Africa

Get the latest agricultural and farming news from the rest of Africa.

Namibia’s record white maize harvest could rein in imports

A record white maize harvest is expected for Namibian farmers in the 2021/22 production season.

Grave concern as lung sickness spreads among cattle in Namibia

Namibia’s Livestock Producers’ Organisation (LPO) has reacted with great concern to reports of 40 deaths among cattle, and clinical illness in a further 100 cattle, following an outbreak of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia.

Promising prospects for citrus exports from Zimbabwe

The outlook for citrus exports from Zimbabwe is very favourable, especially in light of the considerable increase in that country’s export volumes to the EU.

Plans afoot to return Angola coffee production to former glory

Angola had set its sights on the global coffee market, and two companies have so far invested in the expansion of coffee production in the historical coffee-producing areas of that country.

Postharvest food losses posed a serious threat to food security

The post-harvest loss (PHL) of food was a serious cause for concern worldwide, particularly in Africa. Globally, approximately 1,3 billion tons of food produced for human consumption were lost every year after harvesting.

Armed conflict and Cyclone Gombe erode food security in Mozambique

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recently announced its intention to provide vegetable seed to 23 000 families displaced by the armed conflict in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province.

Climate-smart agriculture benefits Zambian farmers

Some 5 000 farmers in Mufumbwe District in Zambia’s North-Western Province have profited from climate-smart agriculture as part of a project by the Save Environment and People Agency (SEPA) project, since its inception in 2004.

Bright future for citrus farming in Botswana

The Botswanan government is optimistic that citrus volumes from local farms will rise significantly by 2024, due to the continued growth in the number of farmers starting citrus production in that country since 2020.

Poor crop yields expected for Zimbabwe in 2022

Late rainfall, below average incomes, and increasing input costs do not bode well for the 2022 harvesting season in Zimbabwe. This was according to a report by the international Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET).

Brown locust infestation cause havoc in southern Namibia

Millions of hectares of grazing have so far been decimated by devastating infestations of brown locust (Locustana pardalina) in southern Namibia.

Volatile weather puts pressure on Botswana’s grain harvest

Botswana’s Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security has warned that farmers in that country are expecting a reduced grain harvest this year, following dry spells and heatwaves that destroyed dryland crops between January and March.

Namibia bans cattle movement after lung sickness outbreak

A complete ban on the movement cattle has come into immediate effect in four areas in the Kavango West Region of Namibia following an outbreak of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia.