July 27, 2023
Nigeria: Pesticides Are Harming Nigeria - It's Time to Update the Law
The European Union has banned the use of several pesticides, and heavily restricted others. This is because of their potential health effects or environmental contamination, or… Read more »
July 25, 2023
Africa: Food Crisis in Africa - the High Cost of Imported Fertilisers Is Adding to the Problem
Global fertiliser suppliers have made incredibly high profits in 2022/23 on the back of price spikes attributed to the Russia-Ukraine war. The profits of the world's top nine… Read more »
July 24, 2023
Nigeria: Nigeria's Food Insecurity - Declaring a State of Emergency Isn't a Real Solution - Here's What Is
Nigerians doing their grocery shopping in July 2023 are paying 25% more for staple items than they did a year ago. Read more »
July 17, 2023
Africa: Technology Can Boost Farming, But It Can Also Threaten Biodiversity - How to Balance the Two
Cultivating one hectare of maize used to be an arduous task for Precious Banda, a farmer in Zambia. It would take her hundreds of hours to prepare her land before sowing and to… Read more »
July 13, 2023
West Africa: Fermented Food Is a Staple in West Africa - 5 Ways to Make Sure It's Safe for Eating
A typical west African menu is not complete without a fermented food or drink. These are foods that have been transformed by natural processes involving "friendly" microorganisms… Read more »
July 05, 2023
Africa: Genetically Modified Crops May Be a Solution to Hunger - Why There Is Scepticism in Africa
Hunger and undernourishment are two elements of food insecurity that have plagued Africa for years. And the menace is growing. Read more »
June 29, 2023
Mozambique: Dung Beetles - Expedition Unearths New Species On Mozambique's Mount Mabu
Mount Mabu in north central Mozambique supports the largest continuous block of rainforest in southern Africa. Read more »
June 28, 2023
Africa: Pastoralists Are an Asset to the World - and We Have a Lot to Learn From Them
Pastoralists are livestock keepers who are frequently on the move, sometimes across huge distances. Following mobile lifestyles and living far from centres of power, they are often… Read more »
June 15, 2023
Africa: Nigeria Is Africa's Leading Rice Producer, but Still Needs More
Rice is one of the staple foods globally, ranking third after wheat and maize in terms of production and consumption. It contributes over 20% of the total calorie intake of the… Read more »
June 05, 2023
South Africa: Farming Is Being Hobbled By Power Cuts and Poor Roads
South Africa's agriculture has had great consecutive seasons since 2019/20. The sector's gross value added grew by 14.9% in 2020, 8.8% in 2021 and modestly by 0.3% in 2022 . This… Read more »
May 25, 2023
Africa: Soaring Risk of Flash Droughts in Every Major Food-Growing Region - New Research
Flash droughts develop fast, and when they hit at the wrong time, they can devastate a region's agriculture. Read more »
May 23, 2023
Africa: Alluring, Classic, Glamorous - The History of the Martini Cocktail
The martini cocktail has existed in a range of guises throughout its ice-cold, crisp life. Read more »
May 26, 2023
Africa: Why More Foam Makes for the Best Beer-Drinking Experience - and Always Has
What makes for the ultimate beer drinking experience? Some like theirs in a frosty glass, others with a wedge of lime. But when it comes to froth - or the head as it's commonly… Read more »
May 16, 2023
Africa: How Does Food Get Contaminated? The Unsafe Habits That Kill More Than 400,000 People a Year
Unsafe foods, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), contribute to poor health, including impaired growth and development, micro-nutrient deficiencies, noncommunicable… Read more »
Nigeria: Nigeria's Street Food Adds to the Plastic Problem - Green Leaves Offer a Solution
Street food is popular in Nigerian cities. Most of the local food delicacies are sold by vendors whose livelihoods depend on informal subsistence activities such as local food… Read more »
April 27, 2023
Africa: Could Farmers Slash Their Reliance on Mineral Fertilisers by Growing Legumes?
Ending hunger by 2030 is one of the Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN. This is a huge challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, where one third of all households are still exposed… Read more »
April 23, 2023
Kenya: Kenya Needs to Grow More Food - A Focus On How to Irrigate Its Vast Dry Areas Is Key
More than 80% of Kenya's land mass is made up of arid and semi-arid areas. So, if Kenya is to increase its agricultural production, which currently accounts for 22.4% of GDP, it… Read more »
April 18, 2023
Africa: Feeding Africa - How Small-Scale Irrigation Can Help Farmers to Change the Game
Unlike large-acreage government irrigation schemes, small-scale irrigation is typically farmer led. Farmers decide what technologies to use to extract water, be it manual lifting… Read more »
April 16, 2023
Ghana: Ghana's Fishing Industry Has a 'Golden Seaweed' Problem - How Citizen Science Can Help
Sargassum is a genus of brown seaweed. Over 300 species are distributed across the world in both temperate and tropical climates. The species fluitans and natans are unique because… Read more »
April 12, 2023
South Africa: Livestock Are Threatened By Predators - but Old-Fashioned Shepherding May Be an Effective Solution
Carnivores like leopards, lions and hyenas have been killing livestock for centuries, causing financial losses to farmers. In many parts of the world, farmers respond by killing… Read more »
March 30, 2023
Nigeria: Catfish in Nigeria - We Set About Finding Ways of Making It More Appealing
African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) farming has become a popular agricultural business sector in Nigeria. This is because the species can adapt to a wide range of temperatures and… Read more »
March 21, 2023
Kenya: Pastoralists Suffer Despite Millions of Dollars Used to Protect Them From Drought - What Went Wrong?
Across the arid landscape of northern Kenya, roadside signs proclaim projects aimed at creating "resilience" among pastoralist communities. This is a region where frequent… Read more »
Ghana: Farmers in Ghana Can't Predict Rainfall Anymore, Changing How They Work #AfricaClimateCrisis
Climate change affects all spheres of life, particularly those aspects that depend on the environment. Farming communities are a case in point. Read more »
March 20, 2023
Nigeria: Beans Are a Favourite Food in Nigeria - 4 Safe Ways to Preserve Them
The beans known as oloyin in Yoruba, or as cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata), are a favourite food among Nigerians, who eat them in a variety of dishes including soups and stews or as a… Read more »
March 16, 2023
Nigeria: Nigeria Is On Major Migratory Bird Routes, New Strains of Bird Flu Keep Appearing
Avian influenza is a highly contagious viral infection of birds, commonly called "bird flu", which has been recurring in Nigeria since 2006. It has resulted in the loss of millions… Read more »