News brief

Zimbabwean farmers flee to Zambia

Hundreds of white Zimbabwean farmers driven away by the recent land invasions are seeking investment opportunities in Zambia. However, the Zambian government and the Farmers Union (ZNFU) have warned that only genuine investors would be allowed to settle in the country. ZNFU President, Ajay Vashee, has said that the Union would prefer investors who could offer expertise in non-traditional cash crop production, such as tobacco, horticulture and floriculture, to provide the Zambian economy with much needed foreign exchange. Zambia currently earns about US$600 million from exports of tobacco and horticultural and floricultural products whilst Zimbabwe is third only to South Africa and Kenya (see Kenya's bloom boom) in horticultural production, earning US$400 million, while tobacco exports bring in a further US$500 million. Farmers wanting to develop new farms in Zambia have been advised to go through the screening process at the Zambia Investment Centre.

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credit: Kenya Flower Council

Kenya's 'bloom' boom

Exports of cut flowers from Kenya have reached new record levels with a growth increase of 22% in 1999. Figures recently released by Kenya's Horticultural Crops Development Authority (HCDA) show that exports of cut flowers accounted for almost US$100 million. The positive trend seems set to continue with increased business being reported for the first part of this year. Exports of roses, Kenya's most popular floral export, have increased by 37% since 1998 with Holland and then the UK receiving the majority of sales.
Kfc@africaonline.co.ke

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A fair game for organic food?

A major retailer in the UK (Iceland) has just announced that it will sell its organic range of food at the same price as non-organic. The company has promised that organic producers will not be asked to take a reduction in the farmgate price but there are concerns that their competitors may attempt to do so. This would exert downward pressure on organic farm prices which organic farmers in developing countries, from which much of the produce is sourced, can ill afford.

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A victory hailed in battle against biopiracy

A patent for Neem, which had been granted to the US Department of Agriculture and a multinational corporation, has recently been revoked by the European Patent Office. The Opposition Division of the European Patent Office decided to reject the patent on the use of neem as a fungicide on the grounds of 'lack of novelty and originality' after hearing evidence of prior knowledge and use of Neem used as a traditional insecticide and fungicide in India.

The extensive testimony provided by Mr Abhay Pahdke, an Indian biopesticide manufacturer, during the two-day Oral Proceeding ended the five-year opposition to the patent, which was brought about by Vandana Shiva, IFOAM, and a former Green Member of the European Parliament. The opponents to the patent hope that this will be the first step to introducing biopiracy protection measures within the framework of the Biological Diversity Convention and the TRIPs agreement. (see also Stolen Harvest, In Print 00-3)
www.ifoam.org

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Brazilian action plan for aquaculture

A range of ambitious initiatives are being developed for Brazil's fish industry. With the support of a four-year programme from FAO, Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture is promoting increased production of this protein-rich food for domestic consumption as well as for export. In particular, the agriculture ministry hopes its development plans for tilapia culture will make Brazil one of the three largest producers in the world. It also believes that Brazil has the potential to become one of the world's largest farmed shrimp producers. Substantial increases in bivalve molluscs, particularly mussels, are also planned.
www.fishfarming.co.uk

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DFID/World Bank programme extended

DFID and World Bank have agreed to continue their collaborative programme in support of rural development and sustainable livelihoods for a further two years. The focus is on planning for poverty elimination through rural development; enhancing rural-urban linkages through strategic planning and programme development, and enhancing non-farm rural employment and diverse livelihoods strategies for poor people.

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Two crops better than one

Farmers in America, Denmark, Germany and The Netherlands are reaping the benefits of wind power. With wind turbines placed at appropriate intervals, farmers are able to grow crops or raise livestock whilst also earning income from wind generated electricity. With a single large wind turbine generating $100,000 worth of electricity per year, harnessing local wind energy can revitalize rural communities. Although wind power is growing most rapidly in the West, interest in wind power for electricity generation is also seen as a favourable option for developing countries. Inner Mongolia is the site of China's first wind farm and wind analysts estimate that the country's wind potential is sufficient to double national electricity production. Worldwide, wind electric generation increased by 39% in 1999 indicating that the world is beginning to realise the potential of wind- as an inexhaustible energy source that can supply both energy and fuel (see also Vital Signs 2000 In Print). Cheap electricity produced from wind can be used to electrolyse water, producing hydrogen, now widely viewed as a viable replacement for fossils fuels.
www.worldwatch.org

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Breeding rather than biotechnology for micronutrient enriched rice

A variety of rice developed at IRRI has been found to be naturally high in two micronutrients, iron and zinc, which are normally deficient in a rice-based diet. In contrast to the recent developments involving the use of biotechnology to enrich rice with vitamin A, the variety (IR68144) found to be rich in these two vital micronutrients was developed at IRRI using traditional plant breeding. Results of a nutrition trial involving a religious order of nuns at a convent in Manila have proved very encouraging. The women, many of whom were clinically anaemic whilst on a control diet of ordinary market rice, were found to have dramatically increased levels of iron in the blood, after eating the enriched rice.

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The good oil on West Australian mallee

With salinity affecting more than 1.8 million hectares (4.45 million acres) of Western Australian farmland, farmers are withdrawing introduced crops from land cleared only a few decades ago, and planting it with a former adversary, native mallee eucalyptus.

