#Cowpea Farming information

[merikheti]

लोबिया की खेती से किसानों को होगा दोहरा लाभ

Lobia ki kheti  – Cowpea Farming information in Hindi

लोबिया की खेती से किसान काफी लाभ कमा सकते हैं। दलहन फसल की श्रेणी के लोबिया की खेती (Lobia Farming) से दो तरीके से लाभ होता है। लोबिया की फलियों की सब्जी होती है। इसका प्रयोग पशुचारा और हरी खाद के रूप में किया जाता हैं। इसे बोड़ा, चौला या चौरा, करामणि, काऊपीस – (cowpea) भी कहा जाता है। यह सफेद रंग का और बड़ा पौधा होता है। इसकी फलियां पतली, लंबी होती हैं और इसके फल एक हाथ लंबे और तीन अंगुल तक चौड़े और कोमल होते है।

लोबिया की खेती के लिए जलवायु:

गर्म व आर्द्र जलवायु में 24-27 डिग्री सेंटीग्रेट तापमान में लोबिया की खेती होती है।

ये भी पढ़ें: गर्मियों की हरी सब्जियां आसानी से किचन गार्डन मे उगाएं : करेला, भिंडी, घीया, तोरी, टिंडा, लोबिया, ककड़ी

लोबिया की खेती कैसी जमीन में करनी चाहिये ?

लोबिया की खेती वैसे जमीन में करनी चाहिये, जिसमें जल निकास की उचित व्यवस्था हो।

क्षारीय भूमि इसकी खेती के लिये के उपयुक्त नहीं होता है।

इसके मिट्टी का पीएच मान 5.5 से 6.5 के बीच होना चाहिए।

लोबिया की खेती कब करनी चाहिये ?

लोबिया की बुआई बरसात के मौसम में जून के अंत से लेकर जुलाई माह तक और गर्मी के मौसम में फरवरी-मार्च में की जाती है।

लोबिया की उन्नत किस्में :

लोबिया की कई उन्नत किस्में हैं। आवश्यकता के अनुसार किस्म का चयन करना चाहिये।

दाने के लिए लोबिया की उन्नत किस्मों में सी- 152, पूसा फाल्गुनी, अम्बा (वी- 16), स्वर्णा (वी- 38), जी सी- 3, पूसा सम्पदा (वी- 585) और श्रेष्ठा (वी- 37) आदि प्रमुख है।

चारे के लिए लोबिया की उन्नत किस्मों में जी एफ सी- 1, जी एफ सी- 2 और जी एफ सी- 3 आदि अच्छी किस्में हैं।

खरीफ और जायद दोनों मौसम में उगाये जाने वाले किस्मों में बंडल लोबिया- 1, यू पी सी- 287, यू पी सी- 5286 रशियन ग्रेन्ट, के- 395, आई जी एफ आर आई (कोहीनूर), सी- 8, यू पीसी- 5287, यू पी सी- 4200, यू पी सी- 628, यू पी सी- 628, यू पी सी- 621, यू पी सी- 622 और यू पी सी- 625 आदि हैं।

लोबिया की बुवाई के लिए 12-20 कि.ग्रा. बीज/हेक्टेयर उपयुक्त होता है। जबकि बेलदार लोबिया की बीज कम मात्रा में ली जा सकती है।

ये भी पढ़ें: संतुलित आहार के लिए पूसा संस्थान की उन्नत किस्में

लोबिया बुवाई के समय ध्यान रखना चाहिए कि इनके बीच की दूरी सही हो:

लोबिया की झाड़ीदार किस्मों के लिए पंक्ति से पंक्ति की दूरी 45-60 सेमी. तथा बीज से बीज की दूरी 10 सेमी. रखनी चाहिए।

बेलदार लोबिया के पंक्ति से पंक्ति की दूरी 80-90 सेमी. रखना सही होता है।

लोबिया की खेती में खाद, खर पतवार नियंत्रण व सिंचाई:

बुवाई के पूर्व लोबिया के बीज का राजजोबियम नामक जीवाणु से उपचार जरूरी होता है।

खेत में गोबर या कम्पोस्ट की 20 टन मात्रा बुवाई से एक माह पहले डालनी चाहिए। नत्रजन 20 किग्रा, फास्फोरस 60 कि.ग्रा. तथा पोटाश 50 कि.ग्रा. की मात्र प्रति हेक्टेयर की दर से जुलाई के अंत में मिट्टी में मिलानी चाहिए।

फसल में फूल आने के समय नत्रजन की 20 कि.ग्रा. की मात्रा फसल में देनी चाहिए।

लोबिया के पौधों की दो-तीन निराई व गुड़ाई करनी चाहिए ताकि खर पतवार पर नियंत्रण रह सके।

गर्मी में इसकी फसल को पर 5 से 6 सिंचाई की जरूरत होती है। इसकी सिंचाई 10 से 15 दिनों के अंतर पर करनी चाहिए।

लोबिया की तुड़ाई/कटाई कब करें ?

लोबिया के हरी फलियों की तुडाई बुवाई के 45 से 90 दिन बाद किस्म के आधार पर करनी चाहिये।

चारे के लिये फसल की कटाई बुवाई के 40 से 45 दिन बाद की जाती है।

दाने की फसल के लिए कटाई, बुवाई फलियों के पुरे पक जाने पर 90 से 125 दिन बाद करनी चाहिए।

लोबिया की नर्म व कच्ची फलियों की तुड़ाई 4-5 दिन के अंतराल पर की जा सकती है।

झाड़ीदार प्रजातियों में 3-4 तुड़ाई तथा बेलदार प्रजातियों में 8-10 तुड़ाई की जा सकती है।

लोबिया की फसल से दाना व चारा की प्राप्ति :

लोबिया की एक हेक्टेयर की फसल से करीब 12 से 17 क्विंटल दाना व 50 से 60 क्विंटल भूसा प्राप्त किया जा सकता है।

जबकि 250 से 400 क्विंटल तक हरा चारा प्रति हेक्टेयर तक प्राप्त किया जा सकता है।

लोबिया – Cowpea (Lobia/Karamani) Mandi Bhav मंडी भाव :

30 जून 2022 को मुंबई मंडी में लोबिया मूल्य 7128 रुपए प्रति क्विंटल था।

source लोबिया की खेती से किसानों को होगा दोहरा लाभ

[annamaskus]

New research: solution for the grazier’s personal climate crisis just a few genetically modified legumes away.

By Anna Maskus

South Korean and American researchers have teamed up to present a new study on forage legume genetics, with promising results for graziers struggling with the effects of climate change on their crops.

The study, published in Frontiers in Plant Science, is a combined effort between South Korea’s Kyungpook National University and National Institute of Crop Science, and the National Center for Soybean Biotechnology and Division of Plant Sciences, part of the University of Missouri in the United States.

Data from The Climate Council found that 90% of rural and regional Australians already feel the effects of climate change on their farms and in their communities3, so this research has come at a vital time.

Entitled “Harnessing the Potential of Forage Legumes, Alfalfa, Soybean, and Cowpea for Sustainable Agriculture and Global Food Security”, the report presents exciting developments in in genomic technologies which have potential to aid in the development of new legume cultivars. Said cultivars can be given the ability to adjust to the changing climate and remain a sustainable and profitable option for graziers.

Climate change already has been proven to have a negative effect on forage crops through a process known as downregulation. This describes a plant’s acclimation to increased carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, which decreases yield and overall productivity1.

The authors delve into the genetic makeup of three common forage crops - alfalfa, soybean, and cowpea - to investigate molecular markers of resistance to these negative effects. Information from these molecular markers can be used to develop cultivars with traits that graziers value – like higher biomass yields, and larger protein, cellulose and lignin concentrations2.

The report also places a heavy emphasis on international food security for livestock and humans alike and emphasises that the demand for animal-based agricultural products is unlikely to decline as the world population approaches 9 billion. When combined with increasingly variable climatic events, striking a balance between land use for animal forage crops and those dedicated to human consumption is of the utmost importance2.

There is a growing sense of fear about what this will mean for graziers’ livelihoods – many Australia agricultural businesses have taken on debt or used financial reserves to cope with the consequences of extreme weather events like floods, droughts, and fires3.

Although it is easy to subscribe to what seems to be a dystopian itinerary, there are some who see it as a framework for action – like Lucinda Corrigan.  

“We know that climate change is caused by humans. We need to transition to more sustainable methods of farming – it’s really that simple. Keeping up with new research and technologies as they appear is essential. We actually have volunteered to have various research trials running on our property,” she said.

Lucinda is the Director of Rennylea Pastoral Company runs her multi-generation Angus stud on a property tucked away in the Wymah Valley, north of Albury in NSW. She is also the Chair of Farmers for Climate Action (FFCA), an independent organisation founded in 2016 representing 6,000 farmers and over 30,000 supporters.

She echoes the sentiments of the new study’s authors about the urgency of climate action in agricultural research and describes how climate change has already begun to affect her grazing enterprise in one of the most productive farming regions in the country.

“I started to notice changes in the weather, lower annual rainfall and the distribution across the year was much more variable, there were new weeds and pathogens causing disease in the cattle and crops coming through that we had never seen before. We started seeing unreliable autumn and spring conditions, shorter growing seasons. Anybody who has been on their land for a long time - you notice.” Lucinda stressed.

The results of the study are of serious concern to Lucinda and all graziers alike. The authors stress that forage specie cultivars which can endure climatic variability while also maintaining a high quality and nutrition standard are essential for the continued success of the Australian livestock industry.

Lucinda is hopeful for the future of Australian agriculture as the changing climate presents ever-increasing challenges in the future.

“The way forward isn’t clear, but with continued advances in technology and science like this we’re optimistic. We are definitely up for the challenge.”

“Harnessing the Potential of Forage Legumes, Alfalfa, Soybean, and Cowpea for Sustainable Agriculture and Global Food Security” is available to access for free online here.

References

My heartfelt thanks and appreciation go to Lucinda Corrigan for her time.

1: Austin, E. K., Rich, J. L., Kiem, A. S., Handley, T., Perkins, D., & Kelly, B. J. (2020). Concerns about climate change among rural residents in Australia. Journal of Rural Studies, 75, 98–109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2020.01.010

2: Kulkarni, K. P., Tayade, R., Asekova, S., Song, J. T., Shannon, J. G., & Lee, J.-D. (2018). Harnessing the Potential of Forage Legumes, Alfalfa, Soybean, and Cowpea for Sustainable Agriculture and Global Food Security. Frontiers in Plant Science, 9; 1314. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2018.01314

3:The Climate Council, (2017). ON THE FRONTLINE: CLIMATE CHANGE & RURAL COMMUNITIES REPORT. https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/resources/ruralreport/

[sounmashnews]

[ad_1] 50 years in the past, my nation relied on meals imports to feed itself. Today we feed 10% of the world’s inhabitants.  Let me inform you concerning the agronomic science and innovation which has made this doable. A essential step on this journey got here in 1973, with the creation of Embrapa. This nationwide agri-food analysis company had a transparent mission: to advertise agronomic science in Brazil, and assist our farmers use the newest improvements to thrive in Brazil’s tropical local weather.  WORKING IN HARMONY WITH NATURE In these early days, Embrapa´s researchers had been targeted on utilizing agri-science to ramp up meals manufacturing. Fortunately, they had been terribly profitable. Between 1980 and 2020, Brazil greater than quadrupled its grain manufacturing. But maybe essentially the most stunning facet was that – within the course of – the science led us in an surprising course – in the direction of even increased sustainability. In these forty years, as Brazil’s grain manufacturing grew 406%, the realm farmed grew by solely 64%. Researchers unlocked the potential of crop rotation, soil fertilization and adaptation to tropical situations – discovering pure synergies which make the land extra productive whereas defending it from degradation. Over time, Embrapa’s focus moved from merely maximising manufacturing, to rising manufacturing in a sustainable approach, by defending ecosystems and harnessing the facility of nature. Over time Embrapa’s analysis moved us away from an agricultural mannequin of man dominating nature and towards one the place farmers develop in concord with nature. REDUCING FERTILISER USE For occasion, it's well-known that crops want nitrogen (N) to develop. In many nations, the chief supply of this N is chemical fertilisers. Unfortunately, extreme use of those fertilisers has been linked to groundwater air pollution and to the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) into the environment, together with CO2 launched within the technique of synthesis and transportation, and the potent nitrous oxide. However, there's a safer, cheaper and extra pure different, which considerably reduces the necessity for chemical fertilisers represented by the organic nitrogen fixation (BNF) course of. Specific microorganisms can convert the atmospheric nitrogen (N2) right into a type that the crops can take up. The most important contribution to agriculture happens with the micro organism, collectively referred to as “rhizobia”, in symbiotic affiliation with some legume vegetation. The first experiments of BNF in Brazil began within the Twenties with soybean, however intensification occurred when the crop began to develop, within the late Nineteen Fifties. For the soybean, micro organism choice and breeding packages had been very profitable in figuring out elite strains, in a position to present all N required by vegetation to succeed in excessive yields. Today, Brazil is understood for reaching the very best contribution of BNF with the soybean crop.  Embrapa has additionally contributed to the number of elite strains for different legume crops, together with necessary grain crops such because the cowpea, widespread bean and pea, along with pastures and timber.  Currently, Embrapa is growing new research on micro organism in a position to repair N2 on sugarcane, maize, wheat and rice crops.  With help from Embrapa – and according to Brazil’s local weather commitments –, a goal was set to advertise BNF, and apply it in over 5.5 million hectares of farmland by 2020. That goal was not solely met, however was dramatically exceeded, two years forward of schedule. By 2018 BNF was being utilized in over 10.6 million hectares of farmland: 193% of the unique goal.  According to estimates, supplying soybeans with N by way of BNF, fairly than utilizing N fertilizers prevented the emission of 200 Megatons of CO2 equal, in only one harvest, along with an annual saving estimated at $8 billion. Today, because the world faces

a scarcity of fertiliser – and because the doubtlessly dangerous results of extreme fertiliser use change into extra evident – it's extra necessary than ever for farmers throughout Brazil – and past – to embrace the advantages of BNF. Today, 80% of the soybean space in Brazil is inoculated to supply N to the crop. This represents round 30 million ha.  In line with nationwide local weather commitments, our intention is to develop this know-how, the BNF, on 13 million hectares of farmland by 2030.   This enlargement will likely be not solely on soybean, but additionally on different leguminous crops, resembling edible beans, primarily and in crops, such these planted below the Crop-Livestock-Forest programs. Farmers in over 17 million hectares have adopted this method.   REDUCING SOIL EROSION Traditional tillage farming – the place a tractor ploughs a complete subject earlier than sowing crops – has change into the norm in lots of nations, considered as the simplest technique of planting and rising meals. In Brazil, the best contribution of NT is expounded to much less soil erosion in comparison with ploughed programs. Soil erosion is by far the biggest drawback of soil degradation resulting in meals insecurity and poverty in tropical and sub-tropical areas. However, Embrapa has helped to establish the quite a few advantages of ‘No Till Farming’. By planting seeds instantly into the untilled floor (a lot as the traditional Incas and Egyptians did) Brazilian farmers use much less gas, whereas preserving moisture and natural matter within the soil. This is a extra productive approach to make use of the soil which, over time, results in a big discount in soil erosion.  Brazil is without doubt one of the world leaders in soil and water conservation as a result of widespread use of no-tillage (NT) for annual crops resembling soybean, maize, wheat, cotton and customary beans. The observe of NT was first launched within the Nineteen Seventies by pioneer farmers protecting 33 million hectares right now. Between 3.3 and 5.0 million hectares of the realm below NT exhibits everlasting soil cowl, crop rotation with cowl crops and inexperienced manure. Rates of annual C sequestration could attain 0,4 t C/ha. Studies developed in Embrapa have proven that the decomposition of NT nitrogen-rich residues doesn't result in increased N2O emissions than ploughed programs We aimed to extend about  8 million hectares extra, farmed on this approach by 2020. But once more this goal was exceeded early. By 2018, we had already reached 159% of our purpose, serving to to cut back Brazil’s carbon emissions by roughly 30.63 million tons.  We at the moment are broadening the implementation of ‘No Till Farming’ system to incorporate greens and increasing the floor of 12.5 million hectares of farmland by 2030.  According to a examine revealed by the Institute for Research in Applied Economics, the implementation of those methods, along with the planting of forests and the restoration of pastures, between 2010 and 2020 alone, led to the mitigation of about 152.93 million tons of CO2 equal. This means Brazil reached 113% of the carbon discount goal it signed as much as at COP15.  At the identical time, in keeping with a latest examine, Brazil’s grains and oilseeds now feed roughly 10% of the world’s inhabitants. A MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE But we all know from our scientists that we nonetheless have extra to attain. We recognise the significance of striving for a extra sustainable meals system to play our half in tackling world local weather change.  We have now set one other formidable purpose: to chop 1.1 billion tons of CO2 emissions from Brazilian agribusiness by 2030. This determine is seven instances increased than the one we set for 2020.  To obtain this, Brazil is constant to advertise and embrace new applied sciences in sustainable agri-food. This consists of the “intensive grazing termination” methodology – the place feed is supplied to animals within the

drought interval – permitting Brazilian farmers to fatten cattle extra shortly earlier than slaughter, thus decreasing livestock CO2 emissions. By making use of this methodology to five million cattle, we will mitigate an estimated 1,042 million Mg of CO2 equal. We can even enhance the quantity of handled animal waste by 208.40 million m3. Overall, Brazil goals to use sustainable applied sciences to a complete of 72.60 million hectares of farmland – an space greater than twice the scale of the UK.  As we transfer ahead, we should proceed to help the elevated adoption of sustainable practices in Brazil and past: figuring out additional improvements and carefully monitoring our progress towards a decrease carbon future. [ad_2] Source link

[findsunbiz]

Somalia, easternmost country of Africa, on the Horn of Africa. It extends from just south of the Equator northward to the Gulf of Aden and occupies an important geopolitical position between sub-Saharan Africa and the countries of Arabia and southwestern Asia. The capital, Mogadishu, is located just north of the Equator on the Indian Ocean.

Somalia is a country of geographic extremes. The climate is mainly dry and hot, with landscapes of thornbush savanna and semidesert, and the inhabitants of Somalia have developed equally demanding economic survival strategies. Apart from a mountainous coastal zone in the north and several pronounced river valleys, most of the country is extremely flat, with few natural barriers to restrict the mobility of the nomads and their livestock. The Somali people are clan-based Muslims, and about three-fifths follow a mobile way of life, pursuing nomadic pastoralism or agropastoralism.

About three-fifths of Somalia’s economy is based on agriculture; however, the main economic activity is not crop farming but livestock raising. Between 1969 and the early 1980s, Mohamed Siad Barre’s military government imposed a system of “Scientific Socialism,” which was characterized by the nationalization of banks, insurance firms, oil companies, and large industrial firms; the establishment of state-owned enterprises, farms, and trading companies; and the organizing of state-controlled cooperatives. In the end, this experiment weakened the Somalian economy considerably, and, since the collapse of the military regime, the economy has suffered even more as a result of civil war. In the early 21st century, the country remained one of the poorest in the world, and its main sources of income came from foreign aid, remittances, and the informal sector.

By far the most important sector of the economy is agriculture, with livestock raising surpassing crop growing fourfold in value and earning about three-fifths of Somalia’s foreign exchange. Agriculture in Somalia can be divided into three subsectors. The first is nomadic pastoralism, which is practiced outside the cultivation areas. This sector, focused on raising goats, sheep, camels, and cattle, has become increasingly market-oriented. The second sector is the traditional, chiefly subsistence, agriculture practiced by small farmers. This traditional sector takes two forms: rain-fed farming in the south and northwest, which raises sorghum, often with considerable head of livestock; and small irrigated farms along the rivers, which produce corn (maize), sesame, cowpeas, and—near towns—vegetables and fruits. The third sector consists of market-oriented farming on medium- and large-scale irrigated plantations along the lower Jubba and Shabeelle rivers. There the major crops are bananas, sugarcane, rice, cotton, vegetables, grapefruit, mangoes, and papayas.

The acacia species of the thorny savanna in southern Somalia supply good timber and are the major source of charcoal, but charcoal production has long exceeded ecologically acceptable limits. More efficient and careful handling of frankincense, myrrh, and other resin-exuding trees could increase yields of aromatic gums.

The country’s small fishing sector revolves around the catch and canning of tunny (tuna) and mackerel in the north. Sharks are often caught and sold dried by artisanal inshore fishers. In southern Somalia choice fish and shellfish are processed for export. In the early 21st century, Somalia’s fishing industry was affected by climate change, overfishing, and increasing incidents of piracy along the coasts.

Somalia’s most valuable resources are its pastures, which cover most of the country. Somalia has few mineral resources—only some deposits of tin, phosphate, gypsum, guano, coal, iron ore, and uranium—and both quantity and quality are too low for mining to be worthwhile. However, the deposits of the clay mineral sepiolite, or meerschaum, in south-central Somalia are among the largest known reserves in the world. Reserves of natural gas have been found but have not been exploited. Sea salt is collected at several sites on the coast.

The country’s few existing power stations—located at Mogadishu, Hargeysa (Hargeisa), and Kismaayo—are often out of order, resulting in frequent power cuts with adverse effects on factory production. (Rural areas have no power plants.) The construction of dams for hydroelectricity and irrigation on the Jubba River was stopped after the government collapse in 1991.

In the early 21st century, manufacturing did not account for a significant portion of economic activity. Many commodities necessary for daily life are produced by small workshops in the informal sector.

Before 1991 Mogadishu was the chief industrial centre of Somalia, with bottling plants, factories producing spaghetti, cigarettes, matches, and boats, a petroleum refinery, a small tractor-assembly workshop, and small enterprises producing construction materials. In Kismaayo there were a meat-tinning factory, a tannery, and a modern fish factory. There were two sugar refineries, one near Jilib on the lower reach of the Jubba and one at Jawhar (Giohar) on the middle reach of the Shabeelle. However, even before the destruction caused by Somalia’s civil conflicts, the productivity of Somalian factories was very low. Often entire works did not operate at full capacity or produced nothing at all over long periods.

Somalia has a large trade deficit. Its chief export commodities are livestock and bananas, which are mainly sent to Arab countries. Other exports include hides and skins, fish, and frankincense and myrrh. Almost everything is imported, even food for an urban population no longer accustomed to the traditional diet.

Besides the official market, there is also a flourishing informal market, by means of which tens of thousands of Somali workers in Arab countries provide commodities missing on the Somali market while avoiding the duties levied on imports. Since wages in Somalia are very low, almost every family is directly or indirectly involved in informal trading.

Inadequate transport facilities are a considerable impediment to Somalia’s economic development. There are no railways. Only about 1,800 miles (2,900 km) of paved roads are passable year-round, and in the rainy seasons most rural settlements are not accessible by motor vehicle. Buses, trucks, and minibuses are the main means of transport for the population. In rural areas camels, cattle, and donkeys are still used for personal transportation and as pack animals.

The state-owned Somali Airlines ceased operations in 1991 after the government collapse. Mogadishu, Berbera, and Kismaayo all have airports with long runways. (These three cities also have deep-water harbours, but dangerous coral reefs keep coastal traffic to a minimum.) Several private airlines serve Somaliland.

Finally, I will leave a link which includes all companies and enterprises in Somalia, for those who want to research and discover more about this island. Thanks for reading.

All businesses address in Somalia: https://findsun.net/SO

[juniperpublishers-agriculture]

Which Sustainable Development Goals and Eco-challenges Matter Most to Niger’s Farmers and Herdsmen? A Best Worst Scaling Approach- Juniper publishers

The sustainable development has been defined as the capacity of the present generation to achieve their needs without preventing the future generation to achieve their needs. Several studies have indicated that concerted effort have been globally, regionally, nationally, and locally undertaken to increase public awareness for sustainable development goals and eco-challenges.

At global level, the 193 world leaders have e 1gathered at United Nations (UN) to adopt the seven (17) sustainable development goals to achieve several extraordinary things by 2030 namely ending poverty, promoting prosperity and well-being for all and protecting our environment (2015). It has been documented that for the goals to work, people need to know them and if goals are famous, they cannot be forgotten. The united Nation secretary stated that 2015 is year of historic opportunity for our generation to end poverty, to take a step to reduce climate change threats, to adopt a new development agenda and finally set the world on course for a better future [1]. He also stated that our generation can be the first to end extreme poverty, the most determined generation to end injustice and inequalities and the last generation to be threatened by climate change.

At national level, governments around the world have pledged to leave no one behind, meaning that working towards shared progress so that progress is equality shared amongst people on top of society and those on the margin of society. This is furthered illustrated by Gandhi saying that a nation’s greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members. The steps the international community needs to set on course to make sure no one is left behind have also been documented and disseminated. Previous studies have indicated that more and better data should be collected, policies and programs focusing on reaching vulnerable populations need to be developed and awareness must be raised in the community and beyond [1].

At regional level, sustainable development goals have integrated in all projects and programs. Projects such herd rebuilding, restoration of fragile ecosystems via tree planting and sustainable land management, income generating activities, cash and food for asset and support for crop production have been executed so as to guide farmers and herdsmen towards wise utilization of scare resources and thereby building sustainable communities. The water-energy-food nexus approach has great potential to increase the resilience of marginalized communities in southern Africa by contributing towards attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 13). Studies have well-documented that climate change adaptation strategies and water-energy-food nexus should be integrated to achieve opportunities geared towards proper resource management, better harmonization of activities across all sectors, build resilience, and reduce vulnerabilities; thereby attaining regional development goals [2-4].

At local level, a grass root level movement aims at creating awareness around sustainable development has been initiated and reinforced. Local movement via farm and garden schools where a few farmers received training on human capacity building has been a success. These farmers once well-equipped are encouraged to train and share production experience with other farmers, thereby creating a wide learning networking. This technique has been increasingly experimented with a high-level adaptation rate. The saying thinking locally and acting globally as well as the bottom up approach in which farmers are encouraged to design the project and the project does the development are well shared and documented by keeping producing p successful stories.

However, little is relatively known about the farmers and herdsmen awareness and preferences for sustainable development and eco-challenges and it is often based on merely simple speculation. The overall objective of this paper is to evaluate farmers and herdsmen’s awareness and preferences for sustainable development goals and eco-challenges.

    Synthesis of Previous Studies

Several studies related to sustainable development have been researched and documented. [5] have focused on the relevance of endogenous preferences in the explanation of consumer behavior and its role for sustainable development. The motivation for their study is based on their thought that demand side has received far less attention in the sustainability discussion than the production side. They feel that there seems, however little doubt that consumption is equally important to achieving sustainability. With reference to a specific type of local food market of community supported agriculture (CSA) groups, this study investigates consumer behavior and its relevance in sustainable development. This study is important in providing information on the change in preferences after interaction with the farmers and other market participants for several years. This learning aspect may, however, prove crucial to identify paths towards sustainable development.

[6] have also explored linkages between climate change and sustainable development from a “developing country perspective” in Brazil, India, the West African region, South Africa and South Asia. These authors reported that the central concerns about sustainability include economic, social and environmental dimensions and will necessary influence action in each of these areas. [7] have also reported that the main objective in the economic dimension of sustainability is the “economic use” of natural resources. Another cross-cutting sustainability issue relates to maintaining eco-system “health’. Climate change may threaten eco-system health in several important ways, including accelerating irreversible change such as through loss of species and of habitats (for example, coral reef systems). Such concerns lead decision-makers to focus on “durability” as opposed to optimization. The social dimension of sustainability raises a number of important “fairness” issues [8]. These authors have reported that fairness in the process of making climate policy including participation and access to decision-making, which will inevitably determine the perceived fairness of any policy and ultimately its effectiveness.

The application of Likert scale in ranking items has gained popularity in psychology before spreading in various academic fields. However, Likert scale does not give room for trade off amongst items being ranked and interpreting results from Likert scale estimation is still a big challenge. The application of best worst scaling (BWS) and count-based method has recently been gaining a momentum in the academic literature. The BWS application in agricultural sector include studies on evaluating consumers general and specific food values [9,10], [11] who studied preferences for sustainable agricultural production, [12] who evaluated Haitian’s preferences for food and other basic commodities after the earthquake, [12] assessed improved cowpea seed attributes evaluation, [13] who evaluated US consumers preferences for agricultural and food policies and [14] who investigated Bangladeshi consumers’ preferences for fresh vegetable. These studies have failed to document sustainable development goals and eco-challenges and their respective policy options.

    Methodology and Data Collection Method

The authors have followed the methods developed by [9] stating that in a set of k elements, there are k(k-1) possible combinations. He further highlighted that the choice of a pair of strategies in the k(k−1) combinations corresponds to a maximum allocation of the choice difference. [9] also concluded that countbased approach and conditional logit used to model this process yield the same results. Thus, conditional logit model was used to analyze the best worst scale data. For each question, the ecochallenge selected as best is coded as 1, while those selected as worst is coded minus one and the remaining eco-challenges not being selected is coded as zero. The joint probability distribution is more appropriate to model this behavior. The probability that in each block one sustainable development goal has been chosen as the best and another as a worst is the probability that the difference between that of best and worst must be greater all k(k- 1)-1.Thus, this probability can be mathematically represented as follows:

Thirdly, the preference shares for each sustainable development goals were evaluated using the exponential function expressed as follows:

Where Vj =Xβj is the utility of the goal j, whilst Vk=Xβk is the utility of the goal k.

The best worst scaling (BWS) is increasingly used in various fields of study. It was used to collect data. In the field of agricultural economics, the use of BWS is still in its infancy and there is need to investigate the merit of several experimental design techniques. The balanced incomplete block design (BIBD) was used to design questionnaire served in the data collection. Thus, seventeen (17) sustainable development goals as documented in the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) agenda were used to create three goals per block. Each goal is randomly assigned to block in three times, thereby maintaining the equal probability principle. For each question, respondents were asked to choose his best and worst sustainable development goals and this behavior is consistent with random utility theory, which is well-rooted in the microeconomics theory.

The survey was conducted in two three villages namely Dakatche, Fonkoye and Tahoua city, all located in Tahoua State. Respondents were randomly selected and interviewed. To increase diversity in our sample, a specific gender is targeted within a given household, thereby creating opportunity for rural women get their voices heard. In total, 136 respondents consisting of 69 farmers and 67 herdsmen were selected and interviewed. As shown in Table 1, an example of a question related to sustainable development goals is presented.

Similarly, the count-based method was used to determine the nine (9) eco-challenge values. First the nine eco-challenges were presented and their meanings clearly explained to respondents. Secondly, the questionnaire was immediately administered by asking respondents to select his three most important eco-challenges and his three least important eco-challenges. Respondents have also received explanation that eco-challenge cannot be selected as best and worst at the same time, implying that selecting one eco-challenge as best excludes its chance to be chosen as the worst and vice versa. As depicted in Table 2, the questionnaire related how eco-challenges are presented to respondents:

The process of asking respondents to repeatedly ranking his best and worst eco-challenges is consistent with utility theory, which is deeply rooted in microeconomic theory. This implies that the difference between the number of times an eco-challenge being selected as best and the number of times being chosen as worst is underlying utility maximization.

Thus, the utility function for eco-challenge can be mathematically expressed as follows:

Where Vi is utility for person i, WA is for water, HEA is for health, FO is for food, NA is for nature, CO is for community, EN is for energy, SI stands for simplicity, WAS stands for waste and TRA stands for transportation. The preference shares were also computed by taking the exponential function of each coefficient, summing them up and calculating the weight of each ecochallenge. The analysis of the literature indicates that the countbased and conditional logit estimates are quiet similar [9,12].

    Results and Discussion

This section presents results from summary statistics of surveyed respondents, conditional logit estimates and the best worst scaling. Table 3 reports summary statistics of respondents. Table 3 reveals that most of the respondents were men (96%), married (99%), uneducated (38%) and had an average income (37500 FCFA) with an average age of 42 year. Table 3 also shows that most respondent had 10 persons, 30ha and 5 animals for family size, farm size and herd size respectively. The question related to awareness indicates that 80% of farmers are not aware of sustainable development goals, implying that awareness exercise should be carried out among uneducated farmers and herdsmen to increase the understanding of the sustainable development goals.

Table 4 reports results from conditional logit estimates. Results from likelihood ratio test indicate that the null hypothesis was rejected and the authors concluded that data from farmers and herdsmen could be pooled and therefore only the pooled model was reported and interpreted. Coefficients with positive signs are considered as the most important, while coefficients with negative sign are considered as the least important. Table 4 reveal that gender equality (0.736), followed by industry, innovation and infrastructures (0.611), no poverty (0.378), climate action (0.362), reduced inequalities (0.341), clean water and sanitation (0.323), zero hunger (0.210), quality education (0.190) are positive and significant, indicating that these sustainable development goals were most commonly selected as the most important policies for farmers and herdsmen relative to partnerships to goals. However, affordable and clean energy, responsible production and consumption and life on land are negative and significant, showing that these sustainable development goals were least preferred by farmers and herdsmen. Table 4 also provides results for relative scores. The relative importance of each sustainable development goals is calculated relative to partnership. Results revealed that 11% and 9% of farmers and herdsmen consider gender equality and industry, innovation and infrastructures as the most and second most important sustainable development goal policies respectively. Similarly, 11% and 10% of farmers consider gender equality and industry, innovation and infrastructures as the most desirable polices respectively; while 10% and 9% of herdsmen view gender equality and industry, innovation and infrastructures, respectively. This implies that farmers’ preferences for these sustainable development goals are higher than those of herdsmen. In addition, no poverty, clean water and sanitation, reduced inequalities and climate action were viewed by 7% of farmers and herdsmen as the third most important sustainable development goals in the study area.

Table 5 presents results from the count-based method analysis related to eco-challenges. Coefficients with positive signs are considered as the most important, while coefficients with negative sign are considered as the least important. Table 5 shows that water (0.309), followed by health (0.257) and food (0.252) are positive, implying that these eco-challenges are the most preferred by farmers and herdsmen. However, nature (-0.020), community (-0.032), energy (-0.108), simplicity (-0.135), waste (-0.164) and transportation (-0.184) are negative, revealing that these ecochallenges are least preferred by farmers. The relative importance as shown in Table 3 indicate that water as eco-challenge has the highest share (14.58%), against health (13.84%) and against food (13.77%). However, transportation as eco-challenge has the lowest share (8.90%), followed by waste (9.08%) and simplicity (9.35%). This implies that water, health and food are the most preferred eco-challenges that should be promoted in the study. Results reveal that the sum of best (422) is greater than that of worst (350), implying that best options are more likely to be chosen that worst options. These results are consistent with studies by Flammini et al (2017) and Beddington [2] concluding that water, energy, and food resources are important for human wellbeing, poverty reduction, and sustainable development and their management is vital to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Furthermore, FAO [4] stated that understanding and managing water, energy and food are essential for human wellbeing, poverty reduction and sustainable development [15-17].

    Conclusion

Several studies have investigated the impact of sustainable development goals and eco-challenges on the economic growth in both developed and developing nations. The definition and goals of sustainable development as well as eco-challenges have been increasingly becoming harmonized and widely accepted by United Nations. Tremendous efforts and strategies have been undertaken both at local, regional, national and global level to achieve the sustainable development goals and eco-challenges. However, relatively little is known how farmers and herdsmen’s values these sustainable development goals and eco-challenges. This paper sought to determine farmers and herdsmen’s preferences for sustainable development goals and eco-challenges.

Results suggest that young male and married farmers and herdsmen having large family size and herd size should be identified and trained to successful implement the sustainable development goals and eco-challenges in the study area. Results reveal that gender equality, followed by industry, innovation and infrastructures, no poverty, climate action, reduced inequalities, clean water and sanitation, zero hunger and quality education are the most preferred sustainable development goals. Results also indicate that water, health and food are the most desirable ecochallenges.

In this study, the authors have attempted to determine farmers and herdsmen’s preferences for sustainable development goals and eco-challenges as documented by United Nations Development program. The findings of this study should be fully integrated in the sustainable development agenda, thereby providing baseline information for policymakers to strategically plan and guide local development program by considering sustainable development goals and eco-challenges as suggested by farmers and herdsmen. Future direction for research is to assess sustainable development goals and eco-challenges across counties, regions, nations and continents. It could be important to track a panel of people to study the stability of farmers and herdsmen’s preferences for sustainable development goals and eco-challenges over time. It is also important to determine the influence of farmers and herdsmen socioeconomic characteristics on the sustainable development goal and eco-challenges values. Finally, the use of a BWS approach to expl

ore not only Niger’s Farmers and herdsmen preferences for sustainable development and eco-challenges policies, but also to enrich the existing literature would provide strong basis for various policy evaluations in the future.

