Cage farming boost fish stocks in Kenya - E Mercy Corps, Mastercard help farmers utilise tech 12 - East African Agri ...
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Volume 5 / Issue 13 US $ 4.30 April - June 2018
Cage farming boost
fish stocks in Kenya
Mercy Corps, Mastercard Macadamia overtakes How digital technology
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
help farmers utilise tech coffee production is changing farming in
12 16 Africa? 21
www.eastafrican-agrinews.com East African Agriness | April - June 2018 1
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Contents
Editorial Comment
Women scaling up sustenance plowing
to commercial farming : ...................................................... 8
Cover Story
Cage farming boost fish stocks in Kenya : ...................................................... 9
Business, Companies & Markets
AGCO groom young talent in the agricultural value chain : ...................................................... 10
Farmers’ initiative empowers small scale farmers : ...................................................... 11
Mercy Corps, Mastercard help farmers utilise tech : ...................................................... 12
Regional News
Agric women ask Ghana government to do more : ...................................................... 13
Ghana allays fall armyworm fears : ...................................................... 14
Fertiliser factory for Tanzania : ...................................................... 14
Kenyan women-led nuts processor gets funding : ...................................................... 15
Macadamia overtakes coffee production : ...................................................... 16
Smallholder farmers reap from cross border trade : ...................................................... 17
International News
Global hybrid seeds market to reach $99,854 million by 2023 : ...................................................... 18
White farmers lured back to Zimbabwe : ...................................................... 19
www.eastafrican-agrinews.com
12 startups selected for first African Google Launchpad
Accelerator : ...................................................... 20
Feature
How digital technology is changing farming in Africa? : ...................................................... 21
Publisher Jeffrey Sinkamba Joseph Nyirenda
Evans Mumba Sam Phiri Michael Chiku Mondoloka
Joshua Chibwe
General Manager Graphics and Productions
Arnold Chinyemba Merlin Wilson (Pty) Ltd TANZANIA
Rekai Musari Mutisi– Layout Old Bagamoyo Road, Mayfair Plaza Mini Mall,
Editor Office Suite 105/106
Andrew Maramwidze Advertisement Sales P.O Box 75564 Da Es Salaam, Tanzania
Precious Chimbuchimbu Tel: +255 767 658840 | 768 189602
Associate Editor Agnes Mumba Fax: +255 798 465530
Andrew Miti Chilopa Majorie Kasoma
Doris Likonde KENYA
Editorial Contributor(s) Dowell Sichitalwe Old Airport Road, Nairobi , Kenya
Esnala Banda Don Chulu Tel: +254 717 939 214
Potipher Tembo Nkosilathi Mudiyi info@eastafrican-agrinews.com
Obert Simwanza Musa Chigiji
www.eastafrican-agrinews.com East African Agriness | April - June 2018 5
www.eastafrican-agrinews.com East African Agriness | April - June 2018 5
Expanding horizons
Marel Poultry offers exciting opportunities for newcomers and existing processors
According to FAO statistics, 2017 will see some Yield, quality and food safety can readily be processed into by-products
90 million tons of broiler meat produced across which can earn additional money.
Certain processes such as bleed out, scalding
the world. The consumption of chicken meat is
and plucking are time dependent. A conveyor- Most importantly of all, newcomers and
growing between two and three times as fast
based process ensures that the timings for growing small businesses should be
as pork, its nearest competitor. Chicken meat
these operations are always correct. Accurate encouraged to think ambitiously. 500 birds per
has gone from being some 32% of meat
temperature control and forceful agitation of hour could quite quickly become 1,000 birds
consumed globally in 2010 to over 36% today.
the scald water are essential requirements of per hour or much more. The building and its
Looking forward to 2050, broiler production is
the scald process, ensuring both an efficient departments should therefore be laid out to
forecast to more than double.
pluck and consistently good final product allow for easy expansion.
This growth can be seen virtually everywhere, presentation. An air agitated scald tank with
Help with expansion
although it is particularly marked in Africa, electronic temperature control provides both.
South America and in many parts of Asia; The mechanical plucker which follows can be When the time comes to expand, Marel
chicken meat is healthy, versatile and set precisely to the size of broiler being Poultry will be on hand to guide the processor
acceptable to all religions and cultures. processed. All carcasses are plucked to the through the transition. The overhead conveyor
s a m e s t a n d a r d . system will have to be extended to
Especially in Africa and South Asia, which are
Evisceration can now be broken into individual accommodate extensions to existing
expected to account for as much as 80% of the
steps, each carried out by a different operative. equipment and provide space for additional
increase in broiler meat production by 2050,
Venting and lung removal will be done using operatives, particularly in the evisceration
growth will come from new entrants to
dedicated vacuum-assisted tools. Once all department. As the conveyor will have to run
industrialized broiler processing and from the
evisceration operations are complete, legs are faster, the bleed trough will have to be
expansion of existing low volume processors.
cut off automatically, each precisely to the lengthened and the scald tank made larger.
Moving to an industrial process same length. Yield, quality and food safety all Both systems are modular and their extension
benefit. straightforward.
Industrial processing in a purpose-built
processing plant will usually become viable Invaluable advice It will probably also be necessary to add an
once a sufficient customer base has been built additional plucker or install a longer one. It
Marel Poultry can offer invaluable advice to
up to justify the processing of some 500 could be that at this stage the processor wants
newcomers to industrial processing and to low
broilers per hour. At lower throughputs, to change his scalding and plucking process to
volume processors wishing to expand their
broilers will have been processed in batches be able to supply high quality air-chilled fresh
business. Marel Poultry can help with the
with products being passed by hand from one product. This will mean a longer scald at a
design and finish of the building and its various
manual process to the next. lower temperature and even more plucking
departments, with suitable equipment and its
capacity. Until hourly capacity increases to a
Moving to an industrial process has many layout and with the provision of the services.
level where automatic evisceration becomes a
advantages. The heart of this process is an This help will also include atten�on to
profitable option, a single conveyor system
overhead conveyor system which takes important concepts such as animal welfare,
transporting products through both plucking
broilers automatically from one stage of the CO2 footprint and sustainability.
and evisceration departments will suffice.
process to the next. It is made up from
With decades of experience of processing in
standard individual components, which give Automating evisceration
many different parts of the world and with
almost limitless layout flexibility. Broilers are
their knowledge of the local market, Marel Depending on the cost and availability of local
presented, suspended from shackles in a
Poultry will often be able to advise on what labor, automatic evisceration will often
constant flow and at a convenient height to the
products it will most profitable to make. Advice become worth considering once hourly
operatives who have to work on them. This
will also include the best way of dealing with capacity exceeds 2,000 birds per hour. As two
makes their jobs easier and allows them both
the waste which the plant will generate. Blood, crucial operations, venting and lung removal,
to work more efficiently and be effectively
feathers and soft inedible offal, for example, will already have been efficiently taken care of
supervised at the same time.
6 East African Agriness | April - June 2018 www.eastafrican-agrinews.com
using dedicated tools, the first fully automatic appropriate knowledge and can meet all Once chilled, products must be graded,
machine to be bought will usually be a demands. weighed and packed. Some product will be cut
carrousel eviscerator. The Stork Nuova into portions.
Technical back-up
Coretech draws the viscera pack cleanly out of
Initially, most operations will be carried out
the carcass and deposits it over its back, As more and more automatic equipment is
manually at work stations equipped with
allowing edible giblets to be harvested bought and installed, its correct operation and
scales and bagging or other packing aids. At
manually. At this stage two separate overhead maintenance becomes ever more important.
this stage, the equipment supplier's main task
conveyor systems will be needed; one for This is where the technical and technological
will be to advise on good packing room layouts.
killing scalding and plucking, the other for knowledge, long-term experience and the
Products should move smartly through the
evisceration. This is because the automatic broad range of skills, which Marel Poultry can
area to the cold store and should not be
eviscerator has been designed to handle bring to the table, really come into their own.
allowed to accumulate in unnecessary and
products with the feet already cut off and Service contracts ensure that equipment is
unwelcome buffers.
works with its own dedicated shackle, which is kept in tiptop condition. Ongoing on-site
different to the shackle used for killing, training of the processor's technicians As hourly throughputs climb, processors will
scalding and plucking. Initially at least, increases both their skill levels and confidence. graduate through belt graders to a dedicated
products will be re-hung manually to the In Marel Poultry's case back-up can come from selection and distribution line, where whole
evisceration line. both locally and HQ based engineers ably products are graded, weighed and distributed
supported by a help desk, which is staffed automatically according to programs set by
As capacity increases, further automation such
round the clock. Many problems can be solved management. A further advantage of such a
as automatic re-hang from the kill line, fully
quickly and efficiently in this way. system is that it provides valuable information
automatic venting and opening, neck removal
on the individual weight and quality grade of
and neck flap cleaning, final inspection and Chilling, weighing and packing
each product handled.
inside/outside washing can gradually be Once products have been plucked and
added. Acorns and oaks
eviscerated, they must be chilled. How this is
Higher throughputs will also mean that done will depend on how they are to be For equipment suppliers such as Marel Poultry
attention has to be paid to dealing with the brought to market. If fresh, they will be chilled new entrants to industrial processing are
larger quantities of processing waste. Marel by air in a chill room; if deep frozen, they will be acorns which have the potential to grow into
Poultry is an equipment supplier who will chilled by water in a counterflow screw chiller. mighty oak trees. That is why Marel Poultry
happily advise on the right system for the job. Screw chillers are modular and can be takes so much care to nurture and help them
Wastewater treatment is the specialized area extended easily. as they grow.
in which Marel Water Treatment has the
www.eastafrican-agrinews.com East African Agriness | April - June 2018 7
Editorial Comment
Women scaling up
sustenance plowing to
commercial farming
and technology should be used to prop up en love farming and have a bond with farming
women in farming. that is created in their hearts by set rules – our
community expectations.
More can be realised from empowerment of
women that have been doing farming to feed Our governments and private sector should
Editor : Andrew Maramwidze their families, the economic emancipation put women smallholder farmers’ empower-
W
through agriculture will create various other ment at the apex of their agendas. With this we
opportunities. say NO to Corporate Social Responsibility that
omen are slowly scaling up sus- will dish out freebies.
tenance plowing into commercial News that more than 4,776 women in Uganda
farming, as most economies and have benefited from a TradeMark East Africa Let companies seek what would empower
governments embrace the idea. (TMEA) women and trade programme since women to improve their farming and govern-
2015, is a cue that vast opportunities to tap into ment ease red tape that could be hindering to
For so long, the call for African economies to are there in agriculture. easily enjoy farming and it benefits.
fully utilise agriculture has been on the cards
and signs are out for all to see that farming still Many of our mothers, sisters and daughters
has huge potential to be the continent’s eco- should now start viewing farming not as one
nomic mainstay. of the chores that is enshrined from the patriar- Let agriculture sparkle in our economies.
chal duties of our community for women.
