agribusiness Seminar 26African farmers must adopt modern farming and grain storage techniques to boost food.

Micro Irrigation 28Physical and chemical blockage of micro-irrigation systems.

Fogging Equipment 32Fogging technology is extremely versatile, but farming is one of the biggest markets for fog-making machines.

Tea 36Pioneering training programme helps smallholder tea farmers.

Digital Farming 40A look into the digital farming segment and new market opportunities for the agrifood sector.

Kitoko Food’s goal to improving foodsecurity in DR Congo.

Swingfog’s SN50 for plant protection being used here in acitrus plantation.

Animal welfare is important to the poultry industryworldwide.

July/August 2014

Europe m14.50 - Ghana C1.3 - Kenya KSH150 - Nigeria N200 - South Africa R18 - UK £9 - USA $15

ServingAGRICULTURE

for

3434YEARS

Managing fogging operations in a citrusplantation. P34







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Serving the world of business

www.africanfarming.net African Farming - July/August 2014 3

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African Farming - July/August 20144

EVENTS

SEVERAL LEADING AGRICULTURAL organisations and suppliers haveadded their weight to this year’s African Farmers Workshop and Expo(AFWE) which takes place from 12 to 14 August 2014 at theJohannesburg Expo Centre. Support for the three-day farming expo is onthe rise, with expanding interest from the broad agri-sector, as well asbuy-in from various non-governmental organisations.One of these is the Black African Young Farmers Association (BAYOFA),which aims to increase recognition of young black farmers as key playersin this sector. BAYOFA is a leading voice for advocating sustainableyouth-run agricultural businesses which can meet the demands of an ever-growing market for quality agricultural products and services.International advocacy group ONE is also fully behind AFWE this yearas a partner in the AgriYouth Indaba. ONE is a campaigning andadvocacy organisation dedicated to ending extreme poverty andpreventable diseases, particularly in Africa. The AgriYouth Indaba focuses on empowerment, while challenging andsupporting young people in agriculture.Zoetis, the world’s first independent animal health company, will againmake a strong showing at AFWE as a sponsor and exhibitor. Zoetis willpresent various educational workshops to farmers.Llewellyn Sinclair, group marketing and technical manager at Zoetis, saysthe company will present three workshop slots per day focussing on threemajor species; cattle and sheep, pigs, and poultry. In this way visitors canchoose the workshop that benefits them most. “We need to look after ourfarmers,” explained Sinclair. “Education is a key challenge preventingAfrica from becoming the bread basket it should be. There is a severeknowledge gap – and Zoetis can assist in filling this,” he added.Sponsors for this year’s show include: Mintek, Ithala, Masisizane Fund,Massmart, Mintek, Omnia, Standard Bank, University of Limpopo and Zoetis.

THREE YEARS AFTER its colourful launch in Nairobi, IFTEX isarguably heading to become one of the leading flower trade showsin the world. The event has marked a new record as the fastestgrowing event in the history of international flower trade fairs, evenattracting flower growers from other continents to exhibit.The best grower and best breeder quality competitions were heldthis year under the supervision of the well-known Dutch juror Gerardde Wagt, who was impressed by the quality of flowers that werebrought in for this year’s competitions. IFTEX has given the Kenyaflower industry a different face with renewed worldwide attention.

IFTEX 2014: Flower tornado from Nairobi

Big names on board for African Farmers’ Workshop

AFRICA’S BIG SEVEN (AB7) and theSouthern African International TradeExhibition (SAITEX) represent the singlebiggest food & beverage, and businessopportunities expo, on the Africancontinent. AB7 and SAITEX both took placein June in Johannesburg.

“Exhibitor support for AB7 2014 hasbeen phenomenal, with exhibitors signingup from countries around the world,including Bahrain, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran,Morocco, Poland, Saudi Arabia andUnited Arab Emirates,” said showorganiser John Thomson of ExhibitionManagement Services. “But even moreinteresting is that out of the 30 countries

from where visitors have registered toattend, 27 are in Africa.”

Thomson cited stagnating first-worldeconomies and declining markets as driversfor global companies to explore Africa as

the ‘New Frontier’ for business. And Africa’sBig Seven is the ideal business platform forthe African food and beverage industry.“The ongoing success of AB7 confirms it’san effective business springboard intoAfrica,” he added.

As the African continent’s biggest foodand beverage trade show, Africa’s BigSeven promises more and delivers more.This seven-in-one expo showcasedthousands of food, beverage andequipment products in hundreds ofcategories, from 300 local andinternational exhibitors. AB7 delivers newsuppliers, new customers, new products,new markets and new opportunities.

One-on-one interaction is a hallmark of visiting AB7 and SAITEX.

www.africanfarming.net

AUGUST12-14 African Farmers Expo and Workshop JOHANNESBURG www.africanfarmers.co.za

SEPTEMBER9-10 Africa Food Security Conference NAIROBI www.aidembs.com

29-30 3rd Palm Oil Africa ACCRA www.cmtevents.com

30-1 Oct BCPC Congress 2014 BRIGHTON www.bcpc.org

OCTOBER13-14 African Agri Forum ABIDJAN www.i-conferences.org

16-17 Pals Africa Poultry and Livestock Show 2014 KUMASI www.palsafrica.com

26-29 Agribusiness Forum KINSHASA www.emrc.be

28-30 European-African Business Development Conference 2014 THE HAGUE www.cedarevent.com

29-31 Africa Grain, Pulses and Technologies Congress & Expo ADDIS ABABA www.grainafrica.org

30-31 Aviana Uganda 2014 KAMPALA www.avianaafrica.com

NOVEMBER5 – 6 North West Agricultural Expo JOHANNESBURG www.africanfarmers.co.za

11-14 Eurotier 2014 HANOVER www.eurotier.com

11-16 Apimondia symposium ARUSHA www.apiafrica.org

12-16 Eima International BOLOGNA www.eima.it

18-20 AGRA Innovate Nigeria LAGOS www.informa.com

12-16 Eima International BOLOGNA www.eima.it

DECEMBER2-4 AgroFood West Africa ACCRA www.agrofood-westafrica.com

Farming Calendar

Business opportunities galore at Africa's Big Seven

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African Farming - July/August 2014 5www.africanfarming.net

ZAMBIA WILL IN September this yearestablish a pig genetics farm which will bebreeding stock to the local market and othercountries in the region. The farm, which will befully automated, is expected to supplybreeding stock to other countries such asAngola, DR Congo and Tanzania.

The Zambia National Farmers Union(ZNFU) in a recent brief said thedevelopment was initiated when a team oflocal industry experts from the Ministry ofAgriculture and Livestock and the Unionundertook a visit to a pig genetics farm inSouth Africa to familiarise themselves withthe operations of such a venture.

‘’A pig genetics farm will soon start itsoperations in Zambia. Groundwork hasalready commenced and the farm is expectedto be operational in September 2014,’’ thestatement read in part.

The farm will initially start with a 500 sowunit and is expected to offload more than 200weaners per week to grower farms.

According to ZNFU, the development of apig genetic farm will help resolve the currentproblems faced by many pig farmers whensourcing improved genetics for theirbreeding stock. Nawa Mutumweno

AGRICULTURE REMAINS ONE of the keydrivers for expanding economic development inAfrica, especially for the millions of inhabitantsthat rely on agriculture – directly and indirectly– for their livelihood. The challenges andopportunities in Africa’s agricultural sector willfall under the spotlight at the second AgriBizNizSummit, which takes place on 11 - 12 August atthe Expo Centre in Johannesburg. This is one ofseveral related events forming part of theAfrican Farmers Workshop and Expo.A number of high-level speakers andparticipants have been secured for thefollowing topics: ● Sustainable food production to address

food security in Africa ● SMART farming: Exploring alternative, smart

and new opportunities to feed populationgrowth in cities.

● Grain and poultry imports saturating theconsumer market for South African Farmers.

● The new proposed land bill.● Promoting trade and investment appeal to

drive agribusiness growth - agribusinesstrade opportunities in Africa

● Agro logistics/sectoral developments andopportunities, rail and road infrastructuredevelopments.

● Agro processing investment opportunities.

“This two-day AgriBizNiz Summit enablesdelegates, captains of industry, executives,academics and observers across theagribusiness value chain to engage, networkand debate on critical issues in the agriculturalindustry,” explained Mahlatse Masimini,managing director of Moshate Media,organisers of the event. “In recent years, theimportance of smallholders’ contributions toagriculture has gained increasing recognition,with the Government allocating more than R7bn(US$666mn) towards assisting 435,000subsistence and 54,5000 smallholder farmersover the next three years. The Agri BizNizSummit and the African Farmers Workshop andExpo provide an ideal platform to reach thesemarkets,” added Masimini.

Pig genetic farm set for Zambia AgriBizNiz Summit- addressing agricultural needs

NEWS

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AGRA INNOVATE IS a pioneering new trade event, supported bythe Nigerian Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development,bringing international agricultural technology providers to Lagos tospend three intensive days with key Nigerian dignitaries, policymakers, agribusiness leaders and entrepreneurs. Together, theaudience will identify key business opportunities, technologicalsolutions, share best-practice and form strategic relationships to drivea new period of growth in Nigerian agriculture. Agra Innovate will be the first major international conference andexhibition to address the specific opportunities of the imminentNigerian agricultural boom.

EQUATORIAL GUINEA'S PRESIDENT, Obiang Nguema Mbasogoasked African countries to invest heavily in their agricultural sector todecrease their dependence on the developed world, ensure foodsecurity, and significantly reduce hunger in their countries. He madehis remarks at the closing session of the assembly of heads of state ofthe African Union (AU).President Obiang said that Africa should reorient itself to ensure itsindependence and security of African states through the safe productionof its own consumer goods. “Africa cannot be content to continue with thecurrent dependence on the economies of the developed world. Africa issailing upstream against a dependency that prevents them from movingtoward sustainable development. Africa should rethink its relationship withthe developed world to reduce as far as possible the gap that preventsaccess to development,” said Obiang. “The development of agriculturecan greatly reduce this dependence,” he said. President Obiang proposed to the African Union the establishment ofa programme that focuses on the organisation and exploitation ofmarkets to promote trade and food security and to eradicate hunger,malnutrition and rural poverty. This will also reinforce the fight againstclimate change and agriculture.He said that Equatorial Guinea is already investing in its agricultural sector.“As part of our diversification plan, Equatorial Guinea currently focuses on[agricultural] production to achieve these goals. It is imperative to ensurethe security and stability of our states, since agriculture is the mostvulnerable sector in times of instability, war and terrorism,” said Obiang.

President Obiang asks for greaterinvestment in agricultural sector

Pioneering new trade event in Lagos

African Farming - July/August 20146 www.africanfarming.net

TVH SOUTH AFRICA Pty has been part of the TVH family since 1995.Focusing primarily on the sales of forklift parts, TVH SA became a solidpart of the global TVH network. In 2013, TVH acquired Bepco SouthAfrica and integrated Bepco’s agricultural parts business into its own.The Bepco brand specialises in parts for transmissions, engines, axles,hydraulics, brakes and steering. Product innovation and implementationis key in the company’s goal to be a national one-stop shop.

One-stop shop in South Africa

IN SOUTH AFRICA, South African-Brazilian company Silvapen Groupplans to invest in a US$119mn sugar-to-ethanol plant that will use15,000ha of sugarcane as feedstock. The facility is planned toproduce 1.5mn cubic litres of ethanol in addition to 94MW ofelectricity, of which 84MW will be exported to the grid. Expertsexpect that cane production could reach 100 tonnes per hectarecompared to 80 tonnes in Brazil.

Brazilians to invest in $119mn sugarcane ethanol plant


AFTER DETECTING AN outbreak of stem rust on more than 10,000 haof wheat in southern Ethiopia, a global surveillance network is movingquickly to mobilise a global response. The strain of stem rust was foundto be lethal to a variety of wheat called Digalu, which has gainedpopularity in Ethiopia because it carries resistance to other strains of stemrust and also to yellow, or stripe rust.

"With such widespread planting of Digalu, we have not seen themajor yellow rust outbreaks that were a problem in recent years andmost farmers in Ethiopia have enjoyed bumper crops this season," saidBekele Abeyo, a senior scientist and wheat breeder at theInternational Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). "Butthe widespread planting of Digalu may have opened the door for theincursion of a new and destructive strain of stem rust."

Abeyo explained that wind models indicate the disease couldspread towards Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda. As a result,efforts are underway to identify susceptible varieties beingcultivated in these areas. Officials are already reporting that apopular variety in Kenya, called 'Robin', is likely to be vulnerable,although there have been no confirmed reports of the Ethiopianstem rust strain in Kenya to date.

"The recent stem rust outbreak shows that rust preparedness is anongoing 'arms race'. As pathogens evolve, new varieties must bedeveloped," said Ronnie Coffman, professor of plant breeding andgenetics at Cornell University, and director of the Durable RustResistance in Wheat (DRRW) project. "The East African highlands arehot spots for rust, but for all countries in sub-Saharan Africa - where foodsecurity is such an issue - it is important that we continue to invest in thekinds of agricultural development partnerships that bring results."

CASE IH HAS recentlyexpanded its dealer trainingprogrammes with a Big TractorTraining tailored for the salesforces of its dealer network inSouth Africa.The attendees were providedwith both basic and advancedsessions of commercial trainingwith focus on Case IH high-horsepower tractor offering. They alsohad the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the latest CaseIH tractor technology during in-field tests and practical trainingsessions.The event took place during the last two weeks of June in Delmas,east of Johannesburg, and was organised by Case IH EMEAcommercial training department, in collaboration with the salessupport staff of Northmec, their distributor in South Africa.The local dealership welcomed more than 60 dealerrepresentatives, including sales specialists and managers comingfrom every corner of the country on behalf of Northmec. Adelegation of dealers from other African and Middle East countrieswas also invited and participated in dedicated training sessions.“Having well-trained salespeople always at the top of theirprofession helps our dealers growing in competitiveness andensures that our customers receive the best support for theirbusiness,” said Ozkan Eren, marketing manager for Case IH inAfrica and the Middle East. “Sale force trainings are crucial forour dealers in order to succeed. For this reason, we leverage onthe extensive knowledge and expertise of our EMEA commercialtraining team to provide them the highest quality preparation andtraining programmes.”