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[pagemichelle1992]

How Do I Increase My Height Naturally Marvelous Useful Tips

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[torixus]

Hunger stalks southern Africa as climate crisis deepens

 Climate extremes: A year ago, Josephine Ganye was hit by a devastating flood -- now she is struggling with a crippling drought. Climate extremes: A year ago, Josephine Ganye was hit by a devastating flood -- now she is struggling with a crippling drought. BUHERA, Zimbabwe: Just under a year ago, Alice Posha fled her home in the middle of the night and then watched as it was swept away by floods. The torrential rain came from Cyclone Idai, one of the worst storms ever to hit Africa and the fiercest on record to strike Buhera, a district in the usually arid province of Manicaland in eastern Zimbabwe. Today, the scene in Buhera is entirely different. But the misery remains. The 60-year-old, who was rehoused in October, is going through the motions of weeding a field of maize that has been withered by the worst drought in 35 years. A little rain for her corn would be more than welcome. Zimbabwe begins national mourning Zambia reassures China after mine boss killing Zimbabwe facing 'man-made' starvation, UN expert warns "Seeing how the maize is wilting, we may have a very bad harvest," she said. It is a scene that is being played out across southern Africa, where chronic lack of rain is threatening mass hunger and ruin. Climate is being fingered as the big culprit. In the space of 10 months, Buhera and many districts like it have been hammered by extremes that scientists say are consistent with forecasts about climate change. In March 2019, the arrival of Idai unleashed devastation on eastern Zimbabwe and its neighbours Mozambique and Malawi. Over a thousand people died and the lives of millions of others were badly affected. "Our chickens and turkeys were swept away," said Posha's sister-in-law, Josephine Ganye, who now depends on food aid. She is among the 45 million people in southern Africa that the UN has said are threatened by famine. Its World Food Programme (WFP) sent out a stark warning last month. "This hunger crisis is on a scale we’ve not seen before and the evidence shows it’s going to get worse," said Lola Castro, WFP's regional director in southern Africa. For the past five years, the entire southern tip of the African continent, where average temperatures are rising twice as fast as the global mean, has suffered from a significant lack of rain. Every farmer, big or small, has been affected as well as breeders, hoteliers and teachers. - Prayers for rain - In Zimbabwe, the drought has added to a long list of crises, from stratospheric inflation to shortages of cash, petrol, medicines, water and electricity. For many, daily life has become a nightmare. "Almost everybody in my area is food insecure," said 68-year-old Janson Neshava, who is a headman, or senior leader, in Buhera. "We still do the traditional rain ceremonies, but to no avail. Even the wetlands are now dry and streams that used to flow throughout the year are all dry." The WFP says that 60% of Zimbabwe's 15 million people are currently food insecure. According to Patience Dhinda, a local official, this figure hits 80 percent in Buhera where the grain depot, which should house the state food aid, stands empty. A year ago, the crops in Buhera had already suffered from drought before being washed away by Idai. This year they risk being burned to a crisp by the relentless sun. - One meal a day - Around 800 kilometres further west, across the border in Zambia, first impressions suggest that the contrast is startling. The grass is tall, the roads muddy and the fields of maize are a vibrant, healthy green. In the village of Simumbwe, an hour and a half's drive south on a dusty road from Kalomo in the southwest of the country, the rains arrived in late December. But in the shade of the majestic trees, seated on the red earth, perched in the branches or on oxcarts, hundreds of people wait patiently for food to be distributed by an NGO, World Vision, and the WFP. Last year, the harvest was catastrophic for the second year running with up to 70 percent of the crops lost to the drought. "Last year, I harvested 18 kilos (39.6 pounds) of food. In other words, nothing," said Loveness Haneumba, mother of five and a "happy" beneficiary of aid in Simumbwe. "It is common that we eat once a day. The children ask me: 'what are we going to eat?' I answer: 'Just wait. Let me look around'." It is a question of buying time. For several years, the rainy season has been getting later and shorter, upsetting the traditional farming cycle. It used to be from October to May; now it is barely from December to April. - Most vulnerable - "The food we have here is not enough to cater for everyone," said Derick Mulilo, the World Vision food monitor in the yard of the school in Simumbwe. "We are focussing on the most vulnerable." He meant people like Loveness Haneumba and her stunted children. Her six-year-old daughter looked four and her four-year-old had the appearance of a two-year-old toddler. Lizzy Kayoba, another mother of a large family, also featured on the list of beneficiaries. She had walked five hours during the night, her youngest on her back, to arrive at dawn for the food handout. She left with 25 kilos of maize and 7.6 kilos of beans. "It will last me one or two weeks," she said. The next distribution at the school is a month away. A teacher, Teddy Siafweba, said about 15 children in his class were absent that day because of hunger. In the classroom next door, about 30 were missing -- nearly half of the rollcall of 70. And those who came often have an empty stomach. Some nod off in class, said another teacher, Tryness Kayuni. The 33-year-old watched the handout with a heavy heart. She was not one of the 862 beneficiaries. A single mother, Kayuni was not considered a priority as she had a job. And yet she had not been paid since September. Since then she had been holding out on one meal a day. "How do I survive?" she said. "I ask my colleagues if they can help me with some food." - Adapt to survive - Funding is desperately needed to meet the needs of the 2.3 million people in Zambia who sorely need food. The WFP has received only a third of the $36 million required. Desperate times are prompting desperate -- and corrupt -- measures. Thieves steal food supplies and unscrupulous men promise to put women's names on the food list in exchange for unprotected sex. That is not something that worried single mother Imelda Hicoombolwa, 49, who for the last three years has been one of a number of small farmers who gambled on agricultural diversification, opting for nutritious vegetables and using techniques adapted to climate change. "Food is not a problem. I have it," she beamed. (continues below)

A volunteer reads a list with the names of those who will receive bags with maize meal and beans during a food distribution organized by the World Food Programme and World Vision in Simumbwe on Jan 22. Funding is desperately needed to meet the needs of the 2.3 million severely food insecure people in Zambia. (Photo:AFP)

Before 2017, Hicoombolwa cultivated almost only maize. Today, she harvests cowpeas, which need very little water, as well as peanuts, pumpkins and sunflowers. "I can make 18,000 kwacha (1,100 euros, $1,222) a year. Before, I was making 8,000 kwacha a year," she said. "Before, the children were missing school because I could not always pay the tuition fees. Not any more." One big change is that Hicoombolwa no longer rushes to sow from the first rains. The farmers have learned to wait. In the recent past it was a different story, according to Allan Mulando of WFP. "Once they see a drop they plant instead of waiting for the moisture to be good enough," he said. "At the end of the day, they lose everything." Rain gauges have helped to change that attitude. As part of a joint programme launched in 2015 by the UN agency and the Zambian government, 165 rain gauges were distributed to farmers in the Zambian districts most affected by the drought. They have enabled the villagers to read the conditions and plant at the most propitious moment. - Rain man - Mulando says the rule of thumb is not to plant anything below 20 to 25 millimetres  of rain and to choose seeds that fit the weather forecast. If a short rainy season is expected, for instance, choose seeds that will germinate quickly. "If I had had access to this knowledge earlier, I would be relatively rich," said Godfrey Hapaka, a farmer. "I would have a decent car and my kids would not have missed school." Next to his modest house surrounded by flourishing maize fields, a rain gauge was planted in an enclosure, its value underlined by a brand new screen put in place to protect it. As soon as it rains, Hapaka, 58, checks the gauge and passes on the rainfall level to his neighbours. Sadly, the message is often ignored. Hapaka said some of them are "reluctant" to use the information. "They follow their parents and grandparents," he said. "They are stuck in the past." Farmers are not the only ones to follow the rainfall closely. From the Kariba dam on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, Geoffrey Chambisha, director of the power station on the Zambian side, watched the water level of the lake. He was worried. In the 14 years he had been working at the dam, he had never seen it so low. In early 2020, the water level was 476.61 metres  above sea level. Its lowest level, set in 1996, was 475.93m. In the absence of sufficient rain, the dam, the main source of electricity in Zambia and Zimbabwe, is expected to operate at only 25% of its capacity in 2020. Inevitably the two countries are enduring long power cuts, up to 20 hours a day, which is having a knock-on effect on the two economies. The town of Livingstone, where tourists from all over the world flock to admire the Victoria Falls, has been particularly hit. "This year has been horrendously bad," said Andrew Murrin, a Briton who runs a six-bedroom hotel. With temperatures climbing to nearly 45°C, customers have naturally been demanding air conditioning. Murrin had been running at full speed on his generator for some months and the cost was mounting. "In the past three months, the generator has cost me about 30,000 kwacha (US$2,000) for the diesel and the maintenance," he said. - Victoria Falls - Beyond the problems of electricity and air-conditioning, the tourist industry is suffering from recent publicity which it would rather have avoided. A video filmed in September by a visitor purporting to show the Victoria Falls reduced to a trickle made a massive buzz on social media even though it only reflected part of the reality. The video showed a dry portion of the 1.7-km-long falls and, much to the indignation of angry tourism professionals, ignored the rest of the free-flowing Mosi-oa-Tunya -- the local name which translates as "The Smoke That Thunders." Zambian President Edgar Lungu exacerbated the panic by leaping for Twitter. "These pictures of the Victoria Falls are a stark reminder of what climate change is doing to our environment and our livelihood," he tweeted. At Livingstone, the locals were incensed. Every year the Zambian part of the Victoria Falls, which is shared with Zimbabwe, is dry. "It is a natural phenomenom, it is seasonal," said John Zulu, who runs the Zambian site. Too late. The damage was done. Thousands of visitors cancelled their trips; tourism plummeted 25 percent in 2019. This month, the falls are again flowing along their entire length but the lack of tourists has bitten hard. Murrin has had to lay off four of his eight employees and the hotel next door to him has closed down. - Stench of death - Tourists have also become a rarity 1,500km away in western South Africa. In Northern Cape province, at the gateway of the Kalahari desert, the wild animals are used to extreme temperatures but even they are succumbing to the conditions. According to Wildlife Ranching South Africa, two-thirds of the wild animals in the Northern Cape have died in the last three years because of the drought. (continues below)

