Focus on . . . Floriculture
As daylight shortens over the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, business blossoms for the tropical cut flower grower. Although floriculture is a year round trade, punctuated by peaks for religious and secular festivals, the northern winter creates extra demand for flowers from the developing countries of the South. But customers are becoming more discerning, wanting new varieties and colours, longer vase life and assurance that the flowers they buy have been grown in a way that is kind to the environment and to the workers. In this edition of New Agriculturist we present a colourful range of articles which cover some of the major issues of concern to the industry today.
The international reach of the small industry supplying the seeds that bring fresh floral colour to our lives is incredible. A glance in a florist's window or a flick through a flower seed trader's catalogue, and the enticing blooms on offer will grow from...
Kenyans go for the gold standard
The expanding Kenyan floriculture industry has not been without its critics. In the past, for example, there have been reports of workers being exposed to pesticides. Although the Kenyan Flower Council (KFC) has introduced a...
In Israel's Sea of Galilee the water level is falling. This troubled country basks - or bakes - in the sun for an average of 300 days a year. Many of those days are spent by politicians and policy-makers debating ways to obtain the 400 million cubic metres of water needed every...
A glowing success in floriculture
In a crowded market place a new product must be exceptional to be noticed, and from Singapore has come an orchid that is hard to overlook, since it glows in the dark. Orchids (Dendrobium) are dramatic flowers with shapes that mimic...
My love is like a red, red… Ugandan Tea Hybrid?
Ecologically correct romantics do not fear, a rose from Uganda need not trouble your conscience, nor come with an environmental health warning. That at least is true of roses coming from the best flower farms in Uganda and, if the Uganda Flower Exporters' Association (UFEA) has its way...
Laboratory aid for Colombian floriculture
'Say it with flowers' goes the slogan, and whatever 'it' is, the language of flowers is becoming more widely spoken; for the past ten years international trade in cut flowers has been showing impressively healthy growth. However, although revenues in the...
Zambian flower exports set to soar?
Floriculture is one of the fastest growing export industries in Zambia. The industry was dormant until the late 1980's at which time the Zambian government began to liberalize the economy giving capacity to private entrepreneurs and easing import and export restrictions. It was during the...
Proteas for flower power in South Africa
Only six plant kingdoms have been defined worldwide, the smallest being the Cape Floral Kingdom of South Africa. It is also the most diverse, with its 8,600 species exceeding even the richnesss of the Amazon Rain Forest. Locally know as fynbos, this unique vegetation...
Zimbabwe's farmers show a flair for flowers
Catering for discerning customers who expect a longer vase life from flowers is not easy. But resilient Zimbabwean flower growers who have made a breakthrough into the European flower market have learnt to combine marketing panache and...