A detailed study by five prominent organizations, including the State's Department of Conservation and Land Management and CSIRO, has concluded that farming of mallee for oil, activated carbon and 'green' electricity would provide farmers with a return similar to that now provided by wheat, while helping lower the rapidly rising saline water tables that threaten the State's agricultural industry.

The report is good news for several hundred Western Australian farmers who had already formed the Oil Mallee Company - one of the groups behind the study - and planted at least 12 million mallee trees. The five partner organizations involved in the study are now developing an AUD$5 million pilot mallee processing plant in the heart of the wheatbelt to trial the necessary technologies.

The Integrated Tree Processing (ITP) plant will strip oil from leaves, and use leaf and wood material for power generation and production of pelletised carbon used in mining and water treatment. It's suggested that a series of plants, each processing up to 100,000 tonnes of mallee a year, could eventually be built throughout the wheatbelt.

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Increasing industrial pollution in Lake Tanganyika

credit: Tony Bailey-Watts

The increase in industrial developments in Burundi is resulting in large amounts of polluted wastewater being discharged into Lake Tanganyika each day. Thousands of tonnes of fish have died and over 600,000 people in Bujumbura Bay face an increasingly poor quality of water. Despite progress made by the Lake Tanganyika Biodiversity (LTB) Project, which is jointly managed by the governments of Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Zambia, the lake's biodiversity is far from being secure. Other regions of the lake could experience similar pollution problems unless actions are taken to treat domestic and industrial wastes before it reaches the lake. The first phase of the LTB project, which has been funded through UNDP, is to end in July 2000 although financial support is currently being sought to plan a second phase. Among the principal objectives of the second phase is the establishment of a regional management plant for pollution control, conservation and maintenance of biodiversity.

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New biocontrol agents for water hyacinth?

Scientists have uncovered what may be the richest source of natural enemies of water-hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) in the upper Amazon River in Peru where the plant is thought to have originated. In the Amazon, this free-floating perennial is held in check by insects and microbes, which stress the plants and control expansion of the plant mat. Biocontrol agents for the aquatic weed are already being deployed in more than 20 countries with variable results but the weed continues to be a problem in many tropical and subtropical regions. The scientists collected hundreds of natural enemies from 30 sites in the Upper Amazon including a new species of fly, Thrypticus. The immature flies feed inside the weed's petioles, the small stalks that attach leaves to stems. In addition, the flies' tunneling may enable microbes to enter and further weaken or kill the plants. Tests are currently being carried out in Argentina before a decision will be made as to the fly's suitability, along with other candidate species, such as sap-sucking plant hoppers (Taosa spp. and Megamelus spp.), for release as biocontrol agents.
www.ars.usda.gov

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Weaving weeds for export

The value of water hyacinth is rapidly floating upwards in Thailand as orders increase for exported products made from this pernicious weed. Woven handicrafts, such as bags, baskets and gift items, made from the aquatic plant by a women's agricultural co-operative in the northern province of Phayao have proved particularly popular in Japan and Germany. The increasing demand for the products has led to a shortage of the weed from Lake Kwan Phayao and supplies are being brought in from other provinces.

Vetiver grass, another plant considered a weed in the region, is also being made into handicrafts by a co-operative in the Chian Kham district of Pahyao. Products made from these weeds were to be on display at the Thailand Agro Expo 2000 held in May.
www.bangkokpost.net/

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Biopesticide for combating sugarcane beetle

Biocane™, a new biopesticide for combating a serious sugarcane pest has been recently launched in Australia. Developed as an alternative to chemical pesticides, Biocane is based on Metarhizium, a naturally occurring fungus that lives in the soil. The spores of the fungus kill the grub of the greyback cane beetle very quickly and field trials have shown that up to 60% of the canegrub can be reduced within 4-6 months resulting in yield increases of 30%. With reduced tillage, the biopesticide should remain effective for several years. It is envisaged that Biocane will be used as part of an IPM program in conjunction with agronomy practices and supplementary chemical pesticide use when necessary.
www.csiro.au

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GM maize reduces mycotoxins levels

Maize genetically modified with Bt to protect against European Corn Borer (Ostrinia nubilalis) damage has been found to have significantly lower levels of fumonisin and other mycotoxins compared to non-Bt maize varieties. Environmental conditions and the specific Bt maize hybrid both affect the actual reduction, but maize varieties expressing Bt protein throughout the plant, rather than in just specific areas, showed the lowest fumonisin levels (30-40 times lower than non-Bt maize). Fumonisin, like other mycotoxins, is a potential cancer-causing agent often present at elevated levels in insect-damaged maize kernels. (See also Aflatoxins: detecting the danger Focus On 00-3)
www.ars.usda.gov

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Worms dance to the tune of the worm charmer

British worms are being serenaded with music and soothed with gentle vibrations in an attempt to improve the new season's potatoes. Irish potatoes, which are grown in practically every country of the world, have very delicate skins and, by loosening the soil around the growing tubers, worms play a useful role in helping to ensure they can be lifted safely out of the ground. British worm charmer, Mike Forster, believes his unusual skills encourage worms to wiggle to the surface and, as the spokesman for the British Potato Council says, anything that can be done to give potato farmers a competitive edge is worth a try.

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