Two workers from the Thuru Lodge Game farm dispose of the carcass of a dead animal on the Thuru Lodge Game farm near Groblershoop on Jan 16. At the gateway to the Kalahari Desert, wild animals are used to extreme temperatures and harsh conditions. But after several years of drought, after animals have become weak, they die. (Photo: AFP)

In two years, half of the 4,500 buffaloes, hippopotamuses and kudus at the Thuru Lodge game farm near Groblershoop have disappeared. The average rainfall here is 250 millimetres a year. "But 250 millimetres, that's what we have had in five years," says its manager, Burger Schoeman. At the top of a hill that overlooked the 22,000-hectare private reserve, two huge holes served as mass graves. Paul Ludick is usually responsible for locating animal tracks for tourists. He now spends his time picking up the carcasses and feeding the animals that are still alive but struggling to survive. "I stink" of death, he said. - Abandoned sheep - The drought represents a financial black hole for the lodge, which spends 200,000 rand ($13,500) per month to feed the animals while cancelling the reservations of tourists on the lookout for "trophies." "We need to offer a fair hunt. Hunters can't shoot weak animals," said Schoeman. The South African government, which has declared a state of natural disaster in the Northern Cape, will release 300 million rand ($20 million) in aid. A drop in the desert. "I have never seen anything like this," said Johan Steenkamp, a 52-year-old farmer with a spread of 6,000 hectares. "It is just not raining anywhere. We lost many animals. I have 30 to 40 percent left." Over a hundred died because of the drought, with another 200 going prematurely to the slaughterhouse. It is becoming a familiar tale. According to the agricultural cooperative KLK, many farmers in the region have lost 30-70% of their livestock in the space of two years. Sheep still give birth, but they abandon their newborn lambs. "They have no milk," Steenkamp said. "They leave them there." Steenkamp's two older sons chose careers away from the family farm and the drought is painting a bleak future for his youngest son as well. "There is no future for him here," said Steenkamp. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); via Blogger https://ift.tt/39wdPyv

[tripnames]

Alfalfa Cultivation for Dairy, Goat, Sheep, Livestock

www.agrifarming.in

Alfalfa Cultivation Process Today, we go through the topic of Alfalfa Cultivation for Dairy, Goat, Sheep, Livestock and its health benefits and side effects. Alfalfa, which is scientifically called as Medicago Sativa is a plant which belongs to the legume species and is the one which grows perennially.  It belongs to the legume family of …

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[virgiebaltzell0-blog]

W’African Farmers Want Modern day Tools To Increase Productivity -LCCI President > News from.

President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Business (LCCI), Chief Mrs. Onikepo Akande, has restated the need for Nigerian and West African farmers to use modern agricultural tools to increase meals production in Nigeria and other West African nations.

Whilst giving a keynote address at the just concluded Agra Innovate West Africa in Lagos, Mrs. Akande, said a great deal meals was being developed via the efforts of peasant farmers, but that so significantly goes wrong from the field to the table.

According to her, the farmers, mainly subsistent in their operations, are beset with numerous challenges of land preparation, poor high-quality planting supplies (seeds and seedlings), dependence on manual labour without having mechanisation, on-farm pests and ailments, post-harvest wastage and food loss, absence of efficient storage program and market failure, leading to sales of agricultural commodities with insignificant returns on efforts.

She told Every day Sun that farmers in West Africa, consequently, require modern day tools, enhanced varieties of crops, facilities for (or access to) climate forecasting, mechanisation assistance, irrigation facilities, storage facilities, superior transportation system, dependable rural access, finance and insurance coverage, to be capable to embark on productive activities and foster meals-based commercial activities inside and involving countries.

She added: "The term, value chain, in agriculture, of current, has been tossed about with reckless abandon. To have an understanding of worth chain, we want to comply with commodities under consideration from the field to the finish-user. And the value chains differ in length and character from commodity to commodity.

"A bulk of interventions required to repair various commodity worth chains demand careful and close examination of the attributes of the commodities beneath consideration. To unlock their potential, consequently, we have to have to realize their peculiar attributes, challenges, opportunities and diversity of uses, she added.

Having said that, she hinted that a bulk of agricultural trade inside and across West Africa nevertheless remains informal, dealing with principal solutions, adding that Nigeria, in particular, is recognized to be the supply of export of quite a few key staples such as cowpeas, yams, cassava, millet, sorghum, groundnut, bambara nuts, maize, amongst other individuals.

He lamented that hundreds of tonnes of such commodities move each day from key markets such as Dawanau in Kano, Maigateri in Jigawa, Illela in Sokoto, Yauri in Kebbi, to neighbouring countries without having official data of transactions.

She bomoaned that the conversion of currencies for their transactions is completed in black markets and so the government loses the opportunities to capture the information on such transactions.

she mentioned top quality control and requirements on such commodities are non-existent, which indicates the items on sale in the sub-area hardly meet globe-class requirements.

She explained that, "on the entire commodities worth chains, the vital control points that call for attention and remedial measures contain labour (on and off field), seed good quality, aggregation, processing, transportation, storage, financing, industry information system and pricing.

"Over the years, the cyclical abundance and scarcity that annually occur after harvest and during periods of no harvest have significantly distorted supplies and prices. These have empowered many speculators who have access to funds at the expense of the primary producers, producing uneven playing field."

Mentioned she: "We should thus bring efforts to bear on top quality, standards and agricultural ideal practices on the field as nicely as worldwide very best rates post-harvest. These will help in several diverse techniques, namely: reduction of meals wastage on-farm, high-quality assurance of products at harvest, reduction in post-harvest wastage, suitable transportation strategies and signifies, assurance of higher revenue to farmers, meals abundance and poverty reduction, especially rural poverty."

[gbenro]

Request for Consultants - Gender Analysis in Target Communities of Adamawa, Yobe and Borno

1 Feed the Future Nigeria Livelihoods Project Terms of Reference Gender Analysis in Target Communities of Adamawa, Yobe and Borno This Terms of Reference (TOR) provides the description and work to be done to conduct a gender analysis in target communities in Adamawa, Yobe and Borno States in the North East under the Feed the Future Nigeria Livelihoods Project. The work required by this TOR includes developing and testing the tools, implementation and documentation. Project Background Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is an international non-governmental organization supporting relief and development work in over 99 countries around the world. CRS’ programs assist persons on the basis of need, regardless of creed, ethnicity or nationality. CRS works through local church and non-church partners to implement its programs. CRS has worked in Nigeria for more than 25 years. Through local partners, CRS has implemented programs in 24 of the country’s 36 states, demonstrating the agency’s extensive grassroots network and significant capacity to reach the rural poor, with a focus on agriculture, emergency response and recovery, and health. CRS Nigeria is leading an exciting and innovative project designed to develop sustainable approaches to lift some of the most vulnerable households in Nigeria out of poverty. Feed the Future Nigeria Livelihoods Project is funded by USAID for a period of five years (from July 2013 to July 2018) for the Northern Nigeria states of Sokoto and Kebbi, and the Bwari Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory. The project is implemented by a consortium of non-governmental organizations, led by CRS Nigeria. The project is based in rural communities and targets 42,000 vulnerable households. Feed the Future Nigeria Livelihoods Project engages communities in agricultural-led growth interventions, using a multi-sectoral approach to help very poor households grow their agriculture production, incomes and improve nutrition. The project aims to improve agricultural practices, and promote post-harvest storage for nutrient rich crops already being produced and market-oriented approaches to diversification of production, ensuring all agricultural activities are adapted to specific agro-ecological and cultural contexts. In January 2017, the project expanded into the North East States of Adamawa, Yobe and Borno with an additional 10,000 beneficiaries targeted. The overall purpose of the expansion into the North East is to ultimately move returnees, host communities, vulnerable households, and internally displaced persons (IDPs) from depending on humanitarian assistance to engaging in agricultural and other economic activities. The objective will be achieved by building the capacity of targeted beneficiaries, which will result in increased agricultural production and productivity and diversified sources of income. Integrating gender concerns into the intervention in the North East is necessary to maximize effectiveness and sustainability as well as benefits for women, men and the communities they live in. Implementing activities in a gender-responsive manner is crucial to ensure both that project activities do not exacerbate existing inequalities but also that project strategies address gender gaps that impede sustainable food security and community development. To date, severe inequalities prevent women in 2 the North East from accessing equitably agricultural inputs or productive assets despite their active participation in on-farm and off-farm activities. Moreover, patterns of low-equitable decision-making and division of labor result in women’s low participation in community decision-making processes. As a result, women remain an underutilized potential asset for the achievement of sustainable, agricultural and economic growth. The project can contribute to gender equality and women’s empowerment by developing a context-specific and culturally appropriate gender strategy. To achieve this, Feed the Future Livelihoods Project must understand the existing gender-related barriers and opportunities related to achieving improved food security by leading a gender analysis with key stakeholders and beneficiary communities. The project will leverage the results from the gender analysis and the recommendations to improve gender integration throughout project implementation and evaluation. As such, CRS Nigeria requires the services of a qualified consultant to conduct a gender analysis in target rural communities in Adamawa, Yobe and Borno States, and to provide subsequent programmatic recommendations for addressing household and community gender barriers to sustainable food security. Objectives: The overall purpose of the Feed the Future Nigeria Livelihoods Project’s gender analysis in Adamawa, Yobe and Borno States is to identify existing gender-related barriers and opportunities related to achieving improved food and economic security. This information is critical for identifying specific entry points to promote equal participation of men and women in project activities and the rural economy, as well as informing the project on the development of a gender-responsive implementation strategy overall. Specific objectives include: • Identify context-specific barriers to women’s participation in community meetings/activities and producer groups; • Identify culturally-appropriate recommendations (via participatory community-led appraisal) to inform a strategy to promote more equitable participation; • Identify gender-related barriers and facilitators for improved agricultural production practices, including post-harvest activities for men and women, especially for female-headed households (including context-specific dynamics and practices related to division of roles/responsibilities related to the production of key value chain commodities (cowpea, maize, soyabean, sorghum, rice, groundnut, and vegetables); • Identify gender patterns of decision-making, access and control of household income and resources that impact food security at the household and community levels. • Identify entry-points to promote more equitable access to agricultural inputs, extension services and agronomic or farm management trainings for men, women and youth; • Identify barriers to women in accessing economic opportunities and generating income; • Formulate recommendations for gender-related adaptations to communication strategies and project-supported trainings and extension services; • Identify potential harmful gender-related outcomes as a result of SILC activities to ensure a ‘do no harm’ approach and inform a gender-responsive SILC strategy; Research methods and tools: The Feed the Future Nigeria Livelihoods Project’s Gender Analysis will be guided by USAID’s ADS 205’s domains of gender analysis including: I. Access/control of assets II. Knowledge, beliefs and perceptions (cultural context) 3 III. Practices and participation (roles and responsibilities, participation on committees, etc.) IV. Space and time (time-use) V. Legal rights and status (protocols and status of WMBG in national policies) VI. Power (decision-making) [*Other domains relevant to women’s empowerment and agriculture can also be considered in conjunction with the USAID guidance] The Gender Analysis process will begin with a thorough review of existing literature to inform and triangulate qualitative tools and results. The draft qualitative tools will be based on: 1) literature review, 2) project objectives and existing project data and 3) proposed research methodology. From there, a brief skills training on gender integration and analysis will be provided to the GA study team. The training will be the platform to validate tools and familiarize the team with research methodologies and objectives, as well as gender concepts. Lastly, the gender analysis team will conduct the collection of data in selected communities. The consultant is responsible, in close concertation with the project’s MEAL staff, to finalize a realistic sampling strategy. Qualitative tools include the following:  Single-sex Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with Men and Women will include questions tailored to uncover the gender-related practices in agriculture production and income-generation. FGD data will include a number of Female and Male headed HHs (FHH/MHH). Younger male and female participants will be selected in certain communities to represent youth.  Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tools: o The Harvard activities profile as well as the priority ranking tools will be used to identify key activities throughout the year and to understand roles and responsibilities, time-use, and access to necessary resources for key productive activities. Additional questions will be added to solicit community feedback on best ways to ensure equitable community participation in project activities based on community rankings.  Key informant interviews (KIIs) will be conducted with key stakeholders at the State, LGA and community-levels. Main Tasks / Deliverables 1) Finalize tools and develop protocol  Review relevant literature and project materials  Develop the protocols, sampling strategy and work plan for data collection  Draft tools for gender analysis data collection  Present the tools to CRS project management team  Finalize preliminary protocol and tools after receiving feedback 2) Administer tools  Orient and train the data collectors and project team  Test and finalize draft data collection tools  Initiate and supervise the data collection with ongoing qualitative analysis  Analyze data and share the initial findings with CRS project team 3) Report writing and data dissemination 4  Write-up data findings and initial draft report  Share findings with CRS project team  Facilitate a workshop with project team to present and validate findings and to develop an action plan addressing key findings during project implementation and evaluation  Final report. This must contain at a minimum: i. Title page ii. Table of contents iii. Executive summary iv. Introduction v. Literature review/Background on gender situation in the NE vi. Objectives of the gender analysis vii. Frameworks for analysis viii. Methodology – process how the gender analysis was conducted ix. Summary of key findings x. Discussion of the implications of the findings on the project xi. Key recommendations xii. Action plan for addressing gender concerns xiii. Conclusion xiv. Annexes 4) Monitoring and Evaluation  Develop indicators or markers to accompany the gender action plan  Develop an M&E plan for monitoring gender integration progress as aligned with gender action plan Required Qualifications Proposals will be accepted from a consultant with verified previous experience in facilitating a similar process in rural areas. The consultant should possess the following combination of skills and expertise:  Post graduate degree in any one of the following: agriculture, agricultural economics, gender, social science, development studies, etc., and possess formal research skills  Experience with gender integration  Experience with conducting gender analysis in rural communities and experience with participatory rural appraisal (PRA) a plus  Ability to conduct interviews and discussions in English and local language desirable  Good eye for detail, adherence to logic, and capacity for inductive reasoning  Strong presentation, facilitating, communication and team working skills  Good interpersonal skills, including the ability to conduct discussions with a diversity of people ranging from senior management to project participants  Willingness and ability to travel to rural communities in the North East Management Arrangements and Follow-up The project management team and technical leads will provide overall supervision and management of the consultancy. CRS project staff will provide administrative and logistical support. Key Working Relationships/Organizations Internal: 5 COP, TPD, M&E Director, Project Director, Data Manager, Agric. Team Lead, Gender Integration Lead, Grants Manager and Senior Program Manager External: DDI, JDPC, LHI, RUWOYD, CLSD, CHANGE Locations The gender analysis will be conducted in communities within the following LGAs: 1. Gombi and Hong Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Adamawa 2. Jakusko and Bursari LGAs in Yobe 3. Biu, Hawul, Kaga and Jere LGAs in Borno Timeline and Level of Effort The activity is expected to take place within a period of no more than 31 days, to begin on February 3rd and be completed by March 10th. The deliverables are expected to be completed in a timely fashion; the draft of the report should be submitted by March 3rd with the presentation/final workshop taking place on March 6th and the final report submitted on March 10th at the latest. Proposal Submission Guidelines  Resume  Cover letter (maximum one page)  Technical Proposal (maximum two pages, to be elaborated into a work plan in the inception phase): i. Relevant experience of the consultant ii. Understanding of the assignment/objectives of the job iii. Proposed methodology iv. Proposed timeline for completing the job v. A plan for analysis and sense making of the data  Financial Proposal (maximum one-page): breakdown of cost estimates for services rendered. This should include: daily consultancy fees, enumerator fees, accommodation and living costs; transport cost, stationeries, and supplies needed for data collection and reporting  Signed statement of independence from CRS Feed the Future Nigeria Livelihoods Project  Sample copies of three previous related work products  Please submit soft copies of requested documents to: Nigeria Human Resources NG_HR@global.crs.org Application deadline: January 27, 2017

[torixus]