The same is true for our region, women should Remember to send through comments and
be empowered, as they form the bulk of the Remember the now famous adage of ‘turn inquiries on: drewmara@gmail.com
smallholder farmers – the growth of innovation your passion into your business’, most wom-
Enjoy the read!
8 East African Agriness | April - June 2018 www.eastafrican-agrinews.com
Cover Story
Cage farming boost fish
stocks in Kenya
V
ictoria Farms in Homa County in the The cages are 36 square meters, holding about “Over the past two decades, local fishermen
western Kenya has more than 200 5,000 fish fingerlings each. Last year, Victory have seen their catch of tilapia drop by almost
employees comprising cleaners, cage Farms produced 300,000 units of fish with an 50 per cent, yet the population growth has
managers, fish feeders, hatchery average of 80,000 tonnes per month for the doubled. This has seen dwindling fish stocks
workers, and fishmongers. local market. The firm plans to double that fig- from the traditional artisanal fishing. Caged fish
ure this year. farming offers an opportunity to correct this,”
The fish firm was co-founded by Joseph Reh- said Rehman.
mann and Steve Moran is among success sto- The fish have a 10-month growth cycle, which
ries of cage aquaculture in sub-Saharan Africa. ensures that they remain available in the mar- The fish are fed three times daily -- twice in
ket and at the firm’s cold storage centres in Sin- the morning and once in the afternoon -- on a
“The first fish were put into the water in June mix of local and imported feed, averaging four
do and Nairobi’s Ruaka area -- which serves
2016 and by the end of last year, our daily tonnes per week.
Nairobi and its environs.
production was way above 2,000 tonnes,” said
Rehmann. The cage managers are tasked with checking
Fish mongers buy the fish from $3 to $4 per
the water temperature, oxygen levels, water
“With the dwindling local fish stocks, we saw an kilo while hotels and other hospitality estab-
clarity and cleaning the nets to avoid clogging,
opportunity and took it up.” lishments get the same quantity for up to $4.5
which ensure the fish thrive in the best of natu-
per kilo. ral environment.
Victory Farms has more than 100 deep-water
cages located almost a kilometre or a 10-min- “Right now, we don’t have any regional expan- At the start, the farm had 50,000 Nile tilapia
ute boat ride offshore. sion plan but we want to increase the size of and the number has grown to more than 1 mil-
our facility here at Sindo Beach. Our permit is lion in two years. The farm also runs a hatchery
The cages hold fish (tilapia) ranging from two for 10,000 tonnes and going by our daily ton- producing up to 200,000 fingerlings per week.
to six months old. In this type of environ- nage, we still have a great opportunity to ex-
ment, strong currents flush through the cag- pand this farm,” he said. Yet this kind of rapid growth is not without its
es throughout the day, and create favourable challenges, and takes a special kind of perse-
conditions for the fish. On the shores of Lake Victoria, the farm also verance.
runs a fish hatchery, a processing facility and a
“This means the fish are raised in an envi- sales distribution network that extends to Nai- “Fish farming is very costly and unlike counties
ronment that mirrors that of wild tilapia. The robi. like China, Kenya has to import the fish feeds
response of the customers has been favour- which are expensive,” said Moran.
able, and the pickiest of connoisseurs is un- Currently, the country produces only 200,000
able to distinguish between wild type and our tonnes of fish against a demand of almost one Other countries where cage fish farming is
cage-produced tilapia,” said Rehmann. million tonnes. practised include Uganda, South Africa and
Ghana.
www.eastafrican-agrinews.com East African Agriness | April - June 2018 9
Business, Companies & Markets
AGCO groom young talent in the
agricultural value chain
G
lobal leader in the design, manufac- didates have the opportunity to join AGCO and The opportunities available in agriculture are
ture and distribution of agriculture its partners. massive - not just for people interested in farm-
equipment and solutions AGCO, ing but for people who can offer services that
Your Agriculture Company recently “The AAQ was initiated by AGCO as a direct farmers can benefit from,” said AAQ participant
launched the new AGCO Agribusiness Qualifi- response to attract and develop young talent Ernest Muchai.
cation (AAQ) at Strathmore University in Kenya. in the crucial agribusiness sector.
Fellow student Sharon Waswa adds: “Agricul-
Twenty students have been enrolled on this Together with our partners, we are making a tural mechanization is the missing link between
brand-new program which is focused on de- long-term commitment to address the man- small-scale agriculture and commercial agricul-
veloping the skills, leadership and strategic ex- agement skills’ shortage,” said Gary Collar,
ture.
pertise to drive African agricultural prosperity. AGCO Senior Vice President and General Man-
ager Asia-Pacific and Africa. “By taking part in the AAQ, I hope to be able to
The AAQ is a joint effort between AGCO, help to bridge that gap. The only way that Af-
Strathmore Business School (SBS) in Nairobi, Collar said the company is determined to fos-
rica can be transformed is through agricultural
Harper Adams University in the UK and Ken- ter the expertise required to work successfully
in the agricultural supply chain and tackle the sector and this is where the opportunities are.”
ya-based The Bridge Africa which runs pro-
grams to prepare graduates for employment. current recruitment challenges the industry
The AAQ course syllabus has wide scope cov-
faces.
ering areas such as agricultural mechanization,
The qualification delivers an accredited two-
year agribusiness program for students aged “This program is unique as it has a wealth of leadership skills, business management, agri-
20-30 who already hold a degree. experience behind it. I’m interested in enhanc- cultural science, marketing and farm manage-
ing productivity and using technology in agri- ment.