Outbreak of stem rust in Ethiopian wheat

Case’s big tractor training initiative in South Africa



NEWS

BENTALL ROWLANDS STORAGE Systems Ltd is a leading UKmanufacturer in complete storage and processing equipmentsolutions for the agricultural and industrial markets. The companyoffers a wide range of galvanised steel silos and hoppers, watertanks, catwalks and platforms, material handling equipment,cleaning, grading and weighing and drying systems that areassembled worldwide.With over a century of experience in the design, quality andinstallation of grain storage systems, the company has developednew technologies that have been applied to the manufacture as wellas the installation of grain storage and processing equipment.Its engineering and technical expertise combined with continuedfocus on customer satisfaction places them in a strong position to

capitalise on the expanding market in storage systems. With thecapabilities to design, manufacture, supply, and install storagesystems from an extensive range of products, Bentall Rowlandsprovide a comprehensive end-to-end solution which can be designedto any specific client’s requirements.As the demand for bulk storage and handling equipment isincreasing worldwide, volumes and competitive pricing in grainhandling charges require efficient solutions. The companymanufactures the right quality of product to produce the efficiencysavings required to justify the investment.Its intention to remain at the forefront of this business sector hasalready been established, with key preferred supplier status beingachieved with major companies throughout the world.

Bentall Rowlands storage

OLAM INTERNATIONAL LTD, a leading agri-business operating across the value chain in 65countries, recently welcomed Nigeria’s PresidentGoodluck Jonathan to inaugurate Olam’s state-of-the-art rice mill at its large-scale pioneering ricefarm in Nigeria’s Nasarawa State.

The integrated rice milling facility issituated at the heart of Olam’s 6,000 hagreenfield irrigated and mechanised paddyfarm, and will provide 36,000 metric tonnes(MT) of milled rice per annum to the domesticmarket, contributing to the FederalGovernment’s goal to improve rice selfsufficiency. With 3,000 ha already undercultivation and a further 3,000 ha to bedeveloped in 2015, the farm is expected toharvest two crops per annum with fourvarieties of high-yield rice developed inpartnership with the West African RiceDevelopment Association.

Together the farm and the mill areexpected to boost smallholder riceproduction in the region through a ‘nucleusand outgrower farming model’. Surroundingrice-growing communities are supported byOlam with training, pre-finance, agri-inputsand marketing linkages in order to improvetheir paddy yields and realisations, which are

then purchased by Olam at a fair marketprice. Currently 3,000 farmers are engagedin the programme, with a target of 16,000 by2018. Ultimately, 20,000 smallholderfarmers will supply 30-40 per cent of themill’s capacity. The commercial farm itselfemploys up to 1,000 workers depending onseasonality, providing another source oftraining in Good Agricultural Practices(GAP). The model was highlighted as acatalytic innovation in African agriculture bythe Rockefeller Foundation in 2013.

Venkataramani Srivathsan, Olam’smanaging director for Africa and MiddleEast, commented: “This mill, commissionedtoday by President Goodluck EbeleJonathan, characterises three importantaspects of Olam’s commitment to theagricultural sector in Nigeria. Firstly, itdemonstrates how large-scale corporatefarms can work hand in hand withsmallholders to help advance Nigeria’sAgricultural Transformation Agenda andgenerate rural prosperity through localprocessing. Secondly, it underlines thecountry’s ability to grow high quality,nutritious rice that can enhance domesticfood security by providing an alternative to

imports. Thirdly, as Olam kicks off its 25thanniversary celebrations this month, thisinvestment is a testament to our ongoingcommitment to Nigeria, the country whereOlam was founded.”

He continued: “As we witness thisinauguration, we are pleased to announce ourplans to increase our acreage in Nasarawa up to10,000 ha. This will bring Olam’s total investmentin the integrated farm and milling facility to morethan US$111,000 (NGN 18bn).”

Attending and presenting the openingspeech at the inauguration, PresidentJonathan remarked: “The private sector isresponding strongly to our rice policy, as thenumber of rice mills has grown from just onethree years ago to 18 today.”

The President further added: “Our goal ofmaking Nigeria a net exporter of rice will beachieved faster by encouraging largecommercial farms that will complement oursmall-scale farmers. Large mechanised ricefarms like Olam’s 6,000-ha farm will not onlyboost food production but also providesignificant opportunities for jobs in ruralareas. These mills are producing high qualitylocal rice that meets international standardsand competes well with imported rice.”

President Jonathan commissions Olam’s integrated rice mill in Nigeria



NEWS

JOHN DEERE HAS been conductingbusiness in South Africa for the past50 years and in November2009 branched out intosub-Saharan Africa and nowsupports customers anddealers in 48 counties.Africa is today a core marketfor John Deere with focusedambitions to unlockmechanisation potential inSub-Sahara Africa.

Lack of access to finance isa major constraint tounlocking the potential of agriculture in Africa. John Deere Financialaims to reduce this constraint. John Deere's dealer infrastructure inAfrica is in key locations so as to be as accessible as possible tocustomers. And who better to trust for your financing than thecompany who built the equipment in the first place. John Deere isrepresented in nine focus African countries with 10 main dealershipsin South Africa and 61 locations across the rest of Africa. John DeereFinancial knows the equipment, how it’s used, and what it means toyour livelihood. “It’s important for customers to understand that we donot offer just straight funding but that we are able to be creative andflexible in order to meet a client’s needs and cash flow.” said JacquesTaylor, managing director John Deere Financial sub-Saharan Africa.”You can take advantage of our flexible payment options, competitiverates, plus a fast and easy application process,” he added.

At John Deere Financial the sole purpose is to help customersinvest in the future success of their business by providing the full rangeof financing for John Deere equipment, including hire purchase,finance lease and rental options.

ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INC has signed a memorandum ofunderstanding with eleni LLC, the leading proponent and developer ofcommodity exchanges in Africa, with a view to establishing a co-operativeframework to promote and accelerate the development of Africa’sagriculture. Albert Essien, Ecobank’s group chief executive, and Dr EleniGabre-Madhin, CEO of eleni, signed the MOU at an official ceremonyheld during the AfDB’s Annual General Meeting in Kigali.The partnership between Ecobank and eleni aims to realise a shared visionto transform Africa’s competitiveness in global commodity markets,enhancing value addition and processing in the domestic economy andenhancing food security. The partnership builds on the synergies betweenEcobank’s unrivalled pan-African presence and its commitment to financialinclusion and eleni’s successful track record of creating and operatingcommodity exchanges in Africa, with projects in Ghana, Cameroon,Mozambique, and Nigeria. Ecobank recently announced that it was akeystone investor in the establishment of the Ghana Commodity Exchange,eleni’s first major foray in West Africa.“As well as increasing market transparency and reducing transaction costs,commodity exchanges play a crucial role in the monitoring and assessmentof risk,” commented Albert Essien, Ecobank’s Group CEO. “Instruments suchas warehouse receipts reduce uncertainty and improve access to financeacross the value chain. We look forward to collaborating further with elenito enhance Africa’s agricultural financing capabilities.”“We are very excited to be working with one of Africa’s leading financialinstitutions, with a solid pan-African focus, as this opens up a tremendousopportunity to establish the leading platform for commodity-related paymentsand transactions across the continent,” concluded Dr Eleni Gabre-Madhin.

ZIMBABWE HAS DEVELOPED a national livestock policy hub hostedunder the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, according to areport by Dr Peter Sinyangwe, regional co-ordinator for the SADCAfrican Union Inter African Bureau for Animal Resources.A national multidisciplinary stakeholders’ consultative meeting inHarare, which drew participants from different backgrounds withvested interests in the livestock sector, agreed on a roadmap andway forward including roles and responsibilities.“The meeting agreed on the terms of references and mandate ofthe policy hub and the national livestock policy focal point,”Sinyangwe said.The initiative will see participation from government ministries, civilsociety, parastatals and private sector organisations as policy hubmembers.Sinyangwe said that through the hub, mechanisms have beenagreed on to link major livestock initiatives to the ComprehensiveAfrica Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) process atcountry level. This will also utilise the African Union-InterafricanBureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) guidelines and tool kit andcheck list for the inclusion of livestock in the CAADP compact andinvestment plans.The initiative is being conducted under the AU vet-gov programmefor reinforcing veterinary governance in Africa. It will see the settingup of national policy hubs in Africa as multidisciplinary platformsbringing together key stakeholders to foster the formulation andimplementation of livestock policies in general and healthlegislations in particular. Wallace Mawire

Finance with the equipment builder

Zimbabwe develops national livestock policy hub Ecobank and eleni join forces for agriculture

CASSAVA AGRONOMY

AND PROCESSING

Small Holder and Big Farms

solution to grinding and packing

COLLIN BULLOCK

http://uk.linkedin.com/in/collinbullockTel +44 13 8050 [email protected]


At John Deere Financial the sole purpose isto help customers invest in the futuresuccess of their business.

S03 AF JulyAug 2014 News 02_Layout 1 7/31/2014 10:15 AM

NEWS


THE MEYN MULTISTAGECO2 stunning system, a co-development with Praxair Inc,offers important benefits. Duringstunning, the birds remain in thedrawer or container, thuscompletely eliminating thehandling and transport of activebirds. This largely reduces risk on injuries to the birds. The closed cabinetconstruction allows for the CO2 concentration to be managed perfectly inevery stage of the process, resulting in a humane stun. Although the stunningcycle is longer than competitor systems, this reduces wing flapping and as aresult reduces the risk of damage to the birds. The system can operate at thehighest capacities in the market, ranking from 1,000 to 13,500 bph.Research shows that using the Meyn multistage CO2 stunning system, youare assured of a higher yield through less trimming loss and less B-gradeproducts. This as a result of the improved quality of the breast fillet, thighsand wings (less blood spots).Furthermore, the system considerably enhances the working conditions ofyour personnel and improves animal welfare conditions, meeting the everincreasing public and consumer demands.

THE SOUTH AFRICAN Poultry Association (SAPA) welcomed thecommitment made by President Zuma, at the State of the Nationaddress on the 17 June 2014 to the agricultural objectives as set outin the National Development Plan. Kevin Lovell, CEO of SAPA, said in aiming for a five per centeconomic growth rate and reducing unemployment, poverty andinequality, it is apparent that the agricultural sector has a key roleto play in helping government to achieve these goals. “As the biggest single contributor to South Africa’s agricultural GDPand responsible for the employment of more than 120,000 people,the local poultry sector continues to feel the effect of high inputcosts, imports and dumping, all of which have had a negative effecton the potential for further expansion and job creation,” said Lovell. “As an association, we have embarked on a series of actions thatwill transform the local poultry industry, promote the cause of theemerging farmer, institute a range of measures to assist smallholderfarmers, and ensure greater access to information, education andresources that will encourage ease of entry to the industry and itsmarkets but also ensure the long-term success and sustainability ofthese new entrants,” he said.

SAPA welcomes commitment to the NDP Stunning system for improved quality and animal welfare

BAYER HEALTHCARE, ANIMAL Health hasfinalised a sole distribution agreement withAshkan Animal Health’s Aviboost andByboost nutraceutical range for the SouthernAfrican region, This includes South Africa,Namibia, Swaziland, Lesotho, Zimbabwe,Botswana and Mozambique. The innovativenutraceutical range developed in SouthAfrica by Eddy Mehta of Ashkan AnimalHealth will be marketed exclusively by BayerHealthCare’s Animal Health group. TheAviboost and Byboost range provide nano-particulate nutrients, quickly and effectively,in a liquid form to the livestock and poultryindustry. Organic minerals coupled withspecifically balanced vitamins, essential

protein precursors and nucleotides deliver areadily available boosted packageenhancing investment return for poultry andlarge animal farmers.

The CEO of Ashkan Holdings commentedthat the four year relationship with Bayernow had a solid foundation while the Bayer’smarketing manager, Dr. Barry Schoombeeemphasised that the only way forward forthis range “was upwards and outwards”emphasising, “The beauty of this range isthat the farmer can immediately alleviateany micro nutrient deficiency syndrome onfarm once identified, reducing the long termimpact on production and profitability”

The agreement includes the exclusive

distribution of Aviboost poultry tonic, theflagship of this range, as well as theinnovative and novel Byboost Scour-Ex forthe treatment of scours in ruminant andmonogastric stock. A combination energiser,Byboost Liquigize, as well as Byboost Kal-Ci-Phos with extra zinc will go a long way toproviding the protein-producing industry ofSouthern Africa with essential immediateresponse tools to alleviate nutrient stressepisodes and enhance investments returns inboth intensive and extensive livestockfarming sectors.

The comprehensive range will be suppliedsolely through Bayer and their logisticpartners UTI.

Ashkan Animal Health/Bayer exclusive distribution agreement

S04 AF JulyAug 2014 Analysis_Layout 1 7/30/2014 3:25 PM

VIV Europe 2014 visitors heard of how the poultry industry is activelyworking to improve animal welfare and public perceptions.

ACONFERENCE ON animal welfare,conducted by Watt Global Media atVIV Europe 2014, drew a diversecrowd and numerous questions from

the audience. It focused on the poultryindustry's role in the implementation of WorldOrganisation for Animal Health (OIE) animalwelfare standards, how genetics companiesbreed for animal welfare, and how a group inGermany is raising consumer awareness of thepoultry industry's commitment to animalwelfare.

Aline Veauthier, from the Science andInformation Centre for Sustainable PoultryProduction, Vechta University, Germany,described the organisation's programme thatopens poultry growing houses to the public innorthern Germany.

She explained that animal welfare groupsand the media were presenting a negative viewof the poultry industry in Germany. To combatthat, the group developed this programme togive full transparency to the public. "We wantthe public informed on modern systems ofmeat production," she said.

Still in its beginning stages, the programmehas hosted more than 4,000 visitors on 24farms, with more than 80 farmers participating.

How the programme worksShe explained how the programme works. "Ingeneral, farm openings take place one Sundayper month, April to October." She explainedthey are careful to choose farms that areadequate distances apart to keep people fromvisiting multiple farms in one day, and theychoose farms with animals of a proper age."Last weekend, we had 300 visitors on two newfarms. We feel the project is an overwhelmingsuccess."

