FNRI develops sweet potato fries technology

The National Nutrition Survey (NNS) conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST) in 2008 revealed that starchy roots and tubers are consumed at 17 grams daily or about two percent of the total food intake of Filipino households.

Rootcrops are generally rich in complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber. Starchy roots and tubers are mainly used as human food, animal feed or manufactured to produce starch and alcohol.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), root and tuber crops are a staple food and main source of calories for an estimated 700 million poor people in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

The NNS found that there is a decreasing trend in consumption of starchy roots and tubers among Filipino households from 1978 to 2008. Sweet potato is one of the commonly-consumed starchy roots and tubers in the Philippines, along with potato, taro or gabi, and cassava. Around four percent of Filipino households eat sweet potatoes regularly. 

To read more: FNRI develops sweet potato fries technology

Adapated from PIA News Feature

ICT seen as key to rural development, small-scale farming

The development of rural areas, including services such as an internet connection, is necessary to stop the decline of small-holder family farming, which experts see as vital for youth employment and food security.

The 500 million or so small-holder farms worldwide are estimated to supply some two billion people with regular food. In Europe, some 95% of farms are at least partly family owned.

The United Nations has declared 2014 the International Year of Family Farming (IYFF) to highlight their importance in the food security debate. But many such farms face the risk of disappearing unless young people can be persuaded to carry on the profession rather than seek “greener pastures” in cities, one expert quipped ironically at a family farming event hosted by the farming cooperative association Copa-Cogeca on Wednesday (19 January). One third of farmers are over 65 years of age and only 6% under 35.

The agriculture groups present at the conference - including the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO), the Italian confederation of agriculture, Confagricoltura, and the development agency Agricord, as well as the UN ambassador to the EU for IYFF - called for governments to take measures to make the profession attractive to young people.

Rural areas require services

The European Commission estimates that in 2008 41.7% of people living in areas of the EU with low population density had never used the internet. Only Cyprus, the Netherlands and the UK have 100% access to DSL internet in rural areas. The lowest areas of coverage are in Latvia (9%), Slovenia (11%) and in Lithuania (15%), according to the European Commission.

To read more: ICT seen as key to rural development, small-scale farming

Adapted from EurActiv.com

Transforming Rural India Through Agricultural Innovation

With a majority of its population living in villages, rural poverty is a major problem in India. The disparity between the urban and rural incomes is also on the rise. This leads to migration to urban areas resulting in urban blight as well. Therefore addressing the problem of rural poverty assumes urgency.

National Agro Foundation (NAF), founded in 2000, has been involved in a range of interventions—infusion of technology, soil enrichment, efficient farm and water management, improved cattle development, functional literacy, rural sanitation and public health, human resource development, establishment of self-help groups particularly among women, self-employment opportunities and facilitating institutional credit—to address the problem of farm productivity in India.  

NAF works in about 250 villages in Tamilnadu and has reached 30,000 rural families. A large part of NAF’s effort with farmers is to help break their initial emotional barriers to new technologies. This has provided the platform to launch into other initiatives. The success of these measures has had a demonstrative impact on the farmers’ willingness to adopt and internalize new technologies. This may be considered an attitudinal breakthrough.

To read more on some of the highlights of the NAF Programme: Transforming Rural India Through Agricultural Innovation

Adapted from Harvard Business Review.

Minister praises media

Media coverage of the agricultural sector has the potential to spur investment, innovation, agri-entrepreneurship and stimulate general interest in the sector. 

So said Food Production Minister Devant Maharaj while delivering the feature address on Saturday at the Inter-American Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture and Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (IICA/Cardi) 2013 Media Awards for Excellence in Agricultural Journalism awards ceremony at Capital Plaza, Wrightson Road, Port of Spain. 

Maharaj lauded the entire media fraternity for its critical and thought-provoking coverage of the agricultural sector from 2009 to 2013. A total of 50 entries were submitted for the panel’s deliberation on the theme “Food Security In Our Hands/Linking Policies and Practices.” The awards ceremony was also held against the backdrop of the International Year of Family Farms. 

Maharaj said: “We are the only Caricom country that has these awards. The potential (agriculture) often goes unrecognised and, as a result, is untapped. This is where you, the media, come in. You determine what is newsworthy. You shape how citizens see the world around them. You influence what citizens see as important or not. The power you hold is immense and undeniable.”

