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East Africa: EA Farmers to Access Info Online
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East African Business Week (Kampala)
29 October 2007
Posted to the web 29 October 2007
John David
Nairobi
Agricultural production in East Africa is a notch high with a new online initiative to provide information on sustainable methods to fight diseases afflicting produce.
The move is expected to boost production as it provides farmers with fresh impetus to fight the disease menace that has eaten into their yields and occasioned low production.
At the click of a button, farmers will be able to access the most recent scientifically based and region specific information on sustainable methods for prevention and control of pests and vectors that are harmful crops and animals.
The online initiative, www.infonet-biovision.org, is a joint venture between Icipe - African Insect Science for Food and Health and Swiss-based BioVision Foundation, launched in Nairobi last week.
BioVision chief executive officer, Mr. Andrea Schriber says the site is tailored to respond to needs of farmers with specific information on various diseases that affect their animals and crops.
"This site is specific and will provide the farmers with all the relevant information required to tackle the disease at all time," he said at the launch, recently.
The website has collated all the information in the region and their visual symptoms through photographs and illustrations for easy identification by the farmers.
"All the farmers will have to do is to identify the picture that most closely represents the damage on his crop, and he will be guided to carefully selected and edited, methods, tips and strategies on how to solve the problem," explained Schriber.
Icipe director general, Prof Christian Borgemeister said the information is scientifically accurate having, having been compiled by local and international experts in collaboration with a network of partner organisations.
Currently, the site has information on over 40 major pests from those that affect the production in the farms such as aphids to those that damage the crop while in storage.
Project leader Ms, Monique Hunziker said the information has also taken into consideration more than 35 major crops, vegetables and fruits grown in East Africa.
She said the site would be built to enable its content cover all the possible diseases and pests that are a nightmare to farmers.
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Besides focus on pests and diseases, the site would also put together information on soil and water conservation that play integral roles towards success in crop production.
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| Copyright © 2007 East African Business Week. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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