When arriving at the farm, visitors enter atent erected next to a facility. They get generalinformation on poultry farms and arequestioned about their expectations andattitudes prior to the tour. Visitors wearprotective clothing and footwear, andbiosecurity measures are followed.

After the tour, the visitors take a second

survey and the changes of their attitude aretracked. She presented results taken from3,000 visitors on 15 farms.

More than 40 per cent of people taking thesurvey had no previous knowledge of theindustry, and 74 per cent had not seen apoultry house before. The survey showed thattheir impressions of the industry had improved,especially on air quality and dust in thefacilities. She said 81 per cent report positiveimpressions, and 77 per cent now disagreewith the non-governmental organisation(NGO) and media representations of theindustry.

Vincent Guyonnet, scientific advisor for theInternational Egg Commission, gave anoutline of the role of the poultry sector in theimplementation of the OIE animal welfarestandards. The OIE was formed in 1924 tocombat disease risks from trans-bordertransportation of poultry. Since 2001, thegroup has been leading the development ofrecommendations on animal welfare practices,and in May 2013 approved recommendations

for standards with broiler production systems.Regional or national poultry organisations canthen base their regulations orrecommendations on these standards.

"These standards are valuable, but must beapplied and monitored for compliance locally,"said Guyonnet. "There are different methods ofthis in different countries." He used theNational Chicken Council's animal welfareguidelines and audit checklist as an example ofhow this is being done in the United States.

He said industry participation is the key."Studying animal welfare under commercialconditions is critical," said Guyonnet. "Thepoultry sector is co-operating and helping indeveloping OIE standards. The challenge nowis to get training materials and OIE standardsin all countries."

The third speaker, Anne-Marie Neetson-VanNieuwenhoven, vice president of welfare andcompliance for the Aviagen Group, explainedhow animal welfare is one of the major factorsthat genetics companies take into accountwhen developing strains of birds.

"We have a balanced breeding programmefor welfare and sustainability," she said. Sheadded that a very high percentage of the traitsthey select can be traced back to improvedanimal welfare and sustainability. She pointedout that those factors are going to be crucial ifthe industry is going to increase production atthe levels needed to support the increaseddemand for protein in the coming decades. h

Wattagnet.com

Animal welfare importantto poultry industry


POULTRY

Animal welfare is important to the poultry industry worldwide.

Studying animal welfare undercommercial conditions is critical.


A major nutritional problem indeveloping countries is the

biological and chemicalcontamination of poultry feeds,

which may have seriousconsequences.

S05 AF JulyAug 2014 Poultry_Layout 1 7/30/2014 3:28 PM

POULTRY


IN TERMS OF cost, feed is the mostimportant input for poultry production, andthe availability of low-priced, high-qualityfeeds is critical for the expansion of thepoultry industry. For maximum performanceand good health, poultry need a steadysupply of energy, protein, essential aminoacids, minerals, vitamins and, mostimportant, water. Recent advances in poultrynutrition have focused on three main areas:● developing an understanding of nutrient

metabolism and nutrient requirements;● determining the availability of nutrients in

feed ingredients; and● formulating least-cost diets that bring nutrient

requirements and nutrient supply together.

Practical poultry diets are formulated from amixture of ingredients, including cerealgrains, cereal by-products, fats, plant proteinsources, animal by-products, vitamin andmineral supplements, crystalline amino acidsand feed additives. In developing countries,the increasing cost and decreasing supply oftraditional feedstuffs are expected toconstrain the future expansion of poultryproduction. This situation highlights theurgent need to improve utilisation of the widerange of alternative feedstuffs available inthese countries. In many circumstances, feedresources are either unused and wasted, orused inefficiently. The use of most alternativefeedstuffs is currently negligible, owing to

constraints imposed by nutritional, technicaland socio-economic factors. However, unlikeintensive commercial poultry productionsystems, family poultry units and semi-commercial systems are well-suited to theinclusion of these feedstuffs.A major nutritional problem in developingcountries is the biological and chemicalcontamination of poultry feeds, which mayhave serious consequences on birdperformance and the safety of poultryproducts for humans. Of the potentialcontaminants, mycotoxins are the mostwidespread, particularly in hot, humidconditions, and mycotoxin decontaminationmust be a part of feeding strategies.

Poultry and nutrition and feed

INSECTS CAN PROVIDE a sustainable and environmentally-friendlyoption for animal feed, in addition to already being a mainstay of humandiets for two billion people worldwide, FAO assistant director-generalEduardo Rojas-Briales told an international gathering of researchers inThe Netherlands.

Rojas spoke during the opening session of the conference, “Insectsto Feed the World,” jointly organised by Wageningen University andthe UN agency. More than 400 participants from 45 countriesathered for the May event to examine the current status and futurepotential of insects as food and feed.

“The time is ripe to think about alternative sources of food in viewof a growing world population, climate change threats and persistinghunger in many parts of the world,” said Rojas, who oversees FAO’swork in forestry and related food systems and livelihoods. Wild foodscontribute to the food security of millions of people living in andaround forests and most of the insects consumed by one-third of theworld’s people are collected from the wild.

“Certainly insects alone will not solve the world’s food securitychallenges but it would be absurd not to mobilise their full potential inthe fight against hunger and malnutrition.”

“Raising insects for feed is an environmentally friendly and efficientway of producing animal feed,” said Rojas. “Insects can be fed onbio-waste, compost and animal slurry, and can transform these intohigh-quality protein for animal feed.”

“Recognising the global potential of insects for food in thisconference is not to advocate a change in the food patterns of the othertwo-thirds of the global population that is not used to eating insects, butto ensure that those who consume insects can continue to do so in thefuture in a sustainable way, and to highlight the different potentialcontributions insects can make to food security in the future,” Rojas said.

He added that the challenge of feeding a projected nine billionpeople in a sustainable way by the year 2050 will “never beachieved based on one single measure, but is only possible by aconvergence of perseverant measures that complement each other.”

Tiny championsRojas mentioned bees as a prime example of the variety of ways inwhich insects contribute to food security. Bees provide honey but theyare also the predominant and most economically important group ofpollinators in most geographical regions of the globe, supportingpollination of 71 of the 100 crop species that provide 90 per cent ofthe world’s food. Also, bees are among the most commonlyconsumed insects in some parts of the world.

In addition to raising awareness of the potential of insects insustainable diets and food production, conference participants plan todiscuss a variety of related issues, including data-gathering, nutritionalanalysis, and regulatory and research considerations, among others.

Rojas said the international scientific community could make“important contributions by generating the right momentum toovercome the still-existing bottlenecks and to unlock the full potentialof insects for food and feed.”

Potential of insects as resources for animal feed

Bees are among the most commonlyconsumed insects in some parts of the world.

Insects can provide a sustainable and environmentally-friendly option for animal feed.


FERM O FEED, a subsidiary of Den Ouden Group fromSchijndel, recently set-up a new organic fertilizer productionfacility in The Netherlands. The Helmond-based factory hasbeen constructed to meet the highest standards, producing

70,000 tonnes per year of pelletized organic fertilizers from driedchicken manure. Almost 95 per cent of the production is exported tomore than 45 countries across the globe and as capacity has doubled,Ferm O Feed is now interested to expand its markets.

With the factory fully operational, Ferm O Feed´s organic fertilizerscan be used by farmers across the world for a wide range of crops,including tomatoes, coffee, tea, cocoa, tobacco and rubber.

Ferm O Feed provides high organic matter to improve the quality ofsoil, thus increasing crop yields. The main advantages of using organicfertilizers include improvement of soil life, improved structure of the soiland no harmful effects to the environment. It’s a cradle to cradle product.

The different types of organic fertilizers produced by Ferm O Feedare Fertiplus® NPK 4-3-3, Fertiplus® NPK 4-2-10, Fertiplus® NPK4-10-2, Fertiplus® NPK 8-3-3, Fertiplus® COW and Fertiplus®BIO. All these products are also available in crumb.

“Customers ask for fertilizer with high organic matter to improvethe quality of soil and fertilizer which also contains a lot of traceelements and humic acids. Our fertilizer is always minimum 88 percent dry matter. Local producers can’t dry its product very well.Farmers buy only very good dried pellets, that’s important for thestorage of the fertilizer,” said Rob den Ouden.

Ferm O Feed produces environmentally friendly fertilizers andtherefore stays away from chemical fertilizers, which can be harsh to theenvironment and are known to decrease the quality of the soil causinglow rates of organic matter and poor water-holding capacity. Thechemicals can seep through the soil meaning the crops will lose theirNPK, in contrast to when organic fertilizers are used, the NPK’s areretained. The company’s organic fertilizers offer a way to overcome thisproblem as they also contain NPK, composition of nitrogen, phosphorus

and potassium that is vital in plant nutrition. Ferm O Feed’s productsare also used as plant food in fish hatcheries to encourage the growthof algae, which can then be used as fish feed.

The benefits of Ferm O Feed’s organic fertilizers have been widelyseen through exports mainly to the Middle East, Europe and NorthAfrica including Libya, Tunisia and Morocco but also in the Far Eastincluding Cambodia, Taiwan and Vietnam. Rob den Ouden revealedthat the firm has plans to manufacture special types of organicfertilizer, targeting a specific crop, for example, olives.

Ferm O Feed’s main presence is in the northern part of theAfrican continent, although it has loyal customers elsewhere in thecontinent, for example in Botswana. The company now aims toextend its reach across Africa, especially to countries where there iseasy access to the sea with a good connection to the port in orderto lower export costs. When it comes to loading shipping containers,20ft containers and 40ft containers are mainly used with maximumloads of between 24-26 tonnes.

The firm is currently working towards expanding its business byfocusing on distributors who are working in African countries whohave experience with importing agricultural inputs and alsodistributing them to end users.

“Our company policy is to stay in the organic fertilizer market wedon’t want to expand in mineral or chemical because we have a lotof raw material available in the Netherlands and we want to give thisorganic material in the form of chicken manure and new life. For thiswe export this organic fertilizer worldwide and help people increaseits crops yields and produce some more food for all the people in theworld,” said Rob den Ouden proudly. h

Ensuring soil fertility is maintained is vital in improving crop yields. Organicfertiliser has a big role to play in improving soil fertility to grow fruits andvegetables enabling the gradual release of nutrients to reach optimal absorption

Ferm O Feed’s organic fertilisersincrease crop yields

FERTILISER

Ferm O Feed’s Helmond-based production facility is now fully operational.

Almost 95 per cent of the production is exportedto more than 45 countries across the globe and

as capacity has doubled, Ferm O Feed is nowinterested to expand its markets.


Ferm O Feed’s new facility produces 70,000 tonnesof pelletized organic fertilizer per year.

S06 AF JulyAug 2014 Livestock_Layout 1 7/31/2014 10:13 AM

Understanding the DNA code for this carrier insect will help scientistsworking to control livestock disease.

SCIENTISTS HAVE CRACKED thegenetic code of the bloodsuckingtsetse fly, prompting hope that thebreakthrough will help future efforts

to control one of the most devastatinglivestock diseases in sub-Saharan Africaspread by the insect.

The tsetse genome was sequenced andannotated during a 10-year internationalcollaborative effort that involved the InsectPest Control Laboratory run jointly by theUnited Nations Food and AgricultureOrganization (FAO) and the InternationalAtomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna.The achievement allows scientists to betterstudy the fly’s genes and their functions,knowledge that should open the door forresearching ways to control the insect.

Found only in Africa, tsetse flies are vectorsfor the single-cell parasites that causetrypanosomiasis, or nagana, an often-lethaldisease that affects some three millionanimals in the region each year at massivecosts to farmers’ livelihoods and food security.

The disease leads to a debilitatingchronic condition that reduces fertility,weight gain, meat and milk production, andmakes livestock too weak to be used forploughing or transport, which in turn affectscrop production.

Humans bitten by carrier flies candevelop African sleeping sickness, whichcan be fatal without treatment.

No vaccine against the disease exists forlivestock or humans because the parasite isable to evade mammalian immune systems,so control methods primarily involve targetingtsetse flies through trapping, pesticidetreatments and sterile male release strategies.

“Decoding the tsetse fly’s DNA is a majorscientific breakthrough that opens the wayfor more effective control oftrypanosomiasis, which is good news formillions of herders and farmers in sub-Saharan Africa,” said Kostas Bourtzis of the

Joint FAO/IAEA Division of NuclearTechniques in Food and Agriculture.

“Detection and treatment of trypanosomiasisis currently expensive, difficult and dangerousfor the livestock as it often involves toxic drugs,but this new knowledge will accelerateresearch on tsetse control methods and helpscientists develop new and complementarystrategies to reduce the use of costly drugsand insecticides,” he said.

Unique biologyIn their contribution to decoding thegenome, scientists from the FAO/IAEAInsect Pest Control Laboratory focused onthe tsetse fly’s relationship with a symbioticbacterium, Wolbachia, which in manyinsect species affects its host’s biology andphysiology, including reproduction, matingbehaviour and capacity as a vector.

“Our group was involved in the discoveryof the horizontal transfer of large stretchesof genomic sequence from the Wolbachiabacteria into the tsetse genome,” Bourtzissaid. “How these gene insertions affect thebiology of the tsetse is currently beinginvestigated.”

The tsetse fly’s complex relationship withWolbachia and two other symbioticbacteria are part of its unique biology,which also involves feeding exclusively onvertebrate blood, giving birth to live young,and feeding young by lactation.

A first set of findings on the tsetse fly genome

was recentlypublished in the journalScience in a paper entitled ‘GenomeSequence of the Tsetse Fly (Glossinamorsitans): Vector of African Trypanosomiasis’.

Sterile insect techniqueThe Joint FAO/IAEA Division is currentlysupporting 14 African nations in their effortsto tackle the trypanosomiasis problem bycontrolling tsetse fly populations byintegrating the sterile insect technique withother control methods.

A form of insect birth control, the sterileinsect technique involves releasing mass-bred male flies that have been sterilised bylow doses of radiation into infested areas,where they mate with wild females. These donot produce offspring and, as a result, thetechnique can suppress and, if appliedsystematically on an area-wide basis,eventually eradicate populations of wild flies.

Tsetse flies were successfully eradicatedfrom the island of Zanzibar using the sterileinsect technique and are currently beingsuppressed in parts of southern Ethiopia. InJanuary, Senegal reported that it wasmaking significant progress in infestedareas in the Niayes with the same method.