On completion of the course, successful can- culture so the AAQ is ideal.
10 East African Agriness | April - June 2018 www.eastafrican-agrinews.comBusiness, Companies & Markets
Farmers’ initiative empowers
small scale farmers
A
lliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (Agra) has started an
initiative to support 3.5 million small scale farmers to sustain-
ably transform farming to commercially viable and profitable.
Nuhu Hatibu, Agra head for Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda
said the programme aims at ensuring farmers income improves and when
analysed should be higher than the GDP.
He said the programme started in June last year and will run all through
to December 2021.
Hatibu said that to ensure farmers benefit, all Agra sponsors including Bill
and Melinda’s Gate, Master Card Foundation among others have signed
contract that will see them have a single coordinated point of contact to
empower the farmers.
“We decided to come up with an agriculture model for industrialisation
through joint investment in Tanzania, as earlier we worked separately and
doing the same thing without coordination,” he said.
He said, they aim is to increase the farmers ability to invest in sustainable
systems that will lift them from poverty.
Under the project, farmers should be able to handle climate and market
shocks, invest in machinery, reduce post-harvest loses.
“Farmers need to have a system, that ensures timely supply of inputs,
irrigation through solar powered technology pumps,” Hatibu said.
yokulima.co.za
He said if the right systems are put in place, the government’s vision of an abchansenafrica.co.za
industrialized country through agriculture will be realised. +27 12 803 0036 info@abchansen.co.za
www.eastafrican-agrinews.com East African Agriness | April - June 2018 11Business, Companies & Markets
Mercy Corps, Mastercard help
farmers utilise tech
K
enya’s small-scale farmers are set to reap accelerate the use of technology and make that over 90 per cent of farmers use mobile
from humanitarian agency Mercy Corps’ farming profitable. phones to access financial services and infor-
partnering with Mastercard Foundation mation regardless of education, gender or age
to push for adoption of technology. In addition, the platform provides assess to dig- and the use of smart phones is also on the
ital financial services for smallholder farmers, rise,” said Leesa Shrader, programme director
The development is expected to yeild better discuss trends and opportunities and engage at Mercy Corps Agrifin Accelerate.
food production and end perennial shortages. on enhancing last mile service for farmers.
“Moving forward, mobile will become even
Mercy Corps’ Agrifin Accelerate Programme is At the forum, leading experts on financial in- more important for farmers to access markets,
a $25 million (Sh2.5 billion) project that is run- clusion from banks, mobile network operators, critical services like transportation and crop
ning for six years and will benefit Kenya, Zam- agribusinesses, tech innovators, governments disease management tools — helping drive
bia and Tanzania. and development partners from Kenya and up farmer productivity and income,” said the
across Africa engaged the audience. official.
It is supported by the Mastercard Foundation
and is aimed at helping to close the gap in Key speakers at the event included executives Olga Morawczynski, programme manager for
access to financial services, information and from the Mastercard Foundation, the World financial inclusion at the Mastercard, said they
market services. Food Programme, Google, Safaricom, Equity were impressed Africa was making progress in
Bank, FarmDrive and SunCulture. innovations that support farmers’ access to fi-
The scheme hosted more than 200 participants nancial services.
from around the world recently in Nairobi to “In Kenya, our 2017 study of smallholders found
12 East African Agriness | April - June 2018 www.eastafrican-agrinews.comRegional News
Agric women ask Ghana
government to do more
W
omen in Ghana have challenged This comes after the workshop provided a “An inclusive Ghana Beyond Aid agenda will re-
government to close gender platform for women farmers to understand the main a mirage, if Ghana continues to exclude
gaps in the agriculture sector. policies in the agricultural sector and identify the 52 per cent of the talent of women in the
what their needs are; as well as strengthen their country,” she said.
The women made the call at a voice for improved livelihoods.
workshop facilitated by Network for Women’s She said government should not leave be-
Rights (NETRIGHT), in partnership with Wid- The women seized the opportunity to press hind rural women farmers in its flagship pro-
ows and Orphans Movement and FiDA Ghana home their rights to land and modern technol- grammes such as the ‘Planting for Food and
among other non-governmental organisa- ogies to reduce the poor conditions they faced Jobs’, ‘One District, One Factory’, and ‘One vil-
tions, and funded by the African Women De- in agriculture. lage One Dam.”
velopment Fund.