To read more: Minister praises media

Adapted from Trinidad Express

By by Michelle Loubon

Discovering our roots ... and rhizomes, and tubers and bulbs and other underground delights

Winter seemed like a good time to write about root vegetables. Roots typically are underground storage units that enable plants to conserve energy, absorb nutrients, stay upright — and yes, they defy expectations and frequently appear above-ground. 

Then we located turmeric and horseradish in the stores, and the initial idea began to change. But is turmeric a root or rhizome, like ginger? And is ginger a food, a medicine or a spice? How about ginseng?

Then we discovered that onions, garlic, shallots and ramps are bulbs, rather than roots as we had previously thought.

Finally, when we learned that there is a difference between roots and tubers, we realized that we were splitting too many hairs (or rhizoids, if you will), and our planning took a 180.

So, here, instead, are nine tasty, useful roots — alimentary, culinary roots, if not the botanic versions — that enrich our diets as well as our palates.  

Beets

Pickled, steamed, broiled or roasted, these taproots are used the world over for a variety of items, including sugars and inks. A key compound found in beets, betaine, is being researched for its medicinal uses, including in combating liver disease and high blood pressure. 

Carrots

Carrots were first grown for their leaves and seeds and not for their roots. Carrots were mainly purple well into the Middle Ages in Europe and Asia. The orange variety is thought to have first appeared in the southern regions of Spain.

To read more on the different roots: Discovering our roots ... and rhizomes, and tubers and bulbs and other underground delights

Adapted from Rapid City Journals

Express journalists cop awards

EXPRESS journalists Sue Ann Wayow and Jermaine Cruickshank have won awards for excellence in agricultural journalism in Trinidad and Tobago. 

Wayow won "Best News Story" for her report "Pleading for Government Help" from the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) in their 2013 media awards. 
Cruickshank won for Best Feature Photograph.

In a press release, the agricultural institutes said the awards were adjudicated by a team of highly-qualified professionals in the field of media and agriculture. 

IICA’s Representative in Trinidad and Tobago, Gregg Rawlins, and CARDI’s Executive Director, Dr. Arlington Chesney said the awards are about recognising journalists for their work on reporting on agriculture and all facets of the sector. 

Rawlins said in the release: "We acknowledge all the journalists who took part in the awards and from the feedback from judges, the calibre of entries was particularly high this year and I want to congratulate all the winners". 

In the release Dr. Chesney said: "We value the media and we do believe the fraternity has an important role to play in reporting on the agriculture sector as it is linked to life and livelihoods, health and nutrition, urban poverty and employment and much more and that is why we celebrate excellence in agricultural journalism via these awards". 

IICA and CARDI said other companies and organizations on board to sponsor prizes in the competition are are State-owned National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago (NGC), Caribbean Chemicals and National Agricultural Marketing & Development Corporation (NAMDEVCO). 

Read more: Express journalists cop awards

By Susan Mohammed

Story Created: Feb 4, 2014 at 2:38 PM ECT

Adapted from Trinidad Express

UAF sets up 'Zarai Baithak' to provide solutions to agriculture problems

The University of Agriculture Faisalabad sets up "Zarai Baithak" (Zaraibaithak.com) meant to providing solutions to agri problems of the farming community by using information technology. The project is carried out by Institute of Agri Extension and Rural Development in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, Government of Punjab. 

It was announced at the International Symposium titled "Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) based Agricultural Advisory and Extension in Pakistan" arranged by the Institute at Video Conference Hall on Wednesday. The session was chaired by UAF Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan while the scientists from the University of California, Davis, US including Dr Jim Hill and Dr Mark Bell were guests of honour on the occasion. 

Professor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said the website provides an opportunity to farmers especially living in far-flung areas to discuss their problems with agricultural experts for boosting up production. He said agriculture production excluding corn and potato has been stagnant for the last couple of years whereas the population is increasing rapidly. 

He was of the view that newspapers, mobile phones, TVs, internet and other information technologies gained immense importance, influencing the opinions of the people. The effective use of these technologies for agriculture purpose can help the country uplift the agricultural sector. He also said the knowledge is generating with the large pace that must be communicated to the farmers. 

Dr Jim Hill stressed the need for collaborative efforts on the part of scientists and stakeholders to work together for ensuring food security in the world. The food security is one of the major threats for the world amid climate changes and depleting water resources. "We have to use the modern technologies useable for farmers," he added. 