Hunger stalks southern Africa as climate crisis deepens

 Climate extremes: A year ago, Josephine Ganye was hit by a devastating flood -- now she is struggling with a crippling drought. Climate extremes: A year ago, Josephine Ganye was hit by a devastating flood -- now she is struggling with a crippling drought. BUHERA, Zimbabwe: Just under a year ago, Alice Posha fled her home in the middle of the night and then watched as it was swept away by floods. The torrential rain came from Cyclone Idai, one of the worst storms ever to hit Africa and the fiercest on record to strike Buhera, a district in the usually arid province of Manicaland in eastern Zimbabwe. Today, the scene in Buhera is entirely different. But the misery remains. The 60-year-old, who was rehoused in October, is going through the motions of weeding a field of maize that has been withered by the worst drought in 35 years. A little rain for her corn would be more than welcome. Zimbabwe begins national mourning Zambia reassures China after mine boss killing Zimbabwe facing 'man-made' starvation, UN expert warns "Seeing how the maize is wilting, we may have a very bad harvest," she said. It is a scene that is being played out across southern Africa, where chronic lack of rain is threatening mass hunger and ruin. Climate is being fingered as the big culprit. In the space of 10 months, Buhera and many districts like it have been hammered by extremes that scientists say are consistent with forecasts about climate change. In March 2019, the arrival of Idai unleashed devastation on eastern Zimbabwe and its neighbours Mozambique and Malawi. Over a thousand people died and the lives of millions of others were badly affected. "Our chickens and turkeys were swept away," said Posha's sister-in-law, Josephine Ganye, who now depends on food aid. She is among the 45 million people in southern Africa that the UN has said are threatened by famine. Its World Food Programme (WFP) sent out a stark warning last month. "This hunger crisis is on a scale we’ve not seen before and the evidence shows it’s going to get worse," said Lola Castro, WFP's regional director in southern Africa. For the past five years, the entire southern tip of the African continent, where average temperatures are rising twice as fast as the global mean, has suffered from a significant lack of rain. Every farmer, big or small, has been affected as well as breeders, hoteliers and teachers. - Prayers for rain - In Zimbabwe, the drought has added to a long list of crises, from stratospheric inflation to shortages of cash, petrol, medicines, water and electricity. For many, daily life has become a nightmare. "Almost everybody in my area is food insecure," said 68-year-old Janson Neshava, who is a headman, or senior leader, in Buhera. "We still do the traditional rain ceremonies, but to no avail. Even the wetlands are now dry and streams that used to flow throughout the year are all dry." The WFP says that 60% of Zimbabwe's 15 million people are currently food insecure. According to Patience Dhinda, a local official, this figure hits 80 percent in Buhera where the grain depot, which should house the state food aid, stands empty. A year ago, the crops in Buhera had already suffered from drought before being washed away by Idai. This year they risk being burned to a crisp by the relentless sun. - One meal a day - Around 800 kilometres further west, across the border in Zambia, first impressions suggest that the contrast is startling. The grass is tall, the roads muddy and the fields of maize are a vibrant, healthy green. In the village of Simumbwe, an hour and a half's drive south on a dusty road from Kalomo in the southwest of the country, the rains arrived in late December. But in the shade of the majestic trees, seated on the red earth, perched in the branches or on oxcarts, hundreds of people wait patiently for food to be distributed by an NGO, World Vision, and the WFP. Last year, the harvest was catastrophic for the second year running with up to 70 percent of the crops lost to the drought. "Last year, I harvested 18 kilos (39.6 pounds) of food. In other words, nothing," said Loveness Haneumba, mother of five and a "happy" beneficiary of aid in Simumbwe. "It is common that we eat once a day. The children ask me: 'what are we going to eat?' I answer: 'Just wait. Let me look around'." It is a question of buying time. For several years, the rainy season has been getting later and shorter, upsetting the traditional farming cycle. It used to be from October to May; now it is barely from December to April. - Most vulnerable - "The food we have here is not enough to cater for everyone," said Derick Mulilo, the World Vision food monitor in the yard of the school in Simumbwe. "We are focussing on the most vulnerable." He meant people like Loveness Haneumba and her stunted children. Her six-year-old daughter looked four and her four-year-old had the appearance of a two-year-old toddler. Lizzy Kayoba, another mother of a large family, also featured on the list of beneficiaries. She had walked five hours during the night, her youngest on her back, to arrive at dawn for the food handout. She left with 25 kilos of maize and 7.6 kilos of beans. "It will last me one or two weeks," she said. The next distribution at the school is a month away. A teacher, Teddy Siafweba, said about 15 children in his class were absent that day because of hunger. In the classroom next door, about 30 were missing -- nearly half of the rollcall of 70. And those who came often have an empty stomach. Some nod off in class, said another teacher, Tryness Kayuni. The 33-year-old watched the handout with a heavy heart. She was not one of the 862 beneficiaries. A single mother, Kayuni was not considered a priority as she had a job. And yet she had not been paid since September. Since then she had been holding out on one meal a day. "How do I survive?" she said. "I ask my colleagues if they can help me with some food." - Adapt to survive - Funding is desperately needed to meet the needs of the 2.3 million people in Zambia who sorely need food. The WFP has received only a third of the $36 million required. Desperate times are prompting desperate -- and corrupt -- measures. Thieves steal food supplies and unscrupulous men promise to put women's names on the food list in exchange for unprotected sex. That is not something that worried single mother Imelda Hicoombolwa, 49, who for the last three years has been one of a number of small farmers who gambled on agricultural diversification, opting for nutritious vegetables and using techniques adapted to climate change. "Food is not a problem. I have it," she beamed. (continues below)

A volunteer reads a list with the names of those who will receive bags with maize meal and beans during a food distribution organized by the World Food Programme and World Vision in Simumbwe on Jan 22. Funding is desperately needed to meet the needs of the 2.3 million severely food insecure people in Zambia. (Photo:AFP)

Before 2017, Hicoombolwa cultivated almost only maize. Today, she harvests cowpeas, which need very little water, as well as peanuts, pumpkins and sunflowers. "I can make 18,000 kwacha (1,100 euros, $1,222) a year. Before, I was making 8,000 kwacha a year," she said. "Before, the children were missing school because I could not always pay the tuition fees. Not any more." One big change is that Hicoombolwa no longer rushes to sow from the first rains. The farmers have learned to wait. In the recent past it was a different story, according to Allan Mulando of WFP. "Once they see a drop they plant instead of waiting for the moisture to be good enough," he said. "At the end of the day, they lose everything." Rain gauges have helped to change that attitude. As part of a joint programme launched in 2015 by the UN agency and the Zambian government, 165 rain gauges were distributed to farmers in the Zambian districts most affected by the drought. They have enabled the villagers to read the conditions and plant at the most propitious moment. - Rain man - Mulando says the rule of thumb is not to plant anything below 20 to 25 millimetres  of rain and to choose seeds that fit the weather forecast. If a short rainy season is expected, for instance, choose seeds that will germinate quickly. "If I had had access to this knowledge earlier, I would be relatively rich," said Godfrey Hapaka, a farmer. "I would have a decent car and my kids would not have missed school." Next to his modest house surrounded by flourishing maize fields, a rain gauge was planted in an enclosure, its value underlined by a brand new screen put in place to protect it. As soon as it rains, Hapaka, 58, checks the gauge and passes on the rainfall level to his neighbours. Sadly, the message is often ignored. Hapaka said some of them are "reluctant" to use the information. "They follow their parents and grandparents," he said. "They are stuck in the past." Farmers are not the only ones to follow the rainfall closely. From the Kariba dam on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, Geoffrey Chambisha, director of the power station on the Zambian side, watched the water level of the lake. He was worried. In the 14 years he had been working at the dam, he had never seen it so low. In early 2020, the water level was 476.61 metres  above sea level. Its lowest level, set in 1996, was 475.93m. In the absence of sufficient rain, the dam, the main source of electricity in Zambia and Zimbabwe, is expected to operate at only 25% of its capacity in 2020. Inevitably the two countries are enduring long power cuts, up to 20 hours a day, which is having a knock-on effect on the two economies. The town of Livingstone, where tourists from all over the world flock to admire the Victoria Falls, has been particularly hit. "This year has been horrendously bad," said Andrew Murrin, a Briton who runs a six-bedroom hotel. With temperatures climbing to nearly 45°C, customers have naturally been demanding air conditioning. Murrin had been running at full speed on his generator for some months and the cost was mounting. "In the past three months, the generator has cost me about 30,000 kwacha (US$2,000) for the diesel and the maintenance," he said. - Victoria Falls - Beyond the problems of electricity and air-conditioning, the tourist industry is suffering from recent publicity which it would rather have avoided. A video filmed in September by a visitor purporting to show the Victoria Falls reduced to a trickle made a massive buzz on social media even though it only reflected part of the reality. The video showed a dry portion of the 1.7-km-long falls and, much to the indignation of angry tourism professionals, ignored the rest of the free-flowing Mosi-oa-Tunya -- the local name which translates as "The Smoke That Thunders." Zambian President Edgar Lungu exacerbated the panic by leaping for Twitter. "These pictures of the Victoria Falls are a stark reminder of what climate change is doing to our environment and our livelihood," he tweeted. At Livingstone, the locals were incensed. Every year the Zambian part of the Victoria Falls, which is shared with Zimbabwe, is dry. "It is a natural phenomenom, it is seasonal," said John Zulu, who runs the Zambian site. Too late. The damage was done. Thousands of visitors cancelled their trips; tourism plummeted 25 percent in 2019. This month, the falls are again flowing along their entire length but the lack of tourists has bitten hard. Murrin has had to lay off four of his eight employees and the hotel next door to him has closed down. - Stench of death - Tourists have also become a rarity 1,500km away in western South Africa. In Northern Cape province, at the gateway of the Kalahari desert, the wild animals are used to extreme temperatures but even they are succumbing to the conditions. According to Wildlife Ranching South Africa, two-thirds of the wild animals in the Northern Cape have died in the last three years because of the drought. (continues below)

Two workers from the Thuru Lodge Game farm dispose of the carcass of a dead animal on the Thuru Lodge Game farm near Groblershoop on Jan 16. At the gateway to the Kalahari Desert, wild animals are used to extreme temperatures and harsh conditions. But after several years of drought, after animals have become weak, they die. (Photo: AFP)

In two years, half of the 4,500 buffaloes, hippopotamuses and kudus at the Thuru Lodge game farm near Groblershoop have disappeared. The average rainfall here is 250 millimetres a year. "But 250 millimetres, that's what we have had in five years," says its manager, Burger Schoeman. At the top of a hill that overlooked the 22,000-hectare private reserve, two huge holes served as mass graves. Paul Ludick is usually responsible for locating animal tracks for tourists. He now spends his time picking up the carcasses and feeding the animals that are still alive but struggling to survive. "I stink" of death, he said. - Abandoned sheep - The drought represents a financial black hole for the lodge, which spends 200,000 rand ($13,500) per month to feed the animals while cancelling the reservations of tourists on the lookout for "trophies." "We need to offer a fair hunt. Hunters can't shoot weak animals," said Schoeman. The South African government, which has declared a state of natural disaster in the Northern Cape, will release 300 million rand ($20 million) in aid. A drop in the desert. "I have never seen anything like this," said Johan Steenkamp, a 52-year-old farmer with a spread of 6,000 hectares. "It is just not raining anywhere. We lost many animals. I have 30 to 40 percent left." Over a hundred died because of the drought, with another 200 going prematurely to the slaughterhouse. It is becoming a familiar tale. According to the agricultural cooperative KLK, many farmers in the region have lost 30-70% of their livestock in the space of two years. Sheep still give birth, but they abandon their newborn lambs. "They have no milk," Steenkamp said. "They leave them there." Steenkamp's two older sons chose careers away from the family farm and the drought is painting a bleak future for his youngest son as well. "There is no future for him here," said Steenkamp. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); via Blogger https://ift.tt/39wdPyv