Tarhuna, Libya | AFP | Stretching as far as the eye can see, groves of gnarled olive trees in northwest Libya have proudly withstood the country’s devastating conflicts. But the industry of extracting olive oil, often dubbed “green gold”, is now under threat after Libyan authorities halted exports in a …
Read More »McDonald’s unveils plan for cutting antibiotics in beef
New York, United States | AFP | McDonald’s announced a plan early this month for a phased reduction of antibiotics in beef, expanding a health-oriented reform to a new meat source other than chicken. The fast-food giant described a three-stage process where it would first undertake a study of its …
Read More »‘Green fuel’: Bananas to help wean Angola off oil
Caxito, Angola | AFP | Boxes of still-green bananas were shifted one-by-one from a towering stack of crates into a refrigerated shipping container. Stamped “From Angola, with love”, the fruit is shipped to consumers 6,000 kilometres (3,700 miles) away and are part of Luanda’s drive to diversify its economy …
Read More »How Uganda’s agriculture and food system can create jobs
Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Agriculture can provide jobs to Uganda’s unemployed youth if well harnessed, according to the twelfth Uganda Economic Update published this week by the World Bank. According to a World Bank statement, the report, “Developing Uganda’s Agri-Food System for Inclusive Economic Growth,” notes that the …
Read More »Tanzania president orders army to buy nuts
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Tanzanian President John Magufuli has ordered the army to buy up the entire country’s crop of cashew nuts after private companies refused to pay the price fixed by his government. The move comes just days after Magufuli fired Agriculture Minister Charles Tizeba and Trade Minister …
Read More »German bank caught in DRC colonial land dispute
Frankfurt am Main, Germany | AFP | A German state-owned bank has found itself at the centre of a battle in the Democratic Republic of Congo over agricultural land dating back to the Belgian colonial period, AFP learned Monday. Representatives from nine communities in the DRC last week called on DEG …
Read More »COMMENT: Say no to agricultural gene drives
Africans are now confronting a new and serious threat to our land, biodiversity, rights, and food supply COMMENT | MARIANN BASSEY-OROVWUJE | First, the agribusiness giants came to take our land and disrupt our food systems with synthetic pesticides, fertilisers, proprietary seeds, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Now, these firms’ hired …
Read More »Sudan lifts Egypt produce ban as Sisi visits Khartoum
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir on Thursday lifted a 17-month long ban on agricultural imports from Egypt, during an official visit by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to Khartoum. “I signed today a decision cancelling the ban on imports of Egyptian products,” Bashir told reporters after …
Read More »Agriculture: digital tools supporting rural farmers
Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Experts in agriculture and information technology want farming communities to be supported through digital tools such as phones as a mechanism of encouraging them not to leave agriculture. The tools such as phones are popularly being used as avenues to facilitate communication and payments to …
Read More »Commercial agriculture is the key to wealth, says Museveni
Kyotera, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Museveni has re-echoed the need for Ugandans to change their mindset and carry out commercialized agriculture so as to increase their household income and become wealthy. The President was addressing the nation during the 56th Independence Day celebrations held at Kasasa …
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