farmers - The African Mirror

Oct

2023

Farmers plant more cocoa outside Africa as prices rally

SCHMIDT Agricola is a large agricultural company producing soybeans, corn and cotton in Bahia, Brazil, one of the country's new-frontier agricultural areas fit for large-scale, high-tech farming. It recently added a new crop to its fields: cocoa. Production of the chocolate-making ingredient is expanding outside of the main growing area in West Africa as farmers in places such as Brazil, Ecuador and Colombia see potential profit in the crop. The rally in prices to the highest level in nearly 50 years is boosting that trend, which could alleviate the current supply tightness in the global cocoa market. It also poses…

Jun

2023

By OKWI OKOH, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Old is gold: Here’s why farmers are rediscovering their love for native trees

ENVIRONMENT

AT Joan Wandegi Nthiga's family farm in Embu, a county in eastern Kenya, she and a small group of friends have gathered to discuss the weather, a common topic of conversation these days, and its impact on their area. "The geography has changed dramatically since we started cultivating here over 40 years ago," Nthiga said. Like many other parts of the country and region, Embu is now locked in the extreme weather pattern of successive droughts and floods. "It was a whole forest before. We cut down the trees in order to make room to grow food and fruits. But…

May

2023

By The African Mirror

Farmers in South Africa face power cuts and a weak rand – but a number of factors are working in their favour too

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

WINTER is an important season for South African agriculture, with some of its key field crops being produced during the cold months of June, July and August, and maturing after that, with harvesting in December. Preparation of the land for winter crops begins in April, which is also the same time harvesting of the summer crops begins. Author WANDILE SIHLOBO, Senior Fellow, Department of Agricultural Economics, Stellenbosch University Farmers in the Western and Northern Cape, Free State, Limpopo and other winter crop growing regions are making arrangements for growing winter wheat, canola, barley and oats. All of the country’s wheat…

Apr

2023

By The African Mirror

Farmers say Zimbabwe government compensation deal comes up short

NEWS

NYASHA CHINGONO and WENDELL ROELF BEN Gilpin is one of hundreds of commercial farmers who has been offered government compensation for being evicted from their land and farms two decades ago and found the plan has come up short. Expelled from his 1,000-hectare farm during a land reform campaign led by former president Robert Mugabe, Gilpin, who lives in the capital Harare, is one of many mostly white farmers seeking redress from the government after years of court action and delays. Still, some farmers say they will reject the government's $3.5 billion compensation package for being inadequate financially and for…

Dec

2022

By The African Mirror

In the ruins of east Ukraine, farmers won’t leave their animals

WORLD

HERBERT VILLARRAGA AS the sound of exploding artillery echoes in the distance, Senia, a big white bunny, twitches nervously in the arms of his owner. "He's afraid," explained the farmer, Yevhennia, stroking the rabbit. Here in Yampil, a crater-pocked frontline village in east Ukraine recaptured by Ukrainian forces at the end of September after months under Russian occupation, buildings lie in ruins and most people have left. But not Yevhennia and Ivan, who say they could not bear to abandon their rabbits, ducks, chickens and pigeons. It has not been easy. "We've always kept rabbits. But when (the missiles) started…

May

2022

By The African Mirror

How COVID controls hit farmers in 7 low-income countries, most in Africa

COVID-19

SINCE its emergence more than two years ago, COVID-19 has reached nearly every corner of the globe. It has infected hundreds of millions of people, and overwhelmed health systems worldwide. But its impact goes beyond its direct health consequences. Measures to contain its spread – such as travel restrictions and lockdowns – have also had severe consequences for economies and food systems worldwide. Despite the global impact, the consequences of pandemic-related restrictions vary widely among individuals. In the West, massive stimulus spending has helped ease the economic burden of the lockdowns. In low and middle-income countries, steep drops in employment…

Jul

2021

By The African Mirror

EXPLAINER – U.N. summit seeks to shape a food system fit for the future

ENVIRONMENT

MEGAN ROWLING PEOPLE don't agree on much when it comes to food. But most think how we produce it isn't working for everyone on the planet, nor for crucial natural systems vital to food production, including soils, water and the climate. In response, an upcoming U.N. summit on food systems aims to curb damage to the environment and wildlife from what's on our plates, as well as tackle hunger made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic and climate-heating emissions from agriculture and food waste. Preparations for September's event, due to take place in New York, have already brought together governments, farmers,…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

‘Potholes’ from the past help drought-hit Zimbabwean farmers save water

ENVIRONMENT

LUNGELO NDHLOVU FOR 18 years, Thokozile Ncube has been planting her crops in manure-filled holes covered with straw - and every year, she grows enough to feed her family, as other farmers in Zimbabwe's drought-prone Matobo district watch their crops shrivel. The traditional planting method helps crops survive droughts by keeping them hydrated for longer than tilling and watering an entire field, said the mother of eight from Gwangazile village, 40 km (25 miles) south of Bulawayo. "Whenever the rain comes, that's when you do the planting and your crops will remain green, even during a dry spell, until the…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Small efforts can protect farmers from pesticides. Insights from Zambia

ENVIRONMENT

JOSEPH GOEB, Research Associate, Michigan State University VEGETABLE production, tomato production in particular, is an important source of income for many smallholder farmers in Zambia. It can provide them with gross margins that are much higher than maize, the dominant field crop. But these higher returns come with nearly ubiquitous crop loss risks from pests. Two commonly reported pests are bollworms and nematodes. These can dramatically reduce the amount of tomatoes that meet quality standards. To address this, farmers in Zambia are starting to use more pesticides. A trend that can be seen in many African countries, such as Ethiopia…