Established in 1964, the Joint FAO/IAEADivision of Nuclear Techniques in Food andAgriculture uses the talents and resources ofboth organisations to broaden co-operation among their member countries inapplying nuclear technology and relatedbiotechnologies to improve sustainablefood security. h

Tsetse fly genome breakthroughbrings hope for African farmers


LIVESTOCK

Found only in Africa, tsetse flies are vectors for thesingle-cell parasites that cause trypanosomiasis.

The disease leads to adebilitating chronic condition

that reduces fertility, weightgain, meat and milk production.


S06 AF JulyAug 2014 Livestock_Layout 1 7/30/2014 3:30 PM


PASTROLISTS IN TRANSMARA County are embracing diversity andadapting drought resistance crops for food and fodder for the animals.The shift to agriculture is attributed to the harsh climatic conditions thathave forced farmers in Transmara to reduce the number of animals so asto grow traditional foods such as sweet potatoes.Leonard Leina, 25, is now thinking of shifting from pastoralism to dairyfarming. Currently Leina is growing fodder in part of his 10 acres of landthat he inherited from his father.”I take care of fodder crops and besides the little that I sell, my twoindigenous cows do not eat much of it so I feel I am not utilising itproperly,” said the young beneficiary of the Agricultural Productivityand Climate Change in Arid and Semi-arid lands supported by theInternational Development Research Centre (IDRC) in partnership withKenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) Kisii.48-year-old Emily Kokoyo, also a beneficiary of the project, saidvegetables are more economical. “I have seen a change since I startedgrowing vegetables, beans and sweet potatoes and I only have to waitfor three months, unlike maize which I have to wait for six months withno surety of getting any yields,” she said adding that they are easy togrow and she always has sufficient food.Kokoyo can get an income of Sh15,000 (US$171) from the sale of her yieldswhich she invested on a business and is now able to pay school fees for herfive children. She was trained on soil management by Kari and she has beenable to improve on her farm yields and become economically independent.Isabelle Proulx, the programme manager Climate Change Adaptation inAfrica; Climate Change and Environmental Economics, Agriculture andEnvironment (IDRC) said the project was financed at a tune of more thanUS$1mn for a period of three years.

Kenya: Agro-pastrolism in Transmara

Phone: +61 457357269

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S07 AF JulyAug 2014 Palm Oil_Layout 1 7/30/2014 3:35 PM


PALM OIL


Wilmar International, one of the world's biggest palm oil producers, has agreed to ensure the oil itsupplies will not result in any additional loss of rainforests, in a move that could significantly slow thedestruction of tropical forests around the world. The company has also vowed to better protect the rightsof its workers and the forest communities where it operates.

CRUCIALLY, THE COMMITMENT also applies tosubsidiaries of the company, which processes or trades45 per cent of the world's palm oil - a US$5bn a yearglobal industry.

“If Wilmar is genuine in its commitments to deforestation-free,peat-free, exploitation-free palm oil, this could be a game-changerfor the industry,” said Sharon Smith, palm oil campaign managerfor the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Last year, in a Newsweek ranking of the environmentalperformance of the world's 500 biggest companies, Wilmar camelast, Smith noted. But if the new agreement is effectivelyimplemented, it “could become the industry standard forsustainable plantation expansion and palm oil trading”.

Under the agreement, the Singapore-based food productscompany agreed that it and its subsidiaries would not cut down anyadditional rainforest to boost agricultural production, would notdestroy important carbon-sequestering peatlands and would inparticular protect forests that are habitat for endangered speciessuch as elephants, rhinos, Sumatran tigers and orangutans.

The company also said it would ensure its employees and theforest communities where it works have the right to free, prior andinformed consent about operations that affect them.

“Six months ago, fires from out-of-control deforestation inIndonesia choked Singapore and much of Southeast Asia - firesmade possible by a no-questions-asked palm oil sector,” saidGlenn Hurowitz, managing director of Climate Advisors, anorganisation that works toward creating low-carbon policy.

A new “Green Revolution”“This agreement could mark the start of a new 'Green Revolution'that provides the deforestation-free agricultural goods globalconsumers are increasingly demanding,” he added in a statement.

Surging global demand for palm oil has become a major driverof tropical deforestation in Southeast Asia and, increasingly, inWest Africa. Forest loss is a significant contributor to climatechange, and Indonesia today ranks third in carbon emissions,behind only China and the United States, as a result of its rapiddeforestation and destruction of peatland.

Industry and environmental organisations in 2004 set up aRoundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, which runs a sustainable palmoil certification scheme, to try to deal with some of the problems.

But critics say the organisation has been less effective thanhoped, both in curbing loss of tropical forests in countries likeIndonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea, and ensuring therights of indigenous people living in those forests.

Palm oil is used in a huge range of products, from foods likechocolate and baked goods to soaps and cosmetics. According toThe Forest Trust, a non-profit organisation that works withbusinesses on responsible products, US imports of the oil havegrown fivefold in the last decade alone.

Wilmar's commitment follows a similar agreement by Nestlé in2010 and one by Unilever last month to track the supply of all ofits palm oil by end of 2014, the trust said.

But because “few companies dominate their sectors the way Wilmardominates palm oil, the new commitment could have far-reachingeffects,” said Scott Poynton, executive director of The Forest Trust.

The agreement “dwarfs in ambition any previous jointcommitment in the sector,” he said.

Poynton and others, however, warned that enforcement of thenew agreements will be the real test.

"While this policy is great news for forests and wildlife, its successwill be judged by Wilmar's actions to implement and enforce it,"said Bustar Maitar, head of the Indonesian forest campaign atGreenpeace International, in a statement.

He said the deal also amounted to a gauntlet “thrown to otherpalm oil traders such as Cargill, Musim Mas and Sime Darby torelease similar policies”. h

Palm oil but with greaterrainforest protection

Oil palm (or Elaesis guineensis) originated from the coastalswamplands and freshwater riverines of Central and West Africa.

If the new agreement is effectivelyimplemented, it “could become the industry

standard for sustainable plantation expansionand palm oil trading”.

Smallholder palm plantations may be small in West Africa, but in Indonesia andMalaysia the picture is grim for communities and forests.


Bentall Rowlands Storage Systems LimitedDragonby Vale Enterprise Park, Mannaberg Way, Scunthorpe,North Lincolnshire, DN15 8XF, United KingdomT: +44 (0)1724 282 828 E: [email protected]

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We take lookingafter your grainvery seriously


With the high cost of farm operations such as ploughing, harrowing andweeding, farmers in some parts of Kenya are adopting a new concept -conservation agriculture. Mwangi Mumero reports

ACROSS THE AFRICAN continent,the concept has also been welltaken in Ghana, South Africa,Zambia and Tanzania.

According to the Food and AgriculturalOrganisation (FAO), conservationagriculture (CA) entails minimal soildisturbance during land preparation andother consequent operations. Culturalmethods are used in retaining soil moisture,fertility and in weed control.

African Farming visited a farmer in Kenyawho is among the early converts to CA tosee progress in this form of farming.

“The soil is able to retain fertility, there isless cost and more production per acrecompared to conventional agriculture,”observed Antony Mathenge, a farmer inKongoni village, Kinamba location inLaikipia County, one of the 1,500 farmers inthe area practising conservation agriculture.

Unlike in conventional farming whereland is opened up during ploughing,Mathenge’s farm is left intact and onlyplanting channels are dug using a ripper –a tractor-drawn implement that opens upnarrow trenches 30 cm deep on land stillshowing crop remains of the last season.

“Deep trenches help retain waterespecially in areas with high evaporationrates. It also reduces the surface area whereweeds can establish and compete fornutrients with the established crops”, saidGeorge Kamau, an extension officer withthe Tree is Life Project, a local non-governmental organisation working closelywith farmers in Laikipia.

The Tree is Life Project, an affiliate of theCatholic Diocese of Nyahururu, hasinitiated four demonstration farms inNg’arua division and another seven farmsin Nyandarua County where farmers canlearn conservation agriculture.

Funding for this project has been provided

by the Global Environmental Facility, part ofthe United Nations DevelopmentProgramme (UNDP) in an effort to boostfood production, boost rural incomes andreduce pressure on forest resources.

It also has a component of free fertiliserthat is given to participating farmers onwhose land demonstration farms are located.

In Kenya, farming operations account formore than 50 per cent of all cropproduction costs and a reduction on theseoverheads is considered a boon to therural-based smallholder farmers.

According to research conducted by theEgerton University-based Tegemeo Institutefor Food Security, 47 per cent of Kenya’srural households is derived from cropfarming - mainly maize.

Per capita maize consumption isestimated at 98 kg translating to a nationaldemand of 30 to 34mn bags annually.

Maize accounts for more than 28 percent of total crop production.

The biggest challengeAccording to the research, the biggestchallenge is for the country to increase food

production while keeping production andmarketing costs at the lowest. This shouldbe done by improved farming techniquesand skills and subsidised farm inputs.

“If farmers were to lower the cost ofploughing, harrowing and weeding, it wouldgreatly improve on their business profitability.Conservation agriculture employs practicesthat are cost effective and available to manyfarmers”, observed Kamau.

Currently in Laikipia under conventionalfarming an acre of land costs a farmerKsh2,500 (US$29) per ploughing, Ksh2,500(US$29) for trenching and Ksh1,800(US$20) for planting using tractors.

Weeding costs average Ksh7,200(US$85) as it is done twice during thegrowing season.

Using a ripper-the only implementrequired in conservation agriculture,farmers will only spend Ksh1,800 (US$ 21)per acre - saving on Ksh5,000 (US$58)annually. In weeding, an acre of landrequires a litre of herbicide which retails atKsh1,800 (US$21).

Experts say that with minimal soildisturbance, soil moisture, fertility and

Conservation agriculture: costeffective and easily available


CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE

Laikipia farmer Antony Mathenge demonstrates how conservation agricultural practices such as minimum tillage anduse of maize remains to control weeds and moisture. Image: Mwangi Mumero.

The soil is able to retain fertility,there is less cost and more

production per acre comparedto conventional agriculture.


S08 AF JulyAug 2014 Feature A&B_Layout 1 7/31/2014 10:22 AM

structure are retained. There is improved waterpercolation in the soil, reduced soil erosionand improved microbial activities in the soil.

Minimal use of herbicidesWeeding is done through slashing and minimaluse of herbicides – especially after harvesting.

According to Mathenge, farmers shouldspray against weeds immediately afterharvesting to reduce the growth of weedsover the rest period.

“This reduces the need for ploughingduring land preparation. For the persistantweeds, slashing is done just before plantingtrenches or holes are dug during landpreparation”, said Mathenge, a retiredteacher and a father of grown up children.

Advantages of mulchingWeeds are also smothered by mulching thatutilises crop residues such as maize stoversand wheat straw.

Mulching also conserves soil moisture,moderates soil temperature and upon

decomposition improves soil organic matterand fertility.

To boost decomposition of organicmulch, local farmers are adding bacterialformulations to the soil.

Mixed cropping and crop rotationFor this method to succeed, mixed croppingand crop rotation must also be practised. Thecorrect amount of fertiliser must be added tothe soil and planting and should be done atthe onset of rains, according to Kamau.

Agricultural experts state that many ruralfarmers fail to attain their crop productionpotential due to failure to prepare the landearly, low fertiliser application rates,

incorrect spacing affecting crop populationand competition, and poor weeding.

“When these practices are done in theright way, production shoots up by morethan 50 per cent per acre. The produce ishealthier compared to previous situations,“said Mathenge who has seen his maizeproduction increase from 15-20 bags peracre in conventional farming to 40-50 bagsper acre under conservation agriculture.

With the average price of maize atKsh2,500 (US$29) per 90 kg bag, theprofitability per acre rises from Ksh30,000(US$353) in conventional farming toKsh100,000 (US$1,176) underconservation agriculture.

Even with the accruing benefits, lack ofinformation has slowed the adoption of CAacross Africa.

“Governments and other agencies mustimprove agricultural extension services toget this information to many farmers”, saidfarmer Mathenge.

Globally, about 115mn hectares of landwere under CA according to FAO -indicating the importance this form ofagriculture in securing food security to themainly rural-based populace in thedeveloping world. h

CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE

A plot of land being prepared near Watamu - carefulmeasurement of where holes are dug is important.

With minimal soil disturbance,soil moisture, fertility and

structure are retained.


S08 AF JulyAug 2014 Feature A&B_Layout 1 7/31/2014 10:22 AM

Kitoko Food Farm, a joint project funded by the Gertler Family Foundation(GFF) and the Fleurette Group, aims to help combat food shortages in DRCongo in a bid to improve the lack of access to food.

MORE THAN 70 percent of DR Congo’spopulation worksin agriculture and

despite the lack of access tofood, the country’s agriculturalpotential has barely been tappedwith only 10 per cent of 80mnarable hectares being cultivated.

Kitoko Food Farm was builtaround 45 km outside of thecapital of Kinshasa providingaccess to the 12mn people wholive in Kinshasa as well assupplying local markets withfresh, high-quality produce.According to Kitoko Food co-founder and agronomist, GilArbel, the 607 ha farm hasbeen set-up to equip localCongolese with the tools andintensive practical skills neededto strengthen food security inthe region and advance the DRCongo’s agricultural andeconomic development. Thefarm has currently recruited 90Congolese workers and in thespace of a year is expected toemploy a total of 200permanent Congolese workers,more than 80 per cent of whomalready reside in villages nearthe farm. When construction isfully complete, Kitoko FoodFarm is expected to grow a widevariety of vegetables and fruits,contain fish farms including aplant and tree nursery onalmost 600 acres, with a goalto improve the availability offresh, quality food and proteinin and around Kinshasa.

“DR Congo in particular isseverely affected by high foodprices; it is a large net importerof cereals and people sufferfrom malnutrition - this is acritical issue that needs to beaddressed. Kitoko’s aim is toaddress the issue of foodsecurity in the DR Congo while

harnessing the commercialpotential of the country’sagricultural sector, which is verypromising. Given the arableland in the country, it’sunfortunate that Congolesecitizens import most of theirfood at high prices,” said Arbel.