Rita Teni Aziza, a representative of the women “We are, therefore, calling on the Government
From the Upper East, Upper West and North- farmers said the National Policies on Gender to ensure that the Ministry of Lands and Natu-
ern regions, women have called on the gov- and Development Strategy II (GADS II) and ral Resources, through the Lands Commission,
ernment to step up efforts to reduce the gen- other interventions targeting women in ag- establishes land banks to facilitate women’s
der gap in legislation and policies to better riculture, were efforts by the government to easy access to land and increase female exten-
recognise their efforts in national development. address gaps in the sector, but the impact was sion agents from the current 13 per cent to 33
still abysmal. per cent,” she added.
www.eastafrican-agrinews.com East African Agriness | April - June 2018 13Regional News
Ghana allays fall armyworm fears
G
hana’s deputy minister of food and enable affected crops to recover in order not to invasion.
agriculture, George Oduro has reas- erode gains in the agriculture sector, particular-
sured farmers of government’s com- ly the maize crop. He called on farmers, District Chief Executives,
mitment to battle the crop-eating assembly members and other concerned Gha-
pest. The fall armyworm is a caterpillar that devours naians to report any fall armyworm infestation
crops, especially the corn plant. The crop pest in their area to the Agriculture office for imme-
This comes after fresh fall armyworm infesta- is said to be a native of North and South Amer- diate attention.
tion reports across the country. According to ica, but it was identified for the first time in Gha-
the minister, government has put in place ade- na and the rest of Africa, last year. Ashanti Regional Director of Agric, Rev John
quate measures to manage the new pest which Manu said 349.1 hectares of farmland which
is becoming difficult to deal with. MoFA officials and agriculture experts are still were infested last year, were recovered after
not sure how the pest got onto the nation’s soil, the spraying exercise by staff of the Ministry in
Speaking during an interaction with some even though one theory suggests the eggs or the various districts.
farmers at Domeabra in the Obuasi East Dis- the caterpillars themselves might have hitched
trict of the Ashanti Region in April, Oduro said a ride in some imported produce. “The awareness creation and education were
large stock of insecticides had been deposit- intensified last year and will continue. This
ed at various district agriculture offices for free The Deputy Minister said the pest is a danger helped in bringing the situation under control,”
distribution to farmers to tackle infested areas. to government’s Plant for Food and Jobs flag- he said adding that no farmer would lose his or
ship programme as it targets maize (corn) and her investment if the person timeously report-
He said the spraying of the insecticides would other cereal crops and destroys them upon ed the infestation.
Fertiliser factory for Tanzania
T
anzania Petroleum Development Cor- and Pakistan’s Fauji Fertilizer Company, is esti- through a tendering process for two suppliers
poration (TPDC) has announced plans mated to cost Tsh6.8 trillion ($3 billion). of fertilisers across
to build a multibillion-dollar fertiliser
factory, banking on the large natural Kato said the government had registered a firm Tanzania who will import 55,000 tonnes of urea
gas resource in the southern regions of Lindi — the Tanzania Mbolea and Petrochemical and diammonium phosphate, which are the
and Mtwara. Company — to run the fertiliser factory, which most needed.
is expected to employ 3,500 workers. The fac-
Natural gas is required for the production of tory will have a capacity to produce 3.8 million Fertiliser produced by the plant will be used to
ammonia, which is used to manufacture fer- tonnes of fertiliser per year. boost agriculture output in Tanzania and the
tiliser. surplus will be exported to foreign markets.
Annual consumption of fertiliser in Tanzania
Aristides Kato, TPDC researcher said the facto- is 400,000 tonnes, mostly used in agriculture. Tanzania’s Minister for Energy Medard Kale-
ry will be built close to large offshore gas finds, High transport costs from bulky importers have mani said a total of 121 billion cubic metres of
and is expected to be commissioned in 2020. led to retail sellers increasing the prices of food. gas will be consumed to produce fertiliser and
petrochemical products, and 34 billion cubic
The factory, a joint venture between Tanzania, The government had set new regulations to metres of gas will be distributed for domestic
Forrestal Industrial Projects of Germany, Dan- monitor importation and supply of fertilis- consumption in homes.
ish industrial catalysts producer Haldor Topsoe er with reduced prices to small scale farmers
14 East African Agriness | April - June 2018 www.eastafrican-agrinews.comRegional News
Kenyan women-led nuts
processor gets funding
E
xotic EPZ Ltd has received a Sh5 million nut deliveries. He said that Autodesk Foundation had pledged
soft loan from pro-green technologies more funds for startups with viable business
Kenya Climate Innovation Centre (KCIC). Edward Mungai , KCIC Chief Executive Offcer ideas that need seed capital to scale up.
said small enterprises running climate-friend-
Jane Maigua, Exotic EPZ Managing Di- ly businesses will be targeted to enable them “Climate change poses a real threat to Kenya’s
rector said the funding has provided them with scale up operations as well as widen market development prospects and livelihoods as it
working capital that will help them improve on reach. undermines investments made to meet Kenya’s
efficiency and boost product availability to their development agenda.
customers. “Our early stage financing facility is a
game-changer that will support young enter- “The drivers of Kenya’s economy are primari-
The facility, provided by Autodesk Foundation prises in their quest of identifying innovative, ly natural resource-based, notably agriculture,
— a private nonprofit organisation supporting market-based climate solutions and help them trade, industry, tourism as well as the services
innovation — will enable the firm to raise its move toward greater financial growth,” said sector including water, energy, and transport,”
farmer base from the current 1,500 members Mungai. Mungai said.
and make prompt payments for macadamia
www.eastafrican-agrinews.com East African Agriness | April - June 2018 15Regional News
Macadamia overtakes
coffee production
K
enyan farmers are making so much from thority. Kenyan coffee production has dwindled after
production of the nuts from macadamia years of mismanagement by the industry reg-
trees that they’re abandoning the beans. Though once known for its prized Arabica ulator to 38,620 metric tons last year from a
coffee, many coffee farmers operate at a loss peak of 130,000 tons in 1989.