To read more: UAF sets up 'Zarai Baithak' to provide solutions to agriculture problems 

Adapted from Business Recorder.

Government of Saint Lucia : More Income Tax Deductions For Residents

St. Lucians can look forward to additional tax deductions in two new areas - hobby farming and community or farm road rehabilitation projects.

The Government of Saint Lucia's proposed amendments to the Income Tax Act, Cap. 15.02 will make it possible for residents of Saint Lucia to qualify for a maximum deduction of five thousand dollars (EC $5,000.00), irrespective of the nature of his or her income, for Hobby Farming and contributions to Community or Farm Road Rehabilitation projects.

To qualify for the deduction for Hobby Farming, a resident is required to obtain a certificate of registration from the Minister responsible for Agriculture, under the Hobby Farmers Tax Relief Incentive Program. This initiative is aimed at revitalizing the subsistence farming sector which is important to Saint Lucia's food security.

To read more,  Government of Saint Lucia : More Income Tax Deductions For Residents

Adapted from 4-Traders

ICT, the way forward for farm extension

The contribution of agricultural extension — the mechanism of transferring scientific knowledge to farmers — to production ranges from around 17 per cent in paddy to 40 per cent in commercial crops, said S. Ayyappan, Director-General of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), on Sunday.

With only 30 to 60 per cent of farm technologies reaching farmers, the role of farm extension had never been more important to the agricultural sector, Dr. Ayyappan said. He was delivering the valedictory address at the international conference on ‘Extension educational strategies for sustainable agricultural development’ at the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore.

‘Greatest challenge’

While scientific and technological innovations had been significant in the area of agriculture, communicating these to farmers had been the greatest challenge to farm extension workers, he said. “There are 60 crore farmers to be reached, and countless languages involved.”

To read more on the Greatest challenge and Recommendations

Adapted from The Hindu

MTN Ghana provides ICT centre at university

The MTN Ghana Foundation has constructed and handed over a 50-seat ICT Centre for the University College of Agriculture and Environmental Studies at Bunso in the Eastern Region. The project was commissioned as part of activities to climax this year's Koftownfest. The ICT centre was constructed at a cost of GHS 114,457.35. The facility is expected to provide 150 students and 30 faculty members of the school with easy access to ICT and to facilitate academic work and research. 

Adapted from Telecompaper

What light bulbs go off when you hear the word 'bulb'?

Brent and Becky’s Bulbs is a catalog company, “Garden Bulbs for the South” is a book by Scott Ogden and “Bulbs Are Great — If You Choose Wisely” is a chapter in Hamilton Mason’s “Your Garden in the South.” What do they have in common beyond the obvious? All deal not only with bulbs, but also with tubers, tuberous roots, corms and rhizomes.

But while the word “bulb” is simply shorthand for advanced gardeners, it's a hazy catchall for average folks who think all plants with swollen subterranean structures are bulbs.

A true bulb is actually an underground stem enveloped by fleshy, starch-storing leaves that provide energy for the embryonic plant that will eventually emerge. The bulb’s bottom — its basal plate — serves as the foundation for the entire plant and also generates roots. In addition, the basal plate produces offsets called “bulblets.” Among true bulb plants for Central Florida are Easter lily, garden amaryllis, blood lily and crinums such as “Queen Emma.”

To read more on this article: What light bulbs go off when you hear the word 'bulb'?

By CHARLES REYNOLDS
Halifax Media Group

Blending agriculture and mobile phones

The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) and Rwanda’s ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources organized the ICT4Ag international conference in Kigali. Attracting over 500 delegates, the conference sought ways of harmonizing ICTs in agriculture among African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states. It was agreed that carefully-considered application of mobile technology in agriculture can effectively support the delivery of timely and relevant agricultural information and advisory services to farmers.

These platforms bring together location-specific resources such as weather forecasts, market prices and soil types to support smallholder farmers in optimizing production and managing risks.

The World Bank estimates that agriculture employs 65 per cent of the workforce in ACP states and the sector generates an average 32 per cent of GDP.

Generally, smallholder farmers in these states are scattered geographically with small farm sizes, which makes provision of adequate and quality extension support complex and expensive.

To read more, click  on the link: Blending agriculture and mobile phones