The number of peopleexperiencing food shortages inDR Congo has seen an increase;figures in December 2013reveal that this has reached6.7mn, a five per cent increasecompared to figures recorded inJune 2013. The conflict-zones inDR Congo are reported to havebeen the most hard hit by thelack of access to food. TheKitoko Food Farm project showsthat people can overcome thislack of access by growing theirown fruits and vegetables tobecome self-reliant as externalsupport is not a sustainablesolution in the battle to improvefood security in the country.

“It is only by teaching theright techniques in the right way,making use of practicalexperienced agriculturalexpertise from the outset, anddelivering tangible benefits tothe people that the Congolesewill become self-sufficient,”stated Kitoko Food’s co-founder.

Plans are now also underwayto develop an on-siteagricultural training academywhich if successful may be set up

in other parts of the country andacross the African continent. Theintensive training farmers willreceive is the first of its kind.

Farmers in the region will havethe opportunity to enrol at theacademy, which will admit 120students annually, as it educatesgrowers on farming andmanagement techniques. KitokoFood has recently devised small,medium and large kits that use anirrigation process from NetafimCompany in a self-containedvegetable production system,promoting sustainable foodproduction for farmers to use.

“The farm is the testingground for an academy – whichfuture farmers and managerswill graduate from, and who willreplicate the Kitoko modelelsewhere. The aim for theacademy is to go out and attractsome of the big influentialinternational institutions to helpfund the completion of theKitoko academy, as it isplanned,” said Arbel.

New farming techniquesKitoko Farm has adopted newfarming techniques to supportfarmers growing crops, includingfertigation through drip irrigationrather than fertilising the crops.This in turn will lead to increasednutrient absorption by plants anda reduction in fertiliser, waste,and water needed due to

evaporation. This methodreduces water consumption dueto the plant’s increased ability totrap and hold water. Fertigationalso lowers the probability of theroots being affected by soilborne diseases through thedamaged soil, and prevent soilerosion as the nutrients arepumped through the water drip.

“The use of cutting-edgeagricultural technology andtechniques, including industrybest practices in efficientirrigation, fertilisation, farmmechanisation and sustainablefarming methods alsocontribute to the project’suniqueness,” added Arbel.

Kitoko now looks to thefuture at working alongsideother international institutionsand organisations, whichfollowing on from the successfullaunch of this agriculturalproject, it hopes will be morepositive towards Kitokoproject’s goals and values.Partnerships and expertise beingtwo key factors for futuredevelopment, Kitoko Foodhopes to set-up projects that willbe sustainable under the rightsocial and environmentalconditions. Therefore with securedinvestment and improvedknowledge of farmers in Africaon irrigation methods, thecontinent is one step closer toeradicating food poverty. h

Kitoko Food’s goal to improvingfood security in DR Congo


DR CONGO

Congolese workers in the fields at Kitoko Food Farm.


S08 AF JulyAug 2014 Feature A&B_Layout 1 7/30/2014 3:48 PM

S09 AF JulyAug 2014 Cereal Processing_Layout 1 7/30/2014 3:52 PM

Optimising feed efficiency and income over feed costs on dairy farms is veryimportant because feed is the highest cost associated with producing milk.

SOME OF THE primary dietary areasfor achieving high feed efficiencyare feeding high-quality forage,providing optimum balance of

protein and carbohydrates for rumenhealth, and high digestibility of the cerealgrains. Diets for lactating dairy cowsgenerally contain about 70 per centcarbohydrates, with 20 to 25 per cent of thediet consisting of starch. The cereal grainsprovide most of this starch, but corn silageoften contributes a high proportion of thedietary starch. However, the focus of thisarticle will be on improving the digestibilityof the cereal grains for optimising lactatingcow performance.

Whole, unprocessed cereal grains arenot fed to lactating cows because of the lowdigestibility that would occur. The high drymatter intake of dairy cows results in arather fast rate of passage of digestionthrough the digestive tract, so inadequatelyprocessed grains will have low digestibility.Achieving high digestibility of dietaryingredients is critical for getting the mostout of feed ingredients, especially duringperiods of high feed prices.

Ways to process cereal grainsThe two major ways of processing cerealgrains are to reduce particle size by: (1)rolling or grinding the dried grains or (2)using a combination of moisture and heat.Reducing the particle size increases thesurface area for microbial activity in therumen and enzyme action in the smallintestine. Using heat and moisture results inthe gelationisation of the starch, whichincreases its rate and extent of digestion. Ingeneral, about 50 per cent of the starchfrom processed, dry cereal grains isdigested in the rumen, and total tractdigestibility of the starch in most processedcereal grains is greater than 90 per cent(Table 1). Reducing the particle size of corn,sorghum, or barley increases the total tractdigestibility of starch and thus increases theenergy available from these feeds (Table 1).Steam flaking of cereal grains furtherincreases their digestibility. The maturity ofthe grain, level of moisture, and thefermentation that occurs during ensiling

results in higher digestibility of starch forhigh-moisture corn than with dryprocessing, yet high-moisture corn shouldbe rolled, preferably before ensiling foroptimising energy availability.

With each of these processes, the rate ofdigestion of starch in the rumen is expected toincrease. This increased rate of fermentationcan result in increased volatile fatty acidproduction, and sometimes with increases inlactic acid production, which can causereduced rumen pH, leading to subacuterumen acidosis (SARA). To reduce the risk forSARA, adequate forage and its particle sizemust be provided, and the balance of forageneutral detergent fibre (NDF) with non-fibrecarbohydrates must be monitored whenbalancing diets, especially taking intoaccount the amount and rate of digestion of

the starch. There is higher risk for SARA whenfeeding steam-flaked and high-moisturecereal grains when there is marginal effectiveNDF in the diet in comparison to feeding dryprocessing cereal grains. For optimalutilisation of dry processed corn for high-producing cows, mean particle size should beless than 1mm in diets with 20 to 25 per centstarch and 18 to 21per cent forage NDF.Particle size sieves for grains are available foruse by most dairy nutritionists.

Economics associated with grain processingWith any processing of cereal grains, thereis additional cost. Yet as mentionedpreviously, some processing is needed forimproving digestibility of the grain. Themarginal cost of grain processing wascalculated using dry rolling as the minimalprocessing needed (Table 1). Traditionally,rolling grain was used for various sizes ofcracked grain, but the rollers would notprovide for finely processed grain. Today,some grain processors use modern rollersthat have precise roller spacings forreducing particle size to the optimal range.However, other grain processors and

Processing cereal grainsfed to dairy cattle


CEREAL PROCESSING

Hydroponically grown fodder is an extremely cost-effective feed supplement for cattle. This changes digestibility from30 per cent when in grain to 95 per cent when in the fodder, thus enabling the livestock to use the energy for milkproduction, reproduction and weight gain.

Achieving high digestibility ofdietary ingredients is critical

for getting the most out offeed ingredients.



farmers use hammermills for fine grindingof grains. The energy cost of operating ahammermill is greater than for a roller mill;thus, cost of processing was assumed atUS$12 versus US$8/ton, respectively. Thecost of steam processing, especially flaking,is much higher than for dry processing andwas assumed at US$30/ton. The marginalcost of processing beyond dry rolling,

taking into account the additional cost ofprocessing and the increased energyavailability, ranged from US$0.05 toUS$0.14/Mcal of NEL. Thus, the marginalcost of processing is less than the value ofenergy at this time, making the processingeconomical. However, the utility and labourcosts of processing are less volatile thanfeed prices and will remain high, so when

grain prices decrease and the value ofenergy decreases, the more extensiveprocessing may not be economical, but anyof the processing methods resulting in lessthan US$0.10/Mcal of NEL will likely beeconomical based on historical feed prices.

Dry processing of cereal grains to reduceparticle size is essential for improving theirdigestibility. Further processing by usingmoisture and heat or harvesting high-moisture corn should be based on value ofenergy, other ingredients in the diets forpromoting rumen health, and equipment andland resources for the use of high-moisturegrains. Diets should be formulated taking intoaccount the extent and rate of digestibility ofstarch sources and providing for adequateeffective NDF using high-quality forage. h

CEREAL PROCESSING

Dairy cattle eatingprocessed maize.


Table 1

Grain Starch NEL2 Marginal Digestibility (%)1 (Mcal/lb) Processing Cost3 ($/Mcal)

CornDry, cracked or rolled 85.0 0.87 BaseDry, ground 90.7 0.91 0.05Dry, finely ground 91.4 -- --Steam rolled 88.8 -- --Steam flaked 94.2 0.95 0.14High-moisture, rolled 94.2 0.91 BaseHigh-moisture, ground 98.8 0.95 0.05

SorghumDry, rolled or ground 83.5 0.82 BaseSteam flaked 94.9 0.93 0.10

BarleyDry or steam rolled 95.8 0.85 --

1 Data taken from: Firkins, J.L., M.L. Eastridge, N.R. St-Pierre, and S.M. Noftsger. 2001. Effects of grain variability and processing onstarch utilisation by lactating dairy cattle. J. Anim. Sci. 79:E218-E238.

2 Data taken from: National Research Council. 2001. Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle, 7th rev. ed. Natl. Acad. Sci., Washington, DC.

3 Calculations based on NRC (2001) energy concentrations and assumed processing costs of $8, $12, and $30/ton for rolling, grinding,and steam flaking, respectively.



African farmers must adopt modern farming and grain storage techniques toboost food security, a one-day agribusiness seminar held recently in Nairobiwas told. Mwangi Mumero reports.

MORE THAN 150 agriculturalservice providers, academics,farmers and governmentofficials attended the seminar

organised by Brazilian firm Kepler Weber incollaboration with a Kenyan registeredcompany BrazAfric.

The Brazilian ambassador to KenyaMarcela Nicodemos and BrazAfricfounder and head, Marco Brandalise,graced the occasion.

“It is important that African farmersreduce their post-harvest losses through theintroduction of cheaper easily adoptabletechnologies. Losses of more than 50 percent of grain due to poor storage and pestscan be cut through better methods”,observed Antonio Campos, a foreign trademanager with Kepler Weber, as he unveileda 6.2 tonne-capacity modern silo suitablefor farmers’ groups (see page 42).

The silo, made of corrugated ironsheet, was one of the attractions of theseminar held at the Safari Park Hotel, justoutside Nairobi.

Other equipment for conservationagriculture were also on show at the seminar.

More grain must be producedFarmers however must first produce enoughgrain for consumption and storage, andspeakers in the seminar highlighted thisimportant aspect.

“Over 200mn Africans are food insecuremainly due to lack of coherent foodpolicies, low productivity, climate changeand low levels of mechanisation”, notedProfessor Miriam Kinyua, a don at theUniversity of Eldoret and one of the keyspeakers at the seminar.

Globally, 800mn people areundernourished with the majority in thedeveloping nations of Africa, Asia andLatin America.

According to Prof Kinyua, developingnations need to produce more food, reducepost harvest losses and effectively controlpests to reduce field losses.

Her call was echoed by JacksonMandago, the Governor of Uasin GishuCounty - one of the main maize and wheat-producing regions in Kenya.

“We have used the same productionmethods for years which have adverselyaffected our production. We need to adoptbetter and modern farming methods -especially for the youthful farmers - to boostproduction”, said Mandago lamenting onthe problem of ageing farmers.

A need to attract the youngAccording to the governor, more than 70per cent of the farmers in Uasin Gishu aremore than 70 years old noting that it wastime service providers came up with farmingtechniques that will make farming attractiveto the burgeoning youthful population.

He also called upon universities andresearch organisations to be more practicaloriented and seek better yielding cropvarieties for local farmers.

“We need agricultural graduates with apractical - not a theoretical - approach tofarming. Someone eager to soil their hands inthe farm”, said Mandago to much applause.

The seminar also noted that a reduction

in the cost of production was vital for theoverall profitability of the farm business.

“Adoption of conservation agriculture -where there is no tilling of land during landpreparation - decreases soil erosion,conserves moisture, microbial activities andaerates the soil”, observed Luiz Henrique ofVence Tudo, a firm working with BrazAfricaon soil conservation.

In Brazil, 57mn ha under crops are underthe no-till system of farming.

According to Henrique, no-till practiceand crop rotation every two to three yearswould help preserve and restore soilresources over time.

Experts say that only two per cent ofconservation agriculture in the world is bysmallholder farmers, with 20 per cent beingpracticed in Africa.

Farmers in the country practisingconservation agriculture in Kenya assertthat savings of more than 40 per cent canbe realised mainly due to no tilling duringland preparation.

Kepler Weber’s Kenyanagribusiness seminar

SEMINAR REVIEW

Seminar participants admire a maize planter suited for conservation agriculture.

S10 AF JulyAug 2014 Equipment & Micro Irrigation_Layout 1 7/30/2014 4:03 PM

NEWS

THE MASCHIO GASPARDO product range is expanding with the newfour meter version of the folding combination seed drill Corona: the newmachine shares the large hopper and the advanced technologicalsolutions with the former six meter model.

The Corona discs, roller and seeder combination allow soilcultivation, seedbed reconsolidation and seed deposition in a singlepass. The high working speed (on average between eight and 14km/h) increases daily productivity.

The new version has the same sturdy frame and high clearance designas in the former version. Applications range from conventional seedingafter primary tillage to direct drill on stubble. The seedbed is perfectlyconsolidated by the roller assembled with large diameter tires (more thanone meter), and arranged in a staggered manner to facilitate themaneuverability of the machine and prevent clogging on wet soils.

The Perfecta seeding bar - characterised by the parallelogramconnecting rods over two well-spaced ranks - is equipped with doublestaggered discs with a 370 mm diameter, and rear wheel to controlthe seed depth and compression. This guarantees extreme precision inhomogeneously depositing the seeds on any soil or at any speed.

A precise seed distribution is granted by the tested FlexeedGaspardo system, managed by the Isobus control unit, which allows

extreme precision inseeding. Thanks to theconnection to theseeding bar throughthe three point hitch,the seeding elementscan also bedisconnected in a fewminutes, letting the disccarrier till the stubble.