The demand for the crop is being driven in Kenya with their beans earning about $0.55
by demand from China, according to Nairo- per kilogram, according to a report last year Macadamia production increased 5 percent to
bi-based agro-processor Nawiri Agribusiness by London-based advocacy group Fair Trade. 41,614 tons last year, after growing more than
EPZ Ltd. 20 percent over the preceding two years, ac-
“Farmers are beginning to discover that this is cording to the AFA. At current prices, last year’s
Farmgate prices for unshelled nuts have risen gold,” said Loise Maina, one of three founders macadamia crop was worth 7.49 billion shil-
to as high as 180 shillings ($1.80) a kilogram (2.2 of Nawiri Agribusiness. lings.
pounds) this season from about 70 shillings at
the start in December, and may climb to 200 “Wherever coffee is grown, macadamia also The coffee industry earned 15.9 billion shillings
shillings, according to Alfred Busolo, head of grows and farmers are now aware of the op- last year, according to the Nairobi Coffee Ex-
Kenya’s state-run Agriculture and Food Au- portunity with macadamia.” change.
16 East African Agriness | April - June 2018 www.eastafrican-agrinews.comRegional News
Smallholder farmers reap
from cross border trade
M
ore than 4,776 women in Uganda of Uganda and Rwanda recently scaled up to men who sold to Rwanda and Democratic Re-
have benefited from a TradeMark trade in Kenya’s Busia border. public of Congo. On learning the profit mar-
East Africa (TMEA) women and gins, they got, we decided to take a risk and
trade programme since 2015. “I started trading to increase my income. My export to Rwanda.”
journey began in farming, first planting po-
These are part of the 25,000 women across tatoes and then beans. Beans are viewed as Amid the initial challenges, the farmer now
East Africa who have directly benefited from women crops in my culture. make UGX70million ($19600) per season.
the programme, this was revealed during the
Trade and Development Forum held in Kam- “Farmers in my district are mostly small scale “At cooperative level we would make UGX 9
pala between February 28 and March 1st, 2018. and yet to penetrate markets competitively, (US$2520) million per season, currently we
you need volumes. So, we formed Manyakabi make UGX 603 Million ($168840) from maize
TMEA has also increased market access for Area Cooperative enterprise which currently and UGX 152 million ($42,560) from beans.
traders through establishment of five coopera- has 8105 farmers, 89 percent of who are wom- Our cooperative turnover in the last edited ac-
tives in subsector areas of beans, coffee, maize, en,” said Kabakyenga. counts was UGX 2 billion ($560,000).”
handcrafts and beverages in the districts of
Hoima, Kabale, Mpigi, Jinja, Masaka and Kap- She said the members supply the cooperative On his part, TradeMark East Africa, Chief Ex-
chorwa. with maize and beans in bulk. ecutive Officer, Frank Matsaert noted that, “In
the next five years of our strategy, we will scale
Clare Kabakyenga one of the programme “Markets in Uganda were saturated by the up our programme and reach to over 300,000
beneficiaries and trades between the borders same products and so, we contacted middle women across East Africa.”
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schule@akahl.de · schulefood.deInternational News
Global hybrid seeds market to reach
$99,854 million by 2023
I
ndian hybrid seeds market is expected to of hybrid seeds with several advanced traits, farmers in terms of cost.
grow at the highest CAGR of 10.3 percent such as pelleting and seed coatings, biological
while Asia-Pacific is expected to lead the and mechanical innovations related to farms, Indoor farms grow at the highest rate in hybrid
market during the forecast period, followed introduction of enhanced hybrid seed varieties, seeds market as indoor farming offers ability to
by LAMEA and decline in arable land, and diversification produce more with utilisation of less resources.
of diets are major factors that drive the market Indoor horticulture is 4,000 times more pro-
According to a new report published by Allied growth globally. ductive as compared to conventional outdoor
Market Research, titled, “Hybrid Seeds Market commodity farming.
by Crop, Duration, Seed Treatment, Farm, and Global population is estimated to reach 9 bil-
Acreage: Global Opportunity Analysis and In- lion by 2050, and is expected to require twice Indian hybrid seeds market is expected to grow
dustry Forecast, 2017-2023”, the hybrid seeds the food, which could be produced from con- at the highest CAGR of 10.3 percent. Asia-Pa-
market was valued at US$ 52,114 million in stant land area. cific is expected to lead the market during the
2016, and is projected to reach at US$ 99,854 forecast period, followed by LAMEA (Latin
million by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 9.7 per- More production is anticipated to be accom- America, Middle East and Africa).
cent during the period. plished from less land only by using the com-
bination of quality seeds, quality inputs, and The fruit & vegetable crops segment is ex-
The field crops segment was dominant in 2016, enhancing farm practices. pected to show highest growth rate by crop in
accounting for more than half of the market North America, registering a CAGR of 9.7 per-
share, in terms of volume. In 2016, fruit & vegetable crops segment ac- cent from 2017 to 2023. Treated seeds were the
counted for more than half of the market, in highest segment by seed treatment in hybrid
Hybrid seeds are developed through cross pol- terms of revenue, due to shift in food usage seeds market, in terms of volume, in 2016.
lination of two diverse varieties. from cereal consumption to vegetables in
the emerging economies, such as India, and South Africa accounted for 4.12 percent share,
This highly selective and specific plant breeding increase in consumer migration to different in terms of volume, in the LAMEA hybrid seeds
is performed to bring together different traits countries with varying food habits. market in 2016. UK accounts for 7.63 percent
from chosen varieties in the resulting seed. share, in terms of revenue, in the European hy-
Treated seeds accounted for the maximum brid seeds market, in 2016.
