ALL POSTS
International Youth Day – Bringing the youth back into our conversations
Youth migration from rural areas to the urban areas is one of the challenges being faced everywhere, but especially in Africa. The trend seems to have reversed by the intervention of organisations such as EFF that are empowering the youth in the rural areas, thereby preempting the urban migration.
World Environment Day – Revisiting “Only One Earth”
Climate change is real. It affects developing nations disproportionately as compared to developed nations. Developing nations should not wait for help to do good for the environment but work towards ensuring that these challenges are met headlong. They should know that sustainability goals and development is not mutually exclusive.
World Food Crisis – How Africa can be the long-term solution
Africa has abundant resources to be the food factory for the world. This holds true especially for vegetable oil crops such as Sunflower, palm, soybean and rapeseed. Tanzania provides ideal conditions for growing sunflower at scale and supply it’s oil to the major consuming nations such as India.
Earth Day – Rising to the challenge of saving ourselves
We need to find solutions to ensure we can not just stop but reverse climate change. One solution is regenerative agriculture that can not only improve the yields for the farmers, but also reduce their carbon footprint.
Agritech Innovations from India: Relevance in the African context
Agricultural Innovations showcased in fares across the developing world can be a good place to look for solving Africa’s challenges.
Cashew in Zambia: Synergistic Interventions Paving the Path to Success
The success of EFF’s two cashew projects in Eastern and Western Province of Zambia is a result of synergistic operations between EFF and the various government and multilateral agencies.
Success: Reviving 50,000 cashew trees in Kilifi, Kenya
EFF’s “Korosho Ni Maisha (Cashew is Life)” project has seen great success in Kilifi County of Kenya with the revival of 50,000 cashew trees.
Breathing new life into Kenyan cashew
EFF’s Korosho Ni Maisha is a holistic, sustainable programme to revive the Kenyan cashew sector. Read about the success of the programme so far and plans for the years ahead!
SSA staves off food insecurity threat amid lingering issues
Looking at how Sub-Saharan Africa dealt with the first year of the pandemic, we find that there are a lot of positives to discuss about the region’s food security. Some doubts, however, linger on.
World Pest Day 2021 – The need for a united front
A reflection on the locust surge of 2020, and the future of pest management on the event of World Pest Day 2021.
The Shape of Water – an EFF study on potential drinking water solutions in Tanzania
EFF conducted a study in Tanzania to understand the water purification needs of rural communities. Could a remarkable Japanese innovation be the key?
India and Africa – Can agriculture pave the way ahead?
Speaking at the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) Board Meeting, I focussed on the unique opportunities available specifically in the agricultural sphere.
The gender gap in agriculture – in conversation with a woman farmer
Insights on the gaps between farm and market where farmers lose out in the Kenyan cashew chain, with special focus on gendered issues in agriculture.
Modernising farms – looking beyond mechanisation
Mechanisation can transform agriculture in Africa. But this has to happen on the heels of due diligence. See how one app in Tanzania is trying to make it happen.
Cotton in Zambia – paving the way for independent women farmer leaders
The team at Parrogate Ginneries Ltd, Zambia’s market leader in cotton ginning and lint export, demonstrate that cultivating cotton can be a sustainable and equitable endeavour by working with the community and empowering women.
The road ahead – recovering from the ongoing pandemic and the ramifications to come
The FAO is calling for solidarity in support of people around the world in the time of a global pandemic. In the agriculture sector, we are seeing how fragile our existing systems were and continue to be, with every link in the supply chain looking the worse for wear.
Digital finance – including smallholder farmers in the equation
Digital tools have the ability to strengthen agricultural transformation, specifically digital tools for finance.
Where are the young farmers?
With the siren song of urban centres in their ears, rural youth search for reasons to practice agribusiness in the countryside.
The Smart Food of the Future
The ETG Farmers Foundation (EFF) contributed to a Smart Food initiative, carried out chiefly by the International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), in addition to nutrition workshops it held with farmers to promote pulses as food.
Transforming food systems to build resilience
Presenters and panellists at a recent webinar I attended shared their views on how resilience can be built into the production, processing and distribution stages of food supply chains, in anticipation of the fallout from the pandemic.
Agriculture in the time of COVID-19
Today, while studying a tomato in the market with a mask on my face, I know that its journey has been more complicated than it would have been a few months ago.
COVID-19: Re-evaluating how we produce and how we consume
In light of the current pandemic, there has been a lot of discussion around dietary habits and consumption patterns. This has led me to think about the larger meaning that accompanies our day-to-day food choices.
The future of medicine is mobile
Now more than ever, we feel the grave importance of a resilient medical infrastructure. A unique solution to this has been the advent of the mobile medical unit, a health screening system capable of running diagnostic tests for patients in remote areas.
Turning air into potable water
As we approach World Water Day on 22nd March and stop to consider the ongoing global water crisis, I would like to share a story about a start-up that is tackling the issue of access to safe drinking water through ingenious and rather magical machines: atmospheric water generators.
Ghana’s Planting for Food & Jobs strengthened by input supply
Six months ago, I was in Accra for the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), a fitting location considering that Ghana’s admirable record of poverty reduction over the last two decades has largely stemmed from strong agricultural performance.
Reviving the cashew industry in Zambia
Over the last few months, ETG and the ETG Farmers Foundation have been involved in an unprecedented cashew rehabilitation and rejuvenation project in Zambia. The AfDB funded Cashew Infrastructure Development Project (CIDP) is one of the Government of Zambia’s priority programmes.
Mozambique pledges to fight poverty through agriculture
I was honoured to be a part of the inauguration ceremony of His Excellency Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, President of the Republic of Mozambique, on 15th January in Maputo. What brought a big smile to my face and touched me personally, was the significance he divested in agriculture.
Being part of the discussion: exchanging knowledge and inputs in the international sphere
Over the last few months, my team at the ETG Farmers Foundation (EFF) has actively participated in various regional and international forums centered on agriculture, sustainable development and trade.
Banishing the hand-hoe in favour of tractor-preneurs
ETC Agro Tractors and Implements Ltd. has been involved in a project that is improving access to farm mechanisation for smallholder farmers while boosting rural entrepreneurship across Tanzania.
Towards sugar self-sufficiency in Zanzibar
When I think of Zanzibar, I think of its potential of transformation from an island economy mainly hinged on tourism, to a prosperous trading hub and manufacturing centre.