CASE IH HAS donated two JX55T tractors to the Tana River Areaproject of Welthungerhilfe in Kenya. The donation was handed overto Florian Landorff from the aid agency during the launch event of thenew partnership between Case IH and TTEA in Nairobi on 16th May.The celebration of the new sales and service co-operation betweenTTEA and Case IH in Nairobi and the hand-over ceremony wereattended by numerous high-ranking participants including Ms AnnOnyango, secretary of Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries.“When learning about the Tana River Area project and a droughtrelief initiative of Welthungerhilfe, we decided to start our directinvolvement right there. TTEA has a professional automotive value

chain with extensiveexperience andlogistics concepts anda broad distributionand service networkfor vehicles. That willbe an excellent basefor the distribution andservice of Case IHmachinery in Kenya,Tanzania and Ugandaas well. This networkwill ensure easy, quick

and reliable access to all types of machinery and services neededby farmers across East Africa”, emphasised Matthew Foster, vicepresident Case IH.

From left to right: Ms Ann Onyango, Florian Landorff,regional director WHH, Matthew Foster, Dennis Aworiambassaor and chairmen TTEA

New Corona 400: high speed seeding

Case IH donates two tractors for smallholders


“With low cost in land preparation, farmers can realisebetter profitability. In Uasin Gishu, a farmer can save Ksh6,000(US$ 71) per acre of land during the planting season”, saidGedion Lagat, a farmer growing grain in a 75-acre piece ofland.

He has been practising conservation agriculture for four years.During the open session, Dr Charles Kariuki, a researcher with

the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), noted that it wasimperative that Brazilian companies get involved in animal andplant genetics to strengthen research in crop and livestock diseases.

In response, the Brazil ambassador Marcella Nicodemos said:“Brazil has set aside US$80mn for the purchase of agriculturalequipment from Brazilian firms. This funding has to be accessedthrough the government”.

On his part BrazAfric head Marco Brandalise said his firm willin future partner with local firms and organisations in training andthe production of farm equipment.

“Production of farm equipment in Kenya is our agenda but weneed the volumes in sales for us to manufacture locally”, he added.

Most of the equipment and technologies marketed throughBrazAfric are sourced from Brazilian firms such as Kepler Weberand others.

An agriculture executive from Kiambu County Dr MonicaWaiganjo observed that there was need for BrazAfric to work withthe county governments in improving access to farm machines andmodern agricultural solutions.

Kenyan government officials attending indicated that a draft ona comprehensive farm mechanisation policy would be discussedby stakeholders in the 2014/15 financial year. h


Micro-irrigation systems are inherently prone to blockage and the consequentimpeded flow of water. Dr Terry Mabbett looks at some of the causes andhow to overcome them.

CHARACTER I SED BY LARGEnumbers of narrow flow pathemitters, micro-irrigation systemsbecome easily clogged up and

blocked by foreign particulate matter, oftenoriginating from the water source andtherefore requiring long term continualtreatment. Virtually all water sources used intrickle/drip irrigation systems can be made‘safe’ by using an appropriate physical orchemical method of treatment.

Physical treatment is generally used toremove both organic and inorganicsuspended solid matter comprising particlesthat are large enough to block the emitteroutlets. Suspended solids are simplyremoved by utilising centrifugal separators,settling basins, skimming boards, screenfilters, sand media filters or appropriatecombinations of these methods. Failure toemploy these methods on source waterswith substantial suspended solids willinvariably cause clogging and lead touneven distribution of water across theirrigated area, with poor performance ofboth the system and the crop it wasdesigned to water.

Chemical treatmentChemical treatment involves the addition ofone or more chemicals to the water todisperse and dissolve insoluble chemicalsthrough chemical reaction. The chemicalstraditionally and commonly used to treattrickle irrigation water include chlorine andacids which are potentially toxic, corrosiveand therefore dangerous. On no accountshould they be used by unqualified,untrained and inexperienced personnel.Farmers and growers must seek properadvice from manufactures and distributorsand aim to install modern automatic closed

injection systems, so that any handling andcontact with such chemicals is eliminated orat least minimised.

Typically encountered physical andchemical problems may include thefollowing, often in combination andpossibly interacting with biological factors(eg, bacteria) which means treatmentbecomes accordingly more complex.● Large mineral particles comprising sand

and grit ● Smaller mineral particles including silt

and clay which are generally moredifficult to eliminate

● Precipitated chemicals including ironcompounds, sulphates and calciumcarbonate in the distribution systemwhich ultimately block the emitters.

Large mineral particlesWhen emitters are blocked by largeparticulate matter, the offending particleswill be mostly mineral in nature and includesilt and clay sourced from the bottom ofrivers, canals, reservoirs and ponds, scaledeposit flaked off from pipe walls or borecasings. Particles such as weed seeds andsnail eggs, though organic in origin, willessentially cause a physical blockage.

The large inorganic particles present fewproblems for removal since they are ofrelatively large size and mass (weight) andcan be easily dealt with by using a settlingbasin or a centrifugal sand separator.

Organic materials being that much lighterhave to be removed using a media orscreen filter. Organic materials that areactually floating in the water rather thansuspended in it can be skimmed from thesurface of the water by using a simple skimboard, or be left in water source and barredby using a floating self cleaning filter.

High loads of silt and claySmall amounts of sand, silt and clayparticles in the water supply present fewproblems and are easily removed byemploying a sand media filter down to aparticle size of about 70 microns. However,high loads of such particles will rapidlyblock and overcome a sand media filterleading to an inefficient irrigation systemwith increased frequency of backwashing.

Users should not attempt to use filtrationfor removal of such high loads of silt andclay. Instead they should build a settling(sedimentation) basin at point which issituated before the water actually enters theirrigation system. Dimensions of the settlingbasin will be determined by the system flowrate and the settling velocity (speed) of theparticles that are being removed. Settlingvelocity in turn is governed by particle size,shape and density.

Very fine silts and colloidal particles of clayare much too small for practical economicremoval through use of settling basins.Settling velocity is so low and sedimentation

Physical and chemical blockageof micro-irrigation systems


IRRIGATION

iDE promotes drip irrigation throughout the developing world. These drip systems have helped people with HIV/AIDSin Zimbabwe to improve their nutrition by growing vegetables.

Farmers and growers mustseek proper advice from

manufactures anddistributors and aim to install

modern automatic closedinjection systems.



so slow that any settling basin employedwould have to be so large as to beuneconomic. Fortunately, the very small sizeof such particles means that for all intents andpurposes they will pass through the systemproviding proper precautions are taken,including close and continual monitoring.

Ultra small silt and clay particles whichmanage to pass through the settling basinand/or the filter may sediment (settle) out inthe water contained in the lateral lines oremitters. Here they can become cemented(fused) together by action of slimeproducing bacteria. This new problem maybe overcome by using chlorination of thewater supply to curb and kill bacterialgrowth. Sub-mains and lateral lines requireregular flushing to remove the debris andsediment thus created.

Chemical precipitatesPrecipitates (insoluble deposits) of variouschemicals including iron, sulphur andcalcium are commonly responsible forsystem blockages. Precipitation of iron maybe caused by the biological activity ofbacteria in the water supply or simply byinorganic chemical reaction. Bacterial-inspired iron precipitation is normallycontrolled by chlorination of the water to killthe bacteria or inhibit their activity.Chlorination can be performedcontinuously using at a rate of one mg offree available chlorine per litre of water ora 10 to 20 mg/litre for 30 to 60 minutesduration every day.

Chemical precipitation of iron is causedby physical and chemical changes in thewater when it is pumped out of the aquifierand is related to the effects of pH, pressureand temperature on iron solubility. Use ofchelated phosphates and calcium saltsaggravates the problem and should beavoided in iron bearing waters. ‘Natural’precipitation of insoluble iron salts maycause serious blockage of emitters even ina relatively small quantity. Remedialoperations include aeration and settling,‘dedicated’ pre-precipitation of iron usingfree chlorine and pH control through acidinjection because iron is more soluble atlower (more acidic) pH values.

Water containing in excess of 0.1mg/litre of sulphides is prone to bacterialprecipitation of sulphur which in turnproduces organic sulphur slime. The whitecottony slime mass can completely blockthe emitters. This can be prevented usingchlorination as previously described.Additional problems can be created byinteraction of iron and sulphur componentsin the water supply, whereby dissolved ironsalts and sulphides chemically react toproduce insoluble iron sulphide.

Precipitation of calcium salts causingblockage in drip emitters and lateral lines isheavy and frequent with some hard waterscontaining high levels of calcium salts. Theproblem appears as a white film or plate ofinsoluble calcium carbonate. The remedy isacid injection at a rate just sufficient toreduce pH to below 4.0 for between 30and 60 minutes.

Caution: chemicals like acids andchlorine commonly used to treat irrigationwater are potentially dangerous and highlypoisonous and corrosive. They must not behandled or used by unqualified andinexperienced personnel and require properprotective clothing including protective all-over body suits, gloves, boots, goggles, facemasks and respirators. Never attempt thetreatment procedures referred to here unlessyou are qualified and experienced to do so.Always purchase chemicals from bona fidesuppliers and get the supplier or otherqualified personnel to do the treatment foryou. If possible have an automatic closedinjection system installed which will minimiseor even eliminate any handling andexposure to these and other chemicals usedin the treatment of irrigation water. h

Fertiliser and chlorine can be injected into irrigation water through these controls; sand filters also treat recaptured irrigationwater befo re it is reentered into the irrigation system. Photo: Everfilt.com

Chemicals like acids andchlorine must not be handled

or used by unqualified andinexperienced personnel and

require proper protectiveclothing.


IRRIGATION


S11 AF JulyAug 2014 Fogging Equipment_Layout 1 7/30/2014 4:40 PM

Fogging technology offers the versatility to cope with jobs ranging from large scalepublic health programmes to visual effects in the entertainment industry, but farmingis one of the biggest markets for fog-making machines. Mike Willilams reports.

ONE OF THE key requirements for successful fogging isproducing droplets that are the right size. The artificialfog consists of large numbers of small droplets thatare light enough to defy gravity and float in the air for

long periods. The size range of the droplets from conventional cropspraying equipment is typically between 100 to 200 microns, butthe droplet size needed for many fogging operations is less thanabout 50 microns, small enough to remain airborne while theydisperse over the target area carrying the active chemical solution.

The small size of the fog droplets makes them unsuitable for usewith some types of chemical in situations where wind drift is aproblem, which is why the larger droplet size from sprayingequipment is usually preferred for applying some chemicals to fieldscale crops. Apart from this limitation, fogging can apply relativelysmall volumes of chemical with high efficiency, and it is establishedas a popular method for pest and disease control in buildings usedfor livestock and crop production. Other agricultural uses includemaintaining freshness in newly harvested vegetable and salad cropsusing pure water droplets, and fogging with water can be used fortemperature reduction in buildings housing livestock.

Fogging machines used in farming range from hand-held unitspreferred for working inside buildings, and at the other extreme arehigh capacity truck or tractor-mounted machines. Hand-heldequipment has obvious advantages, including lower initial cost, butweight is a limitation and the heavier machines can be tiring tooperate for long periods. The overall design of hand-operatedfogging machines, including the position of the controls and theweight balance, can also affect the ease of use, and handling differentmachines before buying can be a useful part of the choosing process.

Thermal fogging machines use heat to form the droplets whilecold or ultra low volume (ULV) fogging relies on a low pressure, highvolume air flow for droplet formation, and there is also a growingnumber of versatile machines that work with both processes. TheCurtis Dyna-Fog company, an American based manufacturer with awide range of fogging machines, helpfully explains why differencesbetween the two types of machine can be important.

Thermal fogging processThe thermal fogging process produces a wider range of dropletsizes including large numbers of very small droplets, the companyexplains. The quantity of smaller droplets is important because itmakes thermal fogging particularly suitable for areas withobstructions such as large amounts of vegetation, and the smalldroplets also make the fog more visible to allow the operator tocheck the thoroughness of the application process.

Cold or ULV foggingCold or ULV fogging produces a much more uniform droplet size andone advantage is that formulations can be applied with less dilution,allowing smaller volumes to be used to reduce costs. The droplet sizecan also be adjusted on cold fogging machines, and this allows theoperator to select the appropriate size for different applicationrequirements. Although the absence of large numbers of very smalldroplets means cold fogging may be less effective in obstructedareas, the ability to adjust the droplet size with ULV application canbe a big advantage in many situations, says Curtis Dyna-Fog.

A popular model in the medium capacity sector of the CurtisDyna-Fog range is the electric powered Dyna-Jet L30, a ULV typefogging machine designed for truck mounting. It weighs 47.6kg,has 57 litres tank capacity and the output is 38.3 cu m/min. Theelectric drive gives almost silent operation and avoids engineexhaust emissions, a useful advantage for working inside buildings,and the design of the high speed rotary atomiser means 90 percent of droplets are less than 20 microns.

The pulsejet principleThe first Swingfog thermal fogging machines were built in Germanyin 1946, introducing the principle on which all thermal foggingmachines using the pulsejet principle are based. The current Swingtecrange includes the SN 50, SN 81 and SN 101 models in theSwingfog series providing a complete portable and truck-mountablerange. The design for all Swingfog models includes stainless steel forconstruction material in contact with the chemical preparation,allowing the machines to be used with corrosive disinfectants.

Options for Swingfog generators include the patented highperformance fogging tube for use with environmentally friendlywater based preparations. This produces a fine ULV dropletspectrum with a Volume Median Diameter (VMD) below 30 micronsat high flow rates without producing the large droplets that causepollution and waste chemicals. The VMD meets the World HealthOrganisation specification for thermal foggers and ULV applicators,and Swingtec claims to be the only thermal fogging machinemanufacturer that can produce this droplet spectrum at similar highflow rates. If larger droplets are required, with fungicides forexample, larger nozzles can be used at higher flow rates.


FOGGING

The Microfog 35E portable thermal fogger from Micron can work with water oroil based formulations.

Fogging is established as a popular method forpest and disease control in buildings used for

livestock and crop production.


Versatile fogging


Swingtec also offers a full range of Fontan ULV aerosolgenerators including the truck-mountable Mobilstar ER with aunique GPS control system that matches the flow rate to changes invehicle speed. This avoids variations in application caused by speedchanges and travelling over rough terrain, leading to incorrectapplication rates and the risk of pollution and chemical waste.

The Fontan range includes the Portastar, described by Swingtec as‘a genuine ULV backpack applicator which sells in thousandsworldwide and is probably the most widely used machine of its typecurrently available.’ The Fontan Twinstar and Turbostar models areelectrically powered and programmable, allowing computerisedapplication which is ideal for greenhouses because automaticcontrol means an operator does not have to be present.