Hybrid seeds assist manufacturers to produce share, in terms of both volume and revenue,
F1 hybrid plants with enhanced characteristics, in 2016 as these seeds save post sowing cost Asia-Pacific and LAMEA collectively accounted
such as enhanced uniformity, better yield, dis- of spraying and make crops tolerant to various for more than half of the share to the global
ease resistance, and improved colour. soil born and other diseases. hybrid seeds market revenue, in 2016. In the
same year, Asia-Pacific dominated the market,
Clonal propagation and open pollination are Furthermore, treated hybrid seeds assist to in- owing to the increase in demand of enhanced
alternatives to hybridisation. Increase in usage crease the productivity and provide benefits to agricultural products.
18 East African Agriness | April - June 2018 www.eastafrican-agrinews.comInternational News
White farmers lured back to Zimbabwe
P
rospects of a new government in Hara- lonial imbalances. Zimbabwe is expected to hold general election
re are already enticing displaced former by July to elect a new leader, a position which
Zimbabwean white farmers to go back The late Zambian president Levy Mwanawasa is highly contested between the ruling party’s
home. gave land to such fleeing farmers in the arable candidate Emmerson Mnangagwa and the op-
farming block of Chisamba in Central province. position youthful firebrand Nelson Chamisa.
Zambia Watchdog recently reported that white
farmers who left Zimbabwe and shifted their But now home is calling. The southern Africa landlocked country, once
business to Zambia at the height of land repos- the breadbasket for the region has over the
session program in that country are set to start The Zambia Watchdog is reliably informed that years lost its sparkle, as both political and eco-
relocating back. the new regime in Zimbabwe is targeting the nomic challenges bedevil Zimbabwe.
farmers and offering them incentives to return.
The farmers relocated when former President Zambia had benefit from Zimbabwe’s turmoil
Robert Mugabe put in top gear his land reform “And with no proper leadership in Zambia at but has also failed to sustain the benefits into
programme which was aimed at correcting co- the moment, by next year this time, those farms the future.
will be white elephants,” said the Watchdog.
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www.eastafrican-agrinews.com East African Agriness | April - June 2018 19
A028-15Technology News
12 startups selected for first African
Google Launchpad Accelerator
G
oogle has announced the 12 startups A total of 12 startups from across Africa have “We are thrilled to announce this, the first
that will participate in the first Google been selected to participate in the inaugural Launchpad Accelerator Africa class, and look
Launchpad Accelerator Africa class at edition, including six from Nigeria: parenting forward to working with them to drive innova-
an event held in Lagos, Nigeria. community platform Babymigo, payments tion into the African market. Africa is home to
service Kudi, e-books service OkadaBooks, some incredibly smart people who are work-
Disrupt Africa reported in February of last year savings platform Piggybank.ng, P2P banking ing to solve the continent’s problems using
Google was bringing the Launchpad Accelera- platform Riby, and agricultural crowdfunding homegrown solutions, and we’re honoured
tor to Africa, aimed at assisting startups in le- platform Thrive Agric. to be able to be part of that,” said Andy Volk,
veraging Google’s latest technologies to scale Sub-Saharan Africa ecosystem regional man-
their businesses through mentoring. Kenya is represented by two startups, namely ager at Google.
layaway e-commerce system Flexpay and P2P
The programme, which runs for three months microlending platform Pezesha, while there are Google also announced a partnership with
and will operate out of Lagos, will over the next also representatives from Ghana, South Africa, Udacity and Andela to provide 15,000 sin-
three years provide African startups with over Tanzania and Uganda in the form of media gle course scholarships and 500 nanodegree
US$3 million in equity-free support, working platform OMG Digital, livestock buying and scholarships to aspiring and professional de-
space, and access to expert advisers from Goo- selling service swiftVEE, VoD service TangoTv velopers across Nigeria, Kenya and South Af-
gle, Silicon Valley, and Africa. and e-health platform Teheca. rica.
20 East African Agriness | April - June 2018 www.eastafrican-agrinews.comFeature
How digital technology is
changing farming in Africa?
A
By Ndubuisi Ekekwe* farms at cost models that farmers can afford. for young people. As they see that developing
mobile apps alone cannot feed Africa, many
ccording to the Food and Agriculture For example, aerial images from satellites or will turn to farming as a business.
Organization of the United Nations, drones, weather forecasts, and soil sensors are
the world population will reach 9.1 bil- making it possible to manage crop growth in But they must be ready to confront institutional
lion by 2050, and to feed that number real time. Automated systems provide early challenges in the industry. Critical infrastruc-
of people, global food production will need to warnings if there are deviations from normal ture is still required to truly digitally transform
grow by 70%. For Africa, which is projected to growth or other factors. Zenvus, a Nigerian agriculture in Africa. The continent does not
be home to about 2 billion people by then, precision farming startup (which I own), mea- have a comprehensive soil map similar to the
farm productivity must accelerate at a faster sures and analyzes soil data like temperature, U.S. Web Soil Survey to provide soil data and
rate than the global average to avoid contin- nutrients, and vegetative health to help farm- information. The implication is that the smart
ued mass hunger. ers apply the right fertilizer and optimally ir- farming startups must build such a map as they
rigate their farms. The process improves farm introduce their technologies across the conti-
The food challenges in Africa are multi- productivity and reduces input waste by us- nent. Alternatively, governments or the African
pronged: The population is growing, but it is ing analytics to facilitate data-driven farming Union could fund large-scale soil map to accel-
threatened by low farm productivity exacerbat- practices for small-scale farmers. UjuziKilimo, erate precision farming.
ed by weather changes, shorter fallow periods, a Kenyan startup, uses big data and analytic
and rural-urban migration that deprives farm- capabilities to transform farmers into a knowl- Most of the farms are in areas with limited
ing communities of young people. In Northern edge-based community, with the goal of im- connectivity, making full technology integra-
Nigeria, herdsmen are moving south looking proving productivity through precision insights. tion in real time challenging. As countries such
for pasture as their ancestral lands face se- This helps to adjust irrigation and determine as Ethiopia launch satellites, considering how
vere deforestation. In Somalia, the Shebelle the needs of individual plants. And SunCulture, farmers can benefit from such initiatives will be
River, which supports many farmers, is drying which sells drip irrigation kits that use solar en- critical. Improved farm connectivity will usher
up, causing additional pains in the war-torn ergy to pump water from any source, has made in a new dawn in agriculture technology in the
country. The combination of higher food de- irrigation affordable. continent.
mand, stunted yield potential, and increasingly
worse farmland must stimulate a redesigned Beyond precision farming, financial solutions But entrepreneurs will need to work with the
agro-sector for assured food security. Agricul- designed for farmers are blossoming. Farm- people themselves. Norms and traditions are
ture accounts for more than 30% of the conti- Drive, a Kenyan enterprise, connects unbanked prevalent in African agriculture, and just as
nent’s GDP and employs more than 60% of its and underserved smallholder farmers to credit, many farmers initially rejected inorganic fertil-
working population. while helping financial institutions cost-effec- izers, fearing that they would irreversibly poi-
tively increase their agricultural loan portfolios. son the land, individuals may be resistant to
For decades, African governments have used Kenyan startup M-Farm and Cameroon’s Agro- changing their farming methods. Agro-tech
many policy instruments to improve farm pro- Spaces provide pricing data to remove price pioneers must turn farmers into believers by
ductivity. But most farmers are still only mar- asymmetry between farmers and buyers, mak- using field demonstrations to show that new
ginally improving yields. Some continue to ing it possible for farmers to earn more. technologies can deliver better results.
use traditional processes that depend heavily
on historical norms, or use tools like hoes and Ghana-based Farmerline and AgroCenta de- Finally, Africa needs to cut its food waste in re-
cutlasses that have not evolved for centuries. In ploy mobile and web technologies that bring gions where electricity is unreliable or unavail-
some Igbo communities in Nigeria, where I live, farming advice, weather forecasts, market in-
able. The biggest impact will come when the
it’s common for farmers to plant according to formation, and financial tips to farmers, who
little that is produced can be effectively utilized
the phases of the moon and attribute variability are traditionally out of reach, due to barriers
in their harvests to gods rather than to their in connectivity, literacy, or language. Sokopepe through appropriate preservation and storage
own methods. uses SMS and web tools to offer market infor- techniques. Pioneering affordable solutions on
mation and farm record management services food safety and tracking food supply chains will
Those that do look to leverage new technol- to farmers. boost the overall value of the sector.
ogies run into financial issues. Foreign-made
farm technologies remain unappealing to farm- Major global corporations have tried to ad- Digital technology opens vast untapped po-
ers in Africa because they are cumbersome for vance digitalization of African agriculture by tential for farmers, investors, and entrepre-
those who control, on average, 1.6 hectares of launching payment systems, credit platforms, neurs to improve efficiency of food production
farmland. What’s more, less than 1% of com- and digital insurance. But to serve largely sub- and consumption in Africa. From precision
mercial lending goes into agriculture (usually to sistence farmers, they have to compete against farming to an efficient food supply chain, tech-
the few large-scale farmers), so smaller farms the local startups — particularly on cost of nology could bring major economic, social,
cannot acquire such expensive tools. service in a highly fragmented business, with
and environmental benefits. Indeed, the sheer
no easy path to scale, owing to illiteracy, lan-
But this is about to change. African entre- optimism across the startup ecosystem is that
guage, border constraints, and native dogmas.
preneurs are now interested in how farmers The microentrepreneurs with a specific focus extreme hunger can be cured in Africa, in this
work and how they can help improve yields. on their domains have inherent advantages. generation, by significantly transforming the in-
The barrier of entry into farming technology dustry that employs most of its citizens.
has dropped, as cloud computing, computing While it is still early to evaluate the impacts of
systems, connectivity, open-source software, this digitalization of farming systems in Africa, *Ndubuisi Ekekwe is a founder of the non-profit
and other digital tools have become increas- in terms of productivity and improvement of African Institution of Technology and Chairman
ingly affordable and accessible. Entrepreneurs human welfare, there is already a promising of Fasmicro Group with interests in technology,
can now deliver solutions to small-size African trend: Technology is making farming exciting finance, and real estate.
www.eastafrican-agrinews.com East African Agriness | April - June 2018 2122 East African Agriness | April - June 2018 www.eastafrican-agrinews.com
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