Ability to work with oil and water based solutionsThe ability to work with both oil and water based solutions adds

to the versatility of the fogging process, and a recent addition to theVectorFog range of machines from South Korea is the H200SFthermal model that uses both types of solution. It is a portablefogger weighing 10.8kg and with a specification that includes a6.5 litres tank capacity and a 50 l/hr flow rate with droplets in the5 to 30 micron size range. The H200SF offers a higher capacityalternative to VectorFog’s H100SF model which also works witheither oil or water formulations and has a 4.5 litre tank, a 40 l/hrflow rate and weighs 8.5kg.

The VectorFog range also includes a comprehensive range of ULVcold foggers with recent additions at both ends of the size range.Their newest portable ULV model is a lightweight suitable for applyingchemicals such as pesticides and disinfectants inside small cropstorage and livestock buildings. Called the C20, it is powered by a560 watts Samsung electric motor with dual-speed control, thechemical tank holds 1.5 litres, the flow rate is between 15 and 30l/hr and the weight is only 3.5kg. At the other end of the output scalein the VectorFog ULV range is the TU100 truck-mounted fogging unitfor outdoor work in environmental and public health schemes and onlarger farms. The weight is 150kg, the chemical tank capacity is 150litres and the power unit is a Mitsubishi petrol engine.

The newest addition to the list of ULV fogging machines in theIGEBA range from Germany is the U5M model designed to workwith both oil and water based solutions. It is powered by a 3.5hpBriggs & Stratton four-stroke petrol engine and can be carried on

a small utility vehicle or an ATV. The U5M can also be mounted ona special lightweight two-wheel carrier which is available as anoptional extra. The U5M has a stainless steel frame and the fueltank capacity is sufficient for about two hours of continuous work,the solution tank holds 20 litres and can be replaced by a full tankwhen empty, and the airflow from the compressor is delivered at200 m/sec velocity. IGEBA says the droplet size is 25 microns witha water based solution or 15 microns with oil.

IGEBA’s thermal fogging machine range includes their popularTF35 model, a medium capacity fogging machine that can workwith oil or water solutions. It was the first fogger to be equippedwith the unique IGEBA ignition system which does not need a sparkplus and has a reduced maintenance requirement. The standardversion of the TF35 has a fogging tube designed for oil basedformulations, but a special tube is available to provide extraversatility for working with water solutions. The specificationincludes a 5.7 litre solution tank, but a 10-litre version is alsoavailable, and the standard accessory kit includes a selection ofnozzles giving different dosage rates.

The Microfog 35E thermal fogger from the British based MicronGroup is designed to use oil or water based solutions, producingdroplets in the 5 to 10 micron range from oil based mixes and 10to 30 microns with a water based solution. It is designed for indooror outdoor use and for a wide range of applications fromplantation crops and livestock housing to food stores and publichealth, and it is fully certificated for vector control. The weight is7.9kg with empty tanks and the fuel capacity is 1.2 litres with a 6.0litre tank for the solution. Design features include extensive use ofstainless steel for corrosion resistance and a push-button starts theelectronic ignition.

Micron’s Electrofan is an air-assisted sprayer for applying low andultra-low volumes of chemicals such as insecticides and fungicides inareas with little or no natural air movement. The main agriculturaluses are for protected crops in tunnels and under glass, for livestockbuildings including poultry houses and for large grain stores. Twoversions are available, one powered by a 12-volt battery giving about1.5 hours of work before recharging, and the other has an electricmotor powered from a 240-volt mains supply. Both versions weigh justover 4.0kg with a full tank, and the battery version produces dropletsin the 60 to 70 micron range over a 3 to 5metres distance while themains powered Electrofan produces 50 to 60 micron droplets over amaximum of 6.0metres.

For large scale fogging workFor large scale fogging work the vehicle mounted Micron AU9100cold fogger is used for vector control schemes and by public authoritiesfor disinfection and odour management. It has an air blower poweredby a 13hp Honda engine and the standard specification includesremote controls operated from the vehicle cab. h

FOGGING

Swingfog’s SN 50/plant protection being used here in a citrus plantation.

Automatic control means an operator does nothave to be present.


A special version of the IGEBA TF-35 portable machine for water based solutionsworking inside a livestock building.


The tea industry is taking action to improve smallholder livelihoods acrossAfrica and Asia. Pioneering partnerships are also aiming to raise workers’wages and help farmers adapt to climate change.

APIONEERING TRA INING programme which has helpedsmallholder tea farmers modernise production and improvetheir livelihoods is being rolled out to major African andAsian tea-growing countries, the Ethical Tea Partnership and

IDH – the Sustainable Trade Initiative has announced.The unique training approach has already helped 48,000

farmers in Kenya increase their yields by a third and find ways togenerate more income from other sources. It has been piloted bythe Kenya Tea Development Agency which has set up more than1,600 Farmer Field Schools to deliver the programme.

ETP and IDH now aim to reach 200,000 more smallholders withthe programme within three years, extending it in Kenya and rollingit out to Malawi, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, India and Vietnam inpartnership with major tea brands Tata Global Beverages (whoproduce Tetley), Taylors of Harrogate (Yorkshire Tea), Unilever (PGTips) and other partners including the Kenya Tea DevelopmentAgency (KTDA), Rainforest Alliance, the Wood Family Trust andGatsby Charitable foundation.

Strategic initiativesThis is one of a number of strategic initiatives led by ETP and IDHwhich aim to tackle key issues facing the tea industry such asimproving livelihoods for farmers and workers, managingenvironmental problems like climate change, and building resilientand stable supply chains. They are setting up innovative, long-termprogrammes and building powerful partnerships between the teaindustry, retailers, governments and NGOs to find solutions tothese complex problems.

Sarah Roberts, executive director of the ETP, said: “Tea is theworld’s favourite beverage, after water, and it provides a livelihoodfor millions of people around the globe. These projects show thatthe industry is committed to helping smallholder farmers and

workers earn a decent wage and farm better, and that itunderstands that this is fundamental to building secure supplychains and future success.”

The tea industry’s annual Team Up conference, held recently inLondon, identified key social and environmental issues affecting thesector and explored how action to tackle them can secure supplychains and build brands’ reputation. ETP and IDH, joint hosts of theevent, updated producers, packers and retailers on the progress oftheir pioneering projects.

Joost Oorthuizen, chief executive of IDH, said: “It is amazing tosee how the tea industry is making serious efforts and investmentsto address difficult issues such as wages and smallholder inclusion.These and other deeply rooted problems, that only a few years agowere ‘owned’ by civil society groups, are now high on the agendaof the international tea industry. We can use this positive energy byworking together, and collaborating with retailers, governmentagencies and NGOs, who all have a part to play.”

It is estimated that eight million smallholder farmers in Africa andAsia are responsible for around 70 per cent of global tea production.

However, many use outdated production methods, often in poorworking conditions, which result in poor returns.

Kenya world’s 3rd largest tea producerKenya is the world’s third largest tea producer and more than 60 percent is produced by smallholders. Its largest smallholder co-operative, the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA), with supportfrom IDH and Unilever, introduced Farmer Field Schools in 2008 to


TEA

A tea plantation in Tanzania.Image: Technoserve.

The tea industry is making serious efforts andinvestments to address difficult issues such as

wages and smallholder inclusion.


Pioneering training programmehelps smallholder tea farmers

S11 AF JulyAug 2014 Fogging Equipment_Layout 1 7/31/2014 10:25 AM

improve the livelihoods and working conditions of its 560,000smallholder tea farmers and their workers, and the programme waslater combined with Rainforest Alliance certification.

The programme takes a unique approach designed to trainlarge numbers of farmers at relatively low cost. Groups of farmersare trained in “schools without walls” over 12 months, triallingdifferent farming approaches and learning from experiments intheir own fields and from each other. They are consulted about keyissues affecting both their tea crop and their farm, so the trainingcan be designed around their needs.

Three quarters of the curriculum is focused on tea farming; theycan also choose modules such as using kitchen gardens and livestock farming to diversify their income. At the end of the trainingthey share their experience with their neighbours so that improvedpractices are spread across the locality.

Some 48,000 farmers have already been through theprogramme and, according to KTDA data, they are achieving yields36 per cent higher than those who have not, and are alsogenerating more income from other sources.

Farmers who have been through the programme have benefitedin a number of ways, according to an independent impactassessment For all the tea in Kenya (2014) by LEI–WageningenUniversity. They have:● Improved production and yield● Increased gross margins● Improved farm management● Achieved greater diversification of income● Achieved better living standards● Improved health and safety

Raising wages for tea industry workersETP, IDH, Oxfam and the German Development Agency GIZ havealso assembled a coalition to tackle the issue of low pay on teaestates, and plan action to move workers towards a living wage whichwill cover a basic nutritious diet, decent housing and other needs.

Many tea producing countries are poor and minimum wagesmay be set at a low level, so although tea estates pay their workersthe legally agreed wage this may not be enough to give them aliving wage that covers a household’s basic needs.

Work is focussing initially on Malawi, Africa’s second biggest teaproducer, where pickers earn two thirds of the World Bank povertyline income of around US$2 per person per day, but are still betteroff than 62 per cent of the population, who exist on less than theWorld Bank’s extreme poverty line of US$1.25 a day.

The coalition aims to help tea estates improve their productivityand profits and make more finance available to invest inimprovements in return for a commitment to raise wages. They will

also work with employers, unions and governments to agreephased improvements to wages – which are set at national orregional level – and increase worker representation in negotiations.The programme will run for several years and inform similar workto raise wages in other countries.

Helping tea farmers adapt to climate changeAnother project run by the ETP and GIZ has helped more than100,000 smallholder farmers to increase their resilience to climatechange and secure their future livelihoods in Kenya.

Farmers were taught about the impacts of climate change andhow to adapt to them, trained in good practice, low-cost farmingtechniques, and given access to affordable finance to help themmake improvements.

More than 3.5mn trees have been planted on farms or aregrowing in nurseries to provide shade for tea bushes and help fixsoil nitrogen. More than 600,000 drought- and frost-resistant teaclones have been planted or are being grown in nurseries toimprove smallholders’ resistance to extreme weather. More than2,500 farmers have installed rainwater harvesting and dripirrigation systems.

The training will now be extended to all 560,000 farmersworking for the Kenya Tea Development Agency, the country’slargest smallholder cooperative, and it is being adapted for use inMalawi and Uganda. h

TEA

A Rwandan tea picker at the Mulindi tea plantation, in Byumba. (Image: The Guardian.)

Farmers were taught about the impacts ofclimate change and how to adapt to them.


Bowl CuttersUsed Seydelmann 120 litre Bowl CutterUsed Rex 200 litre S/S Bowl Cutter & BowlNew fatosa 35 litre Bowl Cutter S/S BowlMincer and Mixer GrindersUsed Hobart 56 Mincer, 15 HpUsed Laska 130 Auto Mincer S/SUsed Hobart 4346 Mixer GrinderUsed Wolfking 140 Mixer GrinderNew Fatosa PSA 160 Self feed MincerUsed KS 46 Hp , upright EmulsifierVacuum Packers and Shrink / dip mc’sNew ATM Table Top Vacuum Packer, single phaseNew ATM long table top Vacuum packer for fishNew ATM Packman single chamber Vacuum PackerNew ATM large single chamber Vacuum PackerNew ATM double chamber Vacuum PackerUsed Cryovac CJ 51 heat shrink TunnelUsed Suman semi auto dip tankUsed Mondini Inline Tray sealer, Year 2002Used Ilpra Inline Tray sealer, Model Speedy year 2003

Mixers and TumblersNew Fatosa 80 litre paddle Mixer, tippingUsed IFM 1,000 litre Ribbon MixerUsed Lutetia 150 kg Vacuum TumblerUsed Lutetia 400 Kg Vacuum TumblerUsed Ruhle 400 Kg Vacuum Tumbler / coolingDicers, Flaker, GraterUsed Ruhle SR1 DicerUsed Treif Dicer 84 x 84 chamberUsed Biro Bandsaw sliding tableUsed AEW 400 Bandsaw 3 phase, year 2004MiscellaneousUsed Koppens VM 600 HS FormerUsed Vemag Robot 500 Vacuum FillerUsed Risco RS 105 sausage filler linker, year 2010Used Ranger Apollo Skinless sausage PeelerUsed Hycut sausage snipper, cuts to countUsed BCH 500 litre Steam Vessel with mixUsed Rapidaire 2 Trolley thro’ door steam cookerUsed Nilma auto Pasta Cooker gas heatedUsed Do Boy continuous bag sealerUsed Vertical bag clipperUsed Grote 713 slicer for logs

New & Used Food Machines All With Warranty

www.machines4food.co.uk

Email: [email protected] 40, Second Avenue, Westfield Industrial Estate, Midsomer Norton, Radstock, BA3 4BH, EnglandTel: 44 (0)1761 410345 Fax: 44 (0)1761 410332

S11 AF JulyAug 2014 Fogging Equipment_Layout 1 7/31/2014 10:25 AM


IRRIGATION


At the core ofBUSINESS

KBL just entered the Limca Book of Records and was awarded theAward of Excellence at ACREX 2014 for its lowest life-cycle costpump. Do tell us about this.KBL’s all-women Coimbatore plant set a benchmark and bagged aprestigious award by the Limca Book of Records for its project MahilaMission 20. The project achieved a milestone of assembling a pump ina time of 17.25 seconds, making it a national record. The silver jubileeof the Limca Book of Records, dedicated to the cause of empoweringwomen, honoured the entire ladies workforce of Kirloskar BrothersLimited, Coimbatore plant. The award was offered in the presence ofnumerous dignitaries, leaders, decision makers and bureaucrats fromvarious participating companies.

The Coimbatore plant is run efficiently by the all-woman workforceand has been receiving numerous awards in various categories. Weare hopeful that this trend will continue.

After the setting up of a value-added service facility in Egypt, whatnext does KBL have in mind for the region?The service facility is an investment in the region and we are hopefulit will drive more business towards the organisation. This is our effortto let our customers know that we are here for the long run and thatwe are committed to the best work from KBL.

Our effort in the region will continue to grow. This service centrewill also serve as a place for training of the local engineers to operateand maintain the pumps better. It will help reduce incidents ofbreakdown and damage to the equipment and, thus, reduce costsincurred to maintain these critical installations.

What are KBL’s future strategies for the region?KBL is committed to a very long-term engagement with the region andEgypt in particular. It will be our effort to grow the business on goodpractices. We believe that our investments will also improve ourconnection with people and our commitment to a greater engagementextends to this level.

We are convinced that the potential of the region is still unexploited,especially in the use of energy-efficient technologies to manage waterresources. With the experience that KBL has in this field, it is now time fora comprehensive dialogue on planning the use of these in the long run.

It is our effort that we pool in our resources with that of think-tanksand technology institutes to help formulate policies and strategies thatgive us optimal solutions for the region.

As more and more Indian companies are entering Africa, what stepsis KBL taking to retain its position in the region?It is our work that speaks for itself and we have an intrinsic position inthe minds of decision-makers as a credible organisation that willmake all efforts to develop and deliver the best fluid handlingsolutions. It is with this knowledge that we prepare ourselves as wellas work on the ground in any of the countries that we are present in.

Our irrigation project in Senegal is valuable to the country and hashelped reduce the import bill on rice by almost half, releasing a largeamount of foreign exchange to be used for other critical requirementsin the country.

The one thing that we definitely do is to engage with planning for thecountries. We recognise that each country in Africa has uniquerequirements and we believe we are capable of providing optimisedsolutions for each country. Equipped with more than 700 engineers, KBLhas the bandwidth that works in R&D as well as delivery on the ground.

We are also engaged in a process of creating critical partnershipswith institutes that will strengthen our delivery on the ground. We believethat our work should speak for itself and till now it has not failed us.

What CSR activities is KBL conducting in Africa at the moment?Our CSR is based on the concept of ‘teach to fish’. We believe that wehave to train people to become skilled as it will help increasing ourlocal employment and create educated users. So as a policy, ourwork is around creating skilled people in African countries. KBL’sglobal vision places a lot of importance on the countries of Africa. Itpromises to be one of the most potential markets for our products. h

By strengthening the local workforce in Africa, Kirloskar Brothers Limited have created a niche for themselves inthe continent, says Shipra Tripathi, head of corporate global marketing and communications at KBL

Shipra Tripathi heads the corporate globalmarketing and communications for KirloskarBrothers Limited. She was also responsible forcreating the CII-Conclave on India Africa thattakes place every year in India. Author of severalarticles on the growing economic engagementbetween India and Africa as well as India andSoutheast Asia, Shipra has travelled to more

than 30 African and Southeast Asian countries and has developed closecontacts there. She is a CII Certified EFQM Assessor and holds a post-graduate degree in International Relations from the University of Delhi.

S12 AF JulyAug 2014 ICT Agri & Equipment_Layout 1 7/30/2014 4:49 PM

NEW HOLLAND’S NEW highcapacity CR combineharvesters take productivity toan entirely new level, with 10to 15 per cent capacityincrease, and set newstandards of grain and strawquality. To support the launchof the exceptional CR8070and CR9080 combineharvesters, which made their debut in the South African market at theNampo show earlier this year, New Holland unrolled a training andcustomer demonstration programme. The aim was to ensure a goodunderstanding of the full potential of the advanced features of this newrange, both within its dealer network and among South Africa’sprofessional farmers.New Holland product specialists from the brand’s Europe, Africa,Middle East team have run a series of two-day dealer technical trainingsessions in Delmas and Bothaville to provide dealers with the in-depthknowledge of this high performance combine. The dealer salesmenwere able to go into the details of all the winning features of the newCR8070 and CR9080 combines, and test them in the field. Anton vander Merw, salesman at NWK in South Africa, was impressed with the CRand the training session: “At every combine course I learn somethingnew. The CR combines have many positive features. I found veryinteresting the comparison with equivalent models in the same class,highlighting the features and technical characteristics that give CRcombines a competitive edge.”In addition, key customers had the opportunity to see the CR combinesin action during a demonstration day in the Delmas area.

AFRICA IS MOVING into an agricultural revolution and AGCO isaccelerating the movement forward, with a developed strategythat focuses on investment in human capital to improve farmingknow-how while helping with the move toward mechanisation.A total of 15 per cent of the world’s arable land lies in Africa, ofwhich more than 80 per cent remains uncultivated. That is amajor driver for AGCO to be engaged in the World EconomicForum’s Grow Africa Initiative and why, for example, it iscommitted to the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition ofthe Group of Eight (G8) member countries. Currently, themajority of power for farming in Africa comes through animals orhuman hands. This not only severely limits productivity, but it alsomakes agriculture an unattractive occupation where hard workyields so little return.To continue to bring Africa agriculture thought leaders together,AGCO held its third annual AGCO Africa Summit, “Agriculture inAfrica – Innovation in the Field,” earlier this year in Berlin,Germany. Building on the success of previous AGCO AfricaSummits which shared the agricultural vision then moved thevision to action, the 2014 event focused on innovation. Importantpieces of this agricultural revolution revolve around usingtechnology and science to overcome Africa’s agriculturalchallenges while wisely investing in the opportunities to raiseAfrica’s agricultural productivity levels for all farmers. With the aid of mechanisation in farming, the amount of landfarmed is greater; yields are up — and economic benefits likeincreasing the efficiency of labour, reducing costs, and improvingthe quality of cultivation are realised. The social benefits aremany too.

High performance from New Holland CR

AGCO committed to transforming African agriculture



Alcimed, an innovation and new business consulting firm, looks into the digitalfarming segment and new market opportunities for the agrifood sector.

HISTORICALLY, DIGITAL TOOLS were designed to simplifytasks with automated complex calculations and enabledinformation to be processed at lightning speed. And this isprecisely because farming needs to consider

simultaneously dozens of parameters (such as sun exposure of crops,humidity, soil pH, levels of fertilisation, pest control, management oflivestock effluents, hygiene control...), that high technology isparticularly appropriate. In fact, agriculture is the fine managementof a fragile ecosystem under economic pressure from global markets.Thus, attention to details ensures greater profitability.

Today, developments around digital farming mainly target cropproduction. But tomorrow, they could be extended rapidly to otherfields that could take advantage of these tools as well.

Precision agriculture is a farming management conceptcombining both computer and satellite technologies to distributevery precisely seeds and inputs (water, pesticides, fertilisers) on agiven area. The potential global market for precision agriculture isestimated at US$3.7bn in 2018 with an average 13.6 per centannual growth rate.[agwired.com/2013/09/13]Some examples of applications include:● In Champagne, where one hectare of vines is worth more than

US$1.4mn, this technology appears to be a promising tool tofinely manage production, optimise the use of inputs and harvestat the right time in the right place. Such a tool could complementthe winemaker’s intuition to produce the best wines.

● According to the IFPRI (International Food Policy Research Institute)report published in February 2014, precision agriculture couldincrease wheat yields by 25 per cent by 2050 in the UK.

Many possible innovations Many opportunities can be unveiled thanks to mobile devices suchas smartphones and tablets. The farmer is a busy and a nomadicperson by nature. More than a communications means linking himto his suppliers, customers or employees, his computer can now beused to retrieve key information on his production. Many mobileapplications can receive real-time weather data, monitor changesin commodity prices, and even receive alerts from his farm

equipment which are linked to sensors. All these prediction toolshelp minimise risk and optimise production.

But beyond these smartphone applications, many innovativeprojects (only at the stage of ideas or in advanced developmentphase) are taking shape to combine both digital technology andagriculture: driverless tractors guided by satellites, cows milked thanksto algorithms, robots that remove weeds and pests with lasers withoutany chemical residue, micro-robots bees pollinating flowers...

Thus there is a network of possibilities for innovation strategies. In order not to miss this new wave of opportunities, agrifoodmanufacturers have several strategies.

* Either by integrating cutting-edge expertise through the acquisitionof small companies.For example, Monsanto purchased Climate Corp, a data analysiscompany, for nearly US$1bn in October 2013. Climate Corp is acompany specialising in agricultural risk management andinsurance against damage, that has developed a simulationplatform and local weather monitoring system. Monsanto alsopurchased Precision Planting for US$250mn in May 2012, whichcreated the first "Integrated Agricultural Operating System" calledFieldScriptsSM. The product is expected to be launched in 2014 infour states in the United States and will advise on the best corn seedto plant thanks to local data previously analysed.

* Or through collaboration between agribusiness multinationals.For example, the leader in farm machinery, John Deere, signed inDecember 2013 two non-exclusive collaborations with agribusinesspartners, namely Dow AgroSciences and BASF. John Deeredeveloped in 2012 an online information platform, calledMyJohnDeere, which manages data from equipment, production orthe farm as a whole. Through these two collaborations, farmmanagement solutions and customised advices systems will emerge.

* Or through the implementation of collaborative consortium.Standardising practices and homogenising data exchanged within thesame farm where there are potentially different "Information Systemsin Agricultural Exploitation" is important. To this end, AgGateway, aconsortium of stakeholders in agribusiness, created in 2012 a projectcalled SPADE (Standardized Precision Ag Data Exchange) on theseeding process. SPADE 2 took over in 2013 and focused onharvesting and crop protection. The number of members of theconsortium rose from 31 in October 2012 to 208 in February 2014,showing their enthusiasm for this initiative; these included leadingagribusiness companies such as Syngenta, Bayer CropScience, DowAgroSciences, BASF, Monsanto and DuPont Pioneer.

The development of digital farming could generate momentumtowards an industry beset by both environmental (soil depletion, climatechange...) and social (sustainable development, media pressure…) crises.

But beyond innovations, the big challenge will be to frame andstructure this overflow of information, and for market players to reinventtheir business model to continue to support the agricultural world. h

How do manufacturers approachthis market segment?


DIGITAL FARMING

Knowledge Workers act as valuable local intermediaries, bridging the "last kilometer" tobring essential information to other rural farmers in Uganda. Here, a CKW uses her high-end mobile phone to check for information on banana wilt.


S12 AF JulyAug 2014 ICT Agri & Equipment_Layout 1 7/31/2014 10:28 AM

Company ................................................................Page

Alvan Blanch Development Company Ltd.......................9AWILA Anlagenbau GmbH ..........................................29Ayurvet Ltd ....................................................................30Bentall Rowlands Storage Systems Ltd........................19Bomford Turner Ltd ........................................................8Catalysis S.L. ................................................................41Centre for Management Technology ............................17(3rd Palm Oil Africa 2014) CNHI International S.A. ................................................44Compact Seeds and Clones SA ..................................19Denis SA ......................................................................13Eurodrip SA ..................................................................11Factory 2014 ................................................................10FederUnacoma SURL ..................................................21Ferm-O-Feed B.V. ..........................................................7Gary Fiechtner ..............................................................17Goizper Sociedad Cooperativa ....................................35Informa / IIR Middle East (Agra Innovate 2014) ............6Jacaranda Agricultural Show ..........................................9Kepler Weber Grupo ......................................................2Machines 4 Food Ltd. ..................................................37Moshate Media ............................................................13(African Farmers' Workshop & Expo 2014)Omex Agrifluids Ltd.......................................................27Pan Trade Services Limited ..........................5, 23, 35, 41Silos Córdoba S.L. ........................................................25Swingtec GmbH ............................................................33T-L Irrigation Co ............................................................29TVH Group NV..............................................................39Unipoint AG ..................................................................43Valmont Industries ........................................................31Vi-COR..........................................................................29

A D V E R T I S E R S I N D E X

THE COMPLETELY NEW conceptof the multiline brings together aTerradisc compact disc harrowwith a seed drill. The unit deliverscost effective, high performancemulch drilling technology thatenables sensational flexibilityduring operation. Used solo or ina combination, the new Terradisc multiline promises enormous potential.The Terradisc multiline is available in working widths of three and fourmetres. The basic unit is a Terradisc compact disc harrow in combinationwith the 585 rubber packer roller. The machine is trailed using adrawbar attached to Cat II low linkages. The Terradisc multiline can beoperated conveniently using the most straightforward tractor set up.Combined with the seed drill, it offers an ideal alternative toconventional mulch seed drills. The weight of the machine is borne bythe packer roller. Only the supported load acts on the tractor. This meansthat it is possible to use the machine without front ballast, harmfulcompaction at the headland is greatly reduced as a result. The newmachine features excellent ground conservation technology andsustainability. This guarantees long-term yield. The machine is raisedusing the rubber packer roller to provide ground clearance of 280 mm.Vitasem A, Vitasem ADD or Aerosem seed drills are installed as standardabove the packer roller. This allows the seed drill to be fitted or removedeasily, depending on whether the trailed compact disc harrow is to beused on its own or not. As a result the Terradisc multiline is a real multi-talent with a wide range of applications.In the field and during road transport the machine runs on the rubberpacker roller, which is divided into two sections with a central support.This ensures smooth running and optimum stability during transport.

Pottinger’s new multi-talent in mulch drilling technology

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A NEW SILO suitable for smallholder farmers in Africa has been launchedin Nairobi. The 6.2 tonnes capacity silo, made by Brazilian companyKepler Weber, is fit for rural farmers and small sized commercial farms.

It is made with corrugated iron sheets and is solar power-operatedso that it can be used in rural areas with no electricity connection.

The cylindrical tapering silo dubbed ‘Kikapu silo’ is easily loaded byhoisting grain bags manually using ropes. The silo is assembled for easyhandling and erection during times of grain harvesting and conservation.

“It has ventilation for drying the crop. Warm air is sucked upwardsusing solar power and this lowers the moisture content of the grainsfrom 15 per cent to the recommended 13 per cent in a short time”,observed Antonio Carlos de Campos, the foreign trade manager

with Kepler Weber during theunveiling of the silo in Nairobi.

According to Campos, thesilo is suitable for farmers insub-Saharan countries such asMozambique, Ethiopia, Rwanda,Burundi, Uganda and Kenya.

“Currently, the silo is pricedat US$4,500 (Ksh 382,000)and is fit for a group offarmers. Those with fivehectares or more would needto purchase two silos for theirgrain”, explained Campos.

He added that a group ofnon-governmental organisationshad made orders for theirgroups across the country.

New grain silo



african farming july